Articles

At ADB's Water Week celebration in 2002, former ADB President, the late Tadao Chino said, "The water crisis in the Asia region is essentially a crisis of water governance." Until today, this statement has found resonance among leaders and practitioners across the Asia-Pacific region. Recent years have seen an upsurge in attention to water governance issues, with many experts around the world arguing that improving governance be placed at the top of the water agenda.

Arjun Thapan, ADB Special Senior Advisor on Infrastructure and Water, makes the case for the upcoming water conference in October and brings ADB's water operations in the next 10 years into perspective, aligned with the region's knowledge and investment capacity.

Catalyzing water reforms: the Cooperation Fund for the Water Sector

On 10 December 2001, the ADB Board of Directors approved the establishment of the Cooperation Fund for the Water Sector ("the Fund") to promote effective water management policies and practices at the regional, subregional, and country levels, and thereby catalyzes the implementation of ADB's water policy in the Asia and Pacific region.

ADB, FAO, and IFAD jointly convened an Investment Forum on Food Security in Asia and the Pacific on 7-9 July 2010 at ADB's headquarters in Manila. The first of its kind in the region, the Forum showcased Asia and the Pacific region as an attractive hub for increased investments in food security.

"E nga rangatira..."

ADB's $1 billion Trade Finance Program, which started operations in 2004, provides credit and guarantees on trade financing via banks in developing Asia.

Most Vietnamese looking to earn a living to put food on the table or send their children to school have two choices ―toil in the fields or move to a far-away city like Ha Noi or Ho Chi Minh.

As Pakistan prepares for the third phase of the Asian monsoon that has already caused the worst flooding in the country's history, initial assessments of the flood's impact are underway. ADB and the World Bank are leading this assessment at the request of the Government of Pakistan, in close coordination with the Federal and Provincial Governments, the United Nations, and other development partners.

While the assessment will take several weeks to complete, the damages so far are staggering:

In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, poor rural women are transforming themselves into successful entrepreneurs.

Rangamati, Bangladesh - Suhana Chakma takes an order for 4 kilograms of mushrooms for delivery by tomorrow and no sooner hangs up when her mobile phone rings again, another customer after her homegrown produce. Her mushrooms are in high demand in this southeastern area of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has high primary school enrollment rates and equally high drop out rates for older students. A revitalization of the country's education system aims to keep students in school.

Syedpur, Bangladesh - "I want to be a teacher when I grow older and help poor and sick people," says Devasmita Sarkar, a lively 10-year-old girl who attends a primary school in northwestern Bangladesh.

Margaret Catley-Carlson protects the world's water resources, bringing water issues and concerns into events and is instrumental in forging partnerships that deal with the world's water challenges.

An ADB-supported middle school project is making the dream of an education a reality for Pakistan's rural girls.

Sukkur, Pakistan - Hajra stands up. The 13-year-old eighth grader confidently answers a math question that none of the boys in her class can. Her teacher, Manzoor Ali Abbasi, says proudly, "She is our top student."