ADB’s annual board of governors meeting today

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Business Desk :
Over 4,000 participants from across Asia, North America, and Europe are expected to attend the 51st Annual Meeting of ADB’s Board of Governors to be held at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila, the Philippines from May 3 to 6.
Finance ministers, central bank governors, private sector representatives, development partners, academics, members of civil society, media, and the youth from the Asia and Pacific region started arriving Wednesday at ADB headquarters in Manila, said a media release received here Wednesday.
ADB President Takehiko Nakao expressed his deep gratitude to the Philippine government, and Finance Secretary and Chair of the Board of Governors, Carlos G. Dominguez, for hosting the ADB Annual Meeting with the theme “Linking People and Economies for Inclusive Development.”
Since last year’s Annual Meeting in Yokohama, Dominguez and Nakao met several times to discuss how the Philippine government and ADB can further strengthen partnership and operations, and on how the Annual Meeting in Manila can be more focused and substantive.
This is the 16th Annual Meeting held in Manila, with the last one in 2012. The meeting will examine global and regional issues affecting development in Asia and the Pacific. Last year in Yokohama, Dominguez mentioned that ADB should reinvent itself to further strengthen its support to developing member countries.
Delegates and participants over the coming days will discuss ADB’s Strategy 2030 to “achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific.”
Various seminars and events will be held during the Annual Meeting. Topics include: (1) examining the effect of new technologies and globalization on jobs and how countries can prepare; (2) addressing gender gaps in the region through women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment; (3) mobilizing private sector resources in meeting Asia’s huge infrastructure needs; (4) adapting new technologies in finance; (5) investing in community-led solutions for climate and disaster resilience; and (6) promoting inclusive growth through regional cooperation.
The host country event on May 4 will have sessions on (1) Silk Roads and Beyond; (2) Saving the International Economic Order; and (3) Financial Technology for Inclusion.
Flagship sessions and the ADB President’s press conference will be live streamed.
In addition to the official sessions, journalists attending the Annual Meeting are invited to join the daily briefings by ADB Management members and department heads.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members-48 from the region. In 2017, ADB operations totaled $32.2 billion, including $11.9 billion in co financing.

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