Meeting Between Civil Society Organizations and ADB Senior Management
ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa met with CSO participants of the 56th ADB Annual Meeting. He invited CSOs to dialogue constructively with ADB and looks forward to hearing ideas and solutions from CSOs on meeting ADB’s climate ambition and rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed appreciation for the CSOs’ extensive participation in the ongoing Safeguard Policy Statement review, particularly in areas of safeguard implementation, stakeholders’ participation, grievance redress, and protection of communities from reprisals. He also encouraged the participants to check the 2022 Highlights of ADB’s Cooperation with Civil Society Organizations publication launched alongside the 56th Annual Meeting.
The ITUC-AP called on ADB to support decent job creation and strengthen in-country dialogue. The NGO Forum on ADB expressed their concerns over just transition in the ETM and called for ADB’s safeguard policy to be cognizant of community consultation and protection, and seek more engagement from ADB on the Energy Policy’s Guidance Notes development. Youth ambassadors from the 3rd Asia and the Pacific Youth Symposium shared their joint statement calling for ADB to support more youth voices in the climate dialogue and other issues such as youth employment, partnerships, and meaningful youth engagement. IFRC Head shared areas of common interests with the ADB and presented interests in closer collaboration. The Reality of Aid coordinator presented a CSO-signed statement calling for a Safeguard Policy that is people-centered and rights-based, Energy Policy that abandons support for fossil fuels, address humanitarian needs, and pursue long-lasting development effort in fragile, conflict-affected contexts and small island developing states.
APCOM Foundation and the Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center requested ADB to consider LGBTQI+ issues in its development and safeguard the review process. In his responses, the ADB President recognizes the need to support workers to have decent labor and working condition, expresses his appreciation for the feedback from CSOs on the Safeguard Policy review process, supports the role of young people in the developing Asia and the Pacific, and the importance of partnership to help build a stronger and more resilient region.
Speaker: Masatsugu Asakawa, President, Asian Development Bank
Moderator: Haidy Ear-Dupuy, Unit Head, NGO and Civil Society Center, , Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB
CSO Speakers:
- Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation – Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP)
- Rayyan Hassan, Executive Director, NGO Forum on ADB
- Rubina Adhikari, Youth Ambassador, Nepal
- Alberto Bocanegra, Head of Delegation Philippines, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
- Sarah Torres, Coordinator, Reality of Aid
- Midnight Poonkasetwattana, Executive Director, APCOM Foundation and Candy Yun, Executive Director, Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center.