Economic corridor development (ECD) plays a crucial role in promoting regional cooperation and integration (RCI). A successful ECD will increase connectivity through trade integration and infrastructure development leading to increased regional economic growth. ECD becomes more important for post-COVID-19 recovery and growth, providing holistic solutions for digitalization, services trade, supply chain restructuring, and greening economies.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) initiated ECD into its RCI operations almost a quarter century ago. ADB’s RCI operations initially emphasized improving regional connectivity among the developing member countries (DMCs). Investments in transport infrastructure were soon complemented with “software” or policy and institutional components of RCI (e.g., coordination in border procedures and standards for trade and transport facilitation) to move goods across borders, facilitate access to raw materials, and promote integration into regional and global value chains.

This basic framework, centered on cross-border transport routes and transport and trade facilitation, has defined ECD under ADB-supported subregional cooperation programs (especially in their earlier years) even if conceptually it was recognized that development of economic corridors had a broader scope. The initial utility of this transport-centric approach to ECD has diminished considerably over the 25 years of growth and changes in the Asia-Pacific region. The approach is at risk of not matching up to the demands of member countries for ECD nor to the best practices already in use in Asia-Pacific and beyond. The altered development context calls for a new and broader framework for ECD in ADB’s RCI operations. Subregional cooperation programs in ADB have started moving in the past decade towards a more expanded approach to ECD. Actual implementation of the spatial approach has not been easy, and progress is varied, with little coordination across subregions.

The 2023 RCI Conference provided a venue to (i) present the ECD framework and operational guidelines developed to mainstream ECD operations in ADB projects; (ii) share experience on ECD among ADB-supported subregional cooperation programs; and (iii) explore ways to expand and enhance ECD operations in ADB RCI operations.

The participants of the Conference included: (i) senior officials of ADB’s DMCs responsible for ECD, and (ii) representatives of development partner agencies, and regional cooperation organizations. The Conference conducted in hybrid format, i.e., combination of physical and virtual event.