The Civil Society Program at the 59th ADB Annual Meeting in Samarkand highlighted key themes including safeguards and accountability, investing in youth and women, financing for climate resilience and community development, indigenous people’s participation in renewable energy transition, and artificial intelligence for climate and disaster resilience. The program drew over 300 in-person and online participants through 13 events held between 3-6 May. Eight of the sessions were led by civil society organizations. 

Advancing ADB’s Safeguards and Accountability discussed factors that strengthen development results while protecting communities. Empowering and Investing in Youth and Women for Sustainable Healthy Cities highlighted real-world youth-supported engagement solutions for mobility, health, and climate action. Speakers at Climate Resilience Financing for Learning Continuity in Asia discussed possible steps governments, international NGOs, and local partners can take to attract private sector investment for climate-resilient education. The Impact of Reprisals on Meaningful Consultations, Accountability, and the Grievance Processes addressed the value of dialogue and effective grievance processes in ADB’s project implementation.

Experts explored how third-party monitoring, participatory budgeting, and AI-driven tools can be utilized to increase participation from women and youth sectors in good governance initiatives in From Participation to Accountability: Engaging Women and Youth in Good Governance. 

From Policy to Practice: Advancing Indigenous Peoples’ Leadership in the Energy Transition featured cases where indigenous advocacy led to expanded energy access and environmental protection initiatives in successful renewable energy projects. Civil society experts from across Asia and the Pacific discussed novel ways to expand investment for community-led development projects in the Innovative Financing to Scale Up Community-Led Solutions dialogue. Panelists at the Digital Technology and AI for Climate and Disaster Resilience session explored how disaster epidemiology, digital humanitarian communication, data platforms, and civil society networks can inform community level data, digital platforms, and AI enabled information services in support of climate and disaster resilience. Finally, IED continued its consultation with civil service organizations in the Dialogue Between IED and CSOs as part of its ongoing evaluation of ADB’s engagement with civil society.