ADB, BirdLife International Affirm Commitment to Protect and Sustainably Manage Biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific

Event: ADB Data Room: Regional Flyway Initiative

ADB, BirdLife International Affirm Commitment to Protect and Sustainably Manage Biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific

25 July 2024

Bottom left: BirdLife International CEO Martin Harper, MDG Woochong Um, Special Senior Advisor on Climate Change Warren Evans
Top left: Environment Officer Karen Ochavo, Environment Director Yoko Watanabe, CCSD Director General Bruno Carrasco, BirdLife Regional Director (Asia) Vinayagan Dharmarajah, and Senior Environment Specialist Duncan Lang

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (25 July 2024)—The Asian Development Bank (ADB) hosted BirdLife International (BLI) CEO Martin Harper to reaffirm and celebrate the achievements of ADB and BLI on the Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI) and the development of the Avian Sensitivity Tool for Energy Planning (AVISTEP).

During the visit, Martin Harper met ADB Managing Director General Woochong Um, Director General Bruno Carrasco, and Special Climate Advisor Warren Evans to discuss ADB and BLI’s ongoing work on the RFI. Both sides expressed their commitment to the RFI and to scaling up their shared vision to support the protection and sustainable management of wetlands in the region, which are vital for birds and biodiversity and local communities. Discussions took place on opportunities to further promote AVISTEP as a mechanism to speed up energy transition by improving upstream planning and identification of sites of high renewable energy potential but low risk to biodiversity.

To showcase the ADB-BLI innovative relationship, a joint event between ADB’s Climate Change, Resilience and Environment (CCRE) cluster and the NGO and Civil Society Center (NGOC) further explored this and presented the wider role that civil society can play in collaboration with ADB. Moderated by CCRE-Environment Director Yoko Watanabe, the event included opening remarks by NGOC Unit Head Haidy Ear-Dupuy, followed by a keynote speech from Martin Harper, highlighting how joint efforts can leverage both organizations’ expertise to deliver at scale. A panel discussion with Martin Harper and representatives from the Sectors Group, Office of Safeguards, and Compliance Review Panel Chair Elisea Gozun, explored the roles that civil society can play in advocacy, nature-positive development, safeguards, and in the provision of technical expertise.

Geographical Focus:

Regional - Asia

Type of Content:

Learning Event

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