Many developing member countries of Asian Development Bank (ADB) persistently score low in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. With weak governance and public sector institutions, there are risks to development effectiveness of ADB's investments. This presentation provides some practical solutions to tackle corruption, both at country and project levels.

Efficient and effective land administration underpins the very functioning of states and societies. Imagine a country where, for example, tenure to land cannot be secured or mortgages cannot be established in aid of property development. Across the world, key questions about land are surfacing, and the inability to answer them curtails social and economic development, environmental management, and good governance.

In a climate of economic, social, and political change, Myanmar's young population, fertile lands, plentiful endowment of natural resources, and strategic location in Southeast Asia presage a prosperous future. Beginning 2011, the government has launched an array of reforms to speed the transition to a market economy. For sustained growth and poverty reduction, however, much depends also on augmenting physical and human capital on a par; information and communication technology (ICT) for development is central to achieving that.

Yunnan is a remote, mountainous province in the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC). Many of its residents are from poor, minority groups that rely on subsistence farming. Lack of connectivity exacerbates their poverty.

In 2003, PRC, with assistance from the Asian Development Bank, launched the Western Yunnan Roads Development Project, which aimed to connect Western Yunnan to the country’s regional centers and to the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The natural resources of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) have been experiencing severe pressure from unsustainable farming practices coupled with a surge in foreign agricultural investments. Without proper intervention, Lao PDR’s environment and natural resources will no longer be sustainable and hundreds of marginalized communities in the country will be pushed further into poverty.

Bhutan’s steep mountains, deep valleys, and its people’s scattered settlements pose serious challenges to health care service delivery. Medical facilities are generally more than an hour’s walk away from the nearest village, and the capital of Thimpu, where more extensive health services can be found, could be more than 20 hours away for many residents, particularly those from the east. In addition, the country has a limited healthcare workforce.

Smoking is a global health hazard. According to the World Health Organization, around 5-6 million people from around the world died because of tobacco use in 2010. Without effective interventions, this number could double by 2030.

Information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the forces shaping the world today. The expeditious way it has facilitated communication, knowledge sharing, and transactions has provided unparalleled benefits to society.

Bangladesh had the highest proportion of gender-sensitive projects in the whole portfolio of loans and grants approved by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) from 1998 to 2007.

Building a railway system with a length of 75 kilometers within 11 months in a war-torn country would seem impossible to many. For those behind the Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project in Afghanistan, detailed planning and efficient coordination can make this impossible feat possible. This publication highlights how they did it.