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.

Seventy-five (75) million households in India lack access to energy, while another 80 million are under-served. This situation has pushed many people to use expensive and hazardous means to light up their homes. Households spend half of their incomes on kerosene, charcoal, firewood, paraffin, candles, and disposable batteries for lighting and energy needs.

The majority of the poor in the Philippines are in rural areas. Many of them are hand to mouth, or subsistence farmers. They are beset with limited water sources and lack of access roads.

Producing more food using less water is possible with the use of modern and innovative technology. This video focuses on how remote sensing and satellite technology can be used to improve crop water productivity and irrigation systems planning.

India is on the threshold of a solar revolution. Solar-powered irrigation pumps can either be a challenge or solution to the groundwater crisis in the country, depending on how it is promoted among farmers. This presentation explores the rise of solar energy and its potential to transform India’s irrigation economy.

Tacit knowledge resides in the minds of individuals but knowledge development thrives in a rich web of social contact among individuals, groups, and organizations. Insight Thursday provides such a context.

Insight Thursday is a weekly, 30-minute seminar open to all ADB staff. Stimulating discussions are par for the course. The events bring together different groups of people and promote understanding of, organization, and management of information worth paying attention to—from global or regional debates to institutional challenges and more.

This video documents how the challenges of getting water to serve highland areas of Tamayong in the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao have been largely overcome by a new irrigation system.