A Regional Gender Assessment of Energy Policies and Programmes in South Asia Read more about A Regional Gender Assessment of Energy Policies and Programmes in South Asia The Asian Development Bank implemented a project that aimed to increase rural poor women’s access to affordable, reliable, and clean renewable energy sources and technologies in its three developing member countries in South Asia: Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. This report presents the findings of the review of national energy policies for the region that combined gender reviews and interactions with stakeholders.
Improving Gender Inclusive Access to Clean and Renewable Energy in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka Read more about Improving Gender Inclusive Access to Clean and Renewable Energy in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka Energy is a critical factor in any poverty reduction strategy. It is also essential for generating production, income, and employment. The Asian Development Bank rolled out a project in three of its developing member countries in South Asia—Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka—to help increase rural poor women’s access to affordable, reliable, and clean renewable energy sources and technologies. This paper presents an overview of the project, including its background, key strategies, results, and lessons.
Integrated Approach to Sustainable Infrastructure Provision/ Financing Read more about Integrated Approach to Sustainable Infrastructure Provision/ Financing Armenia, a small landlocked country in the Caucasus, requested its development partners for assistance in maintaining its extensive yet underfunded road and water network. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is the only partner that responded to this call. The challenge was to institutionalize coordination and beef up accountability mechanisms, not only between Armenian government agencies but also with ADB teams and other development partners. As a response, ADB introduced an integrated approach to ensure the sustainability of infrastructure solutions to be rolled out.
Tackling Extreme Poverty Using a Household-based Approach Read more about Tackling Extreme Poverty Using a Household-based Approach Asia’s extreme poor are becoming more vulnerable as prices of goods soar and climate change becomes more imminent. This can be aggravated by any crisis that could hit the region, such as the recent Asian financial crisis. To help alleviate the plight of the poorest of the poor, the Asian Development Bank assisted the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada to use a household-based approach designed to implement livelihood programs based on comprehensive information on the aspirations, assets and plans of the poor.
How Tobacco Taxes Can Expand Fiscal Space and Benefit the Poor Read more about How Tobacco Taxes Can Expand Fiscal Space and Benefit the Poor 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.
Remittance as a Driver for Growth and Poverty Reduction in Asia Read more about Remittance as a Driver for Growth and Poverty Reduction in Asia Learn the role of remittances, particularly in Asia. Remittance trends and outlook, including its effects on growth and poverty, are explained. The presentation also enumerates relevant issues and highlights areas of improvement in remittance policies.
The Cities Development Initiative for Asia: Enhancing the Quality of Urban Infrastructure Investments Read more about The Cities Development Initiative for Asia: Enhancing the Quality of Urban Infrastructure Investments The task of Cities Development Initiative for Asia, a regional technical assistance facility established in 2007, is to develop or prepare priority urban infrastructure projects. The focus of the initiative is to bridge the gap between urban infrastructure investment planning and programming.
Development of Regional Initiative to Revitalize Irrigation and Agricultural Water Governance in Asia Pacific Read more about Development of Regional Initiative to Revitalize Irrigation and Agricultural Water Governance in Asia Pacific Irrigated agriculture is essential to achieve human development and environmental targets in Asia Pacific. Targets, however, will not be met unless the sector adopts innovative, forward-looking, and effective strategies. There is a need to prod and enable actors at all levels in the region to take effective action.
Mandalay: Urban Prospects Under Transition Read more about Mandalay: Urban Prospects Under Transition Profound changes are happening in Myanmar. Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, has various development potentials though resources are limited. There is a need for Mandalay to be competitive to attract an increasing number of foreign direct investments.
Policy Lessons from the Bangkok Meeting Read more about Policy Lessons from the Bangkok Meeting Policy questions require multiple models at a variety of scales. There is a need to adopt a policy decision tool that is integrated into the organizational workflow, and an action plan that will make it possible to do so.