ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional
development bank established on 22 August 1966
which is headquartered in Metro Manila, Philippines
to facilitate economic development of countries in
Asia.
The bank admits the members of the United
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific and non-regional developed
countries.
ADB now has 67 members - of which 48 are from
within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside.


BRIEF HISTORY AND BASIC PRINCIPLES

ADB was conceived amid the postwar
rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of the
early 1960s. The vision was of a financial
institution that would be Asian in character
and foster economic growth and cooperation
in the region - then one of the poorest in the
world.

BRIEF HISTORY AND BASIC PRINCIPLES

Once the ADB was founded in 1966, Japan
took a prominent position in the bank; it
received the presidency and some other
crucial "reserve positions" such as the
director of the administration department.
Takeshi Watanabe was ADB's first President.

BRIEF HISTORY AND BASIC PRINCIPLES

In 1982, ADB opened its first field office - a
Resident Mission in Bangladesh - to bring
operations closer to their intended
beneficiaries.
With the new century, a new focus on helping
its developing members achieve the
Millennium Development Goals and making
development more effective was adopted
within ADB.

POLITICAL STANDPOINT/PHILOSOPHY/IDEOLOGY

ADB has been driven by an inspiration and
dedication to improving peoples lives in Asia
and the Pacific.
Economists, sociologists, engineers, gender
experts and environmental scientists are
amongst the hundreds of professions at the
bank working together to reduce poverty, and
ensure growth across the Asia and Pacific
region is sustainable and inclusive.

POLITICAL STANDPOINT/PHILOSOPHY/IDEOLOGY

ADB are at the forefront of development
thinking and practice, spreading information
through regional forums, a growing online
presence and the publication of specialized
papers, serials and books.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS/SOCIAL CONCERNS

ADB is an international development finance
institution whose vision is to help its
developing member countries reduce poverty
and improve the quality of life of their people.
In Its mission to reduce poverty in the Asia-
Pacific region, ADB focuses on different
developmental issues.
ADB aims for the Asia and Pacific region free
from poverty.

AREA OF OPERATION

ADB has five core operational areas, which are
also identified as comparative strengths of
ADB:
Infrastructure
Environment
Regional Cooperation and Integration
Finance Sector Development
Education

NETWORK/AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS

Multilateral Banks and Multilateral Financial Institutions:

World Bank (WB)
Corporacion Andina de Fomento
European Investment Bank (EIB)
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
World Trade Organization (WTO)
World Health Organization (WHO)
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC)
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization
(SEAMEO)
NETWORK/AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS

Bilateral Organizations :
Agence Franaise de Dveloppement (AFD)
Australian Aid
Bundesministerium fr wirtschaftliche
Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Technische
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
Japan Water Agency (JWA)
United States Environmental Protection
Agency (US-EPA)

NETWORK/AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS

United Nations:
UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (ESCAP)
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
UN Human Settlements Programme (HABITAT)
UN International Labour Organization (ILO)
UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF)
UN Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO)
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)


NETWORK/AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS

Other Organizations :

Civil Society
Foundations
Think Tanks, Research and Academic
Institutions

LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP
The President is Chairperson of the Board of Directors,
and under the Board's direction, conducts the business of
ADB. He is responsible for the organization, appointment,
and dismissal of the officers and staff in accordance with
regulations adopted by the Board of Directors. The
President is elected by the Board of Governors for a term
of five years, and may be reelected. He is also the legal
representative of ADB.

The President heads a management team comprising six
Vice-Presidents and the Managing Director General, who
supervise the work of ADB's operational, administrative,
and knowledge departments.

Bruce Davis
Vice-President for
Administration and
Corporate Management
Thierry de Longuemar
Vice-President for
Finance and Risk
Management
Wencai Xhang
Vice-President Operations
1
Stephen P. Groff
Vice-President Operations
2
Bindu N. Lohani
Vice-President for Knowledge
Management and Sustainable
Development
Lakshmi Venkatchalam
Vice-President Private Sector
and Cofinancing Operations
Managing Director General
Takehiko Nakao
President of ADB and the Chairperson
of ADB's Board of Directors
PARTICIPATION IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS
Mode of Operation:
The ADB offers "hard" loans from ordinary capital
resources (OCR) on commercial terms, and the Asian
Development Fund (ADF) affiliated with the ADB
extends "soft" loans from special fund resources with
concessional conditions. For OCR, members
subscribe capital, including paid-in and callable
elements, a 50 percent paid-in ratio for the initial
subscription, 5 percent for the Third General Capital
Increase (GCI) in 1983 and 2 percent for the Fourth
General Capital Increase in 1994. The ADB borrows
from international capital markets with its capital as
guarantee.

STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

Strategy 2020
The Long-Term Strategic Framework of the
Asian Development Bank 2008-2020
reaffirms both ADB's vision of an Asia and
Pacific free of poverty and its mission to help
developing member countries improve the
living conditions and quality of life of their
people.

STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

Strategy 2020
Under Strategy 2020. selectivity and focus
would be achieved by concentrating 80% of
ADB's operations in five core operational
areasinfrastructure, environment, regional
cooperation and integration (RCI), finance
sector development, and education.
ENGAGEMENTS/ INTERACTIONS WITH GOVERNMENT
AND OTHER FORCES IN SOCIETY
Through its partnerships, ADB seeks to build
voluntary collaborative agreements in which parties
work together to achieve a common purpose or task,
while sharing risks, responsibilities, resources,
competencies, and benefits.
ADB's formal strategic partnerships are international
development agencies, multilateral and bilateral
institutions, the private sector, nongovernment
organizations and civil society, and foundations.
ADB has also signed cofinancing agreements with
various funding agencies, in an effort to maximize the
impact of development assistance through
coordination.