51st Asian Development Bank Annual Governors’ Meeting: #LeavingNoOneBehind

(L-R) Sreeni Narayanan, Vinay Bhargava, Emeline Ilolahia, Abdelrahman Mohamed, Marlene Ramirez, Hemantha Withanage, and Devon Dublin review the “ADB Strategy 2030” during the CSO Consultation Workshop.

 

Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable .Transformation (ASSIST), in cooperation with the Asian ..Development Bank-NGO and Civil Society Center (ADB- ..NGOC), headed two side events during the 51st ADB Annual Governors’ Meeting (ADB AGM), held last 2 to 5 May 2018 at the ADB Headquarters. The Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Consultation Workshop gathered different CSO representatives, who introduced their respective organizations and discussed their efforts towards the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) vision of #LeavingNoOneBehind.

 

In line with this, Sreeni Narayanan, ASSIST Managing Director, served as the moderator in the panel discussion, “ADB Strategy 2030: Emerging Directions”, wherein the keynote speakers from various CSOs reviewed the ADB Strategy 2030’s features and its potential impact in CSO-related work.

The Civil Society Plasa Celebration, on the other hand, featured plenary sessions on government partnerships, community-centered conservation, and poverty reduction in the Asia-Pacific region. Other societal issues were also tackled in the SDG talks, participated by speakers from various organizations.

DigiBayanihan (DB) Program Manager, Maryanne Mendoza, took part in the SDG talks, where she introduced DB and its initiatives, Test Hero and The Career Engine, and discussed how digital technology currently contributes to address social problems such as access to education, lack of basic digital skills, and digital threats.

“We appreciate all [the input we get from CSOs], as it helps the Asian Development Bank in our work. We have resident missions and offices throughout the region but [we very much rely on CSOs] for their inputs in the planning design, and for their contacts with the citizens on the ground [for our projects],” Chris Morris, ADB-NGOC Head, shared.

As part of the 51st ADB AGM, ASSIST ultimately aims to help advance ADB’s advocacy of promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the Asia and the Pacific, through the extensive and integrated discussions of pressing social issues.