29 November 2004
Civil society organizations send joint comments to the ADB on the second draft of its Public Communications Policy.
On October 26, 2004, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released the second draft of its Public Communications Policy (PCP): Disclosure and Exchange of Information, and opened a 30 day comment period. Bank Information Center, ARTICLE 19 (U.K.) and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (India) jointly developed comments on the ADB’s draft policy which were then endorsed by 39 civil society organizations. The comments request that civil society recommendations be reflected in a Working Draft of the policy which is to be released in January 2005. The ADB plans to approve a final PCP in the first half of 2005.
The comments are divided into three sections. The first section acknowledges positive changes the ADB has made to its first draft, recognizing that many of the changes are based on civil society comments from the first draft. Significant changes have been made including the disclosure of the Board of Director’s schedule and meeting minutes, a stated commitment to the translation and dissemination of information, the disclosure of detailed information during project implementation and a clear set of constraints to the policy. The second section explains remaining areas of concern in the second draft. Eight areas are listed, including a recommendation for an independent appeals mechanism for disclosure requests, the release of more Board documents, information during project development, and draft documents and a call for uniformity between the ADB’s public and private sector lending. The final section addresses improvements that could be made to the PCP drafting process.
In addition to above-mentioned comments, a South Asian Statement on the second draft ADB PCP was jointly prepared and endorsed by 15 organizations and movements in the South Asia region. Though the statement recognized changes had been made to the first draft PCP, the organizations did not give credence towards the validity of the changes. These comments cited an array of demands from the South Asia region; including disclosure of the process and rationale behind draft changes, unambigous support in favour of full disclosure, complete and accurate disclosure concerning private sector projects, policy compliance towards national and local Right to Information laws and regulations, and the need for an independent appeals body.
To read the Civil Society Comments on second draft Public Communications Policy (PCP) Of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), click on the link below:
For more information on the ADB’S Public Communications Policy revew, click on the following links: