17 December 2004
Assures CSOs the opportunity to comment, but did not provide any timeline.
Responding to a November 19th letter by various NGOs, the ADB said that it is currently undergoing internal discussions on the Working Paper of its Forest Policy Review and assured civil society organizations that it will make public the conclusions of their internal deliberations and open the Working Paper for comments.
The November 19th NGO letter requested an update on the ADB's Forest Policy Review and alerted the ADB President to the extreme lack of transparency and accountability in the manner in which the review was being conducted. Responding on behalf of the President, the ADB's Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Social Sectors Division while giving no timelines on the schedule of the review reiterated the ADB’s “intention to continue with the public consultation process” and acknowledged that the ADB “fully appreciate[s] your concern that the review of the Policy on Forestry be transparent.”