ADB responds to NGO Forum on demands around safeguards review
Some regional consultations postponed, a few more translations committed to
6 November 2007 | Washington, DC
The NGO Forum on ADB, on October 24 and 25, raised several issues with the ADB around the review of its Safeguard Policies. The ADB responded by agreeing to change dates of two regional consultations and to provide Vietnamese and Bahasa translations of the Consultation Draft.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), responding to letters sent by members of the NGO Forum on ADB, agreed to postpone the East Asia and Mekong Consultations on the Consultation Draft of the ADB's draft Safeguard Policy Statement. In its letter, the ADB's Environment Division also agreed to:
- provide Vietnamese and Bahasa Indonesia translations of the Consultation Draft;
- Full lists of participants for the consultation workshops;
- allow for self-nomination by CSOs at the regional consultations;
- Open up a CSO-only Consultation in mid-February to "self-funded" members of the NGO Forum network;
- Accomodate "Indonesian participants" at the 5-6 March Mekong Consultation
Members of the NGO Forum on ADB are currently reviewing the ADB's response and will seek clarifications on a few issues which remain unclear.
The ADB's Response of November 6th is available here:
ADB response to NGO Forum’s Oct. 24 & 25 Letters regarding SPU process and postponement November 6, 2007 (Acrobat pdf, 897 KB)
NGO Forum's letters to the ADB regarding the Safeguard Policies Update:
NGO Forum Letter regarding ADB SPU Process-Oct 25 2007 October 25, 2007 (Acrobat pdf, 37 KB)
NGO Forum on ADB Safeguards Consultations Postponement Letter October 24, 2007
(Acrobat pdf, 33 KB)
Resources and Information
BIC's Main Page on the ADB's Safeguards Policy Update
For more information, please contact:
Hemantha Withanage, NGO Forum on ADB -- or
Mishka Zaman, Bank Information Center --