ADB heeds watchdog's call
18 July, Manila - Responding to NGO Forum's call for an open and inclusive second Safeguards consultation, the Asian Development Bank said, "it will be committed to a broad-based, transparent and inclusive consultation process for the SPU."
In its July 4 letter, the ADB watchdog reminded the Bank that there was considerable disappointment and strong concern among civil society organizations on the quality of the first draft of the Safeguards Policy Statement (SPS) and process of the first round of consultations.
In its official letter to the NGO Forum, the ADB said that it will provide translation of the second draft in Russian and Bahasa Indonesia with the understanding that the English version will prevail in case of discrepancies. "We are prepared to consider providing simultaneous interpretation for the workshop in Manila for widely used languages," it added. The letter is reproduced in its entirety below.
The Bank also committed that the English version of the second draft will be posted in its website 45 days before the consultation workshop. There will be at least 30 days between the posting of the last translation of the SPS and workshop.
On the suggessted length of the workshop, the Manila-based regional bank is open to considering the suggestion of the NGO Forum. "[W]ith appropriate preparation, participants can engage in meaningful discussions on the three policy topics within one or two days, but we are prepared to consider extending the workshop to three days," the ADB said in its letter.
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For a PDF copy of ADB's response, click here.