Civil Society Panels at ADB’s 58th Annual General Meeting
As the Asian Development Bank (ADB) convenes its 58th Annual General Meeting (AGM), civil society organizations are leading critical discussions on two pressing issues: ADB’s accountability mechanisms and its energy transition agenda.
A Ground-Up Perspective on the Effectiveness of ADB’s Accountability Mechanism and Safeguards Delivery
This session will focus on the lived experiences of communities affected by ADB-financed projects, examining the gaps in ADB’s Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) and Accountability Mechanism. Civil society will call for stronger enforcement and better protection for vulnerable communities, ensuring that ADB’s projects are truly accountable and beneficial.
Unpacking the Risks in ADB’s Just Energy Transition Agenda
This panel will critically assess ADB’s energy transition strategies, questioning whether the bank’s approach truly aligns with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. Speakers will highlight the risks of relying on fossil gas, carbon offsets, and unproven technologies, advocating for a transition that prioritizes renewable, community-led solutions and ensures social and environmental justice.
Both sessions are essential opportunities to push for more transparent, accountable, and inclusive policies that put communities at the center of ADB’s development agenda.
NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE
As the Asian Development Bank (ADB) pushes forward with its Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) pilots, civil society organizations and social movements are raising urgent questions. Is the ETM truly advancing a just and sustainable transition, or is it a market-driven strategy that risks perpetuating injustice and corporate impunity?
This new paper, developed for the NGO Forum on ADB and its allies, provides an in-depth analysis of the ETM’s evolution, financing structures, and potential risks—offering a vital resource for advocates fighting for climate, labor, gender, and social justice. Grounded in collective insights from years of engagement and resistance, the paper challenges the ADB’s approach, exposing how ETM mechanisms could serve as backdoors for continued fossil fuel financing rather than meaningful climate action.
DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE BRIEFER
In recent years, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have increasingly prioritized the development of digital infrastructure as a key driver of economic growth and development across Asia. With the rise of digital technologies, both banks have invested heavily in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects, seeking to accelerate development and promote economic opportunities. However, the top-down approach that characterizes many of these initiatives often fails to address the socio-political realities of local communities, potentially exacerbating existing inequalities and leaving marginalized populations further behind.
This briefing paper explores the need for a more inclusive, bottom-up approach to ICT policies, one that ensures the voices of local communities are integrated into policy and project planning, while also tackling the structural and gender inequities that persist in digital development efforts.
VOICES OF THE AFFECTED
Stories of Development
Voices of the Affected, Stories of Development is an exhibition that shines a light on the unseen and often untold consequences of large-scale development projects financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Hosted in Milan, a global center of art and culture, the exhibit presents a powerful collection of artifacts, images, and stories that speak to the environmental, cultural, and social impact of these projects on local communities.
Through these artifacts, the exhibition challenges conventional development narratives, urging the global community to rethink the costs of progress. The pieces in this collection, carefully curated from ADB-funded projects, give a voice to those who have often been excluded from the decision-making process—communities on the frontlines of development.
Reinvention of a Troubled
Legacy
This briefer critiques the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) growing involvement in the transition minerals sector under the guise of clean energy financing. It highlights how Asia, home to key mineral-rich countries, is being positioned as a resource hub for the global energy transition—at the cost of environmental sustainability, human rights, and community welfare. While ADB aligns with frameworks like Climate-Smart Mining, the paper exposes the risks of greenwashing, extractivism, and weak governance. It underscores the need for local autonomy, transparency, respect for no-go zones, and a truly just energy transition that centers community rights, environmental protection, and material conservation over market-driven approaches.
