Forum network weighs in on ADB’s expanding digital agenda

Forum side event at the ADB annual meeting 2025 highlights risks, rights, and the need for inclusion

On May 4, 2025, civil society organizations, digital rights advocates, and representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will gather at the ADB Annual Meeting for a timely and important side event titled “Civil Society Perspectives on ADB’s Digital Agenda.” The event will take place from 3:30 to 4:30 PM at the CSO Center Lounge, offering a rare platform for exchange on the growing footprint of digital infrastructure in development finance.

ADB’s digital push—A double-edged sword?

ADB has increasingly prioritized digital infrastructure as a pathway to accelerate economic growth, public sector modernization, and social service delivery across Asia. Projects have included investments in e-governance systems, fintech innovation, connectivity expansion, and digital health services.

Yet for many civil society actors, the question remains: Are these digital interventions truly promoting equitable, inclusive development—or deepening existing divides and vulnerabilities?

This side event marks the first civil society engagement focused on ADB’s digital infrastructure strategy, and it seeks to examine this question from multiple angles.

Key issues on the table

The panel will address several pressing concerns:

• Are ADB’s digital projects helping bridge the urban-rural divide, or are they reinforcing it by prioritizing areas with stronger infrastructure and market potential?

• Are affected communities—especially women, Indigenous Peoples, and marginalized populations—being consulted and involved in digital project design and implementation?

• With digital tools increasingly used for service delivery, how are personal data and privacy being protected? Are there risks of surveillance or rights violations under the guise of efficiency?

• Do digital projects consider their resource demands, carbon footprint, and implications for workers’ rights and the just transition?

These concerns are central to civil society’s call for a more accountable, transparent, and rights-based approach to digital development.

Speakers and dialogue

Bringing together experience from advocacy, research, and policy, the event features a diverse panel -

• Rayyan Hassan (NGO Forum on ADB)

• Mark Fodor (Coalition for Human Rights in Development – CHRD)

• Prarthana Rao (FORUM-ASIA)

• Kyle Juliene Cruz (Oxfam and Fair Finance Asia)

• Dr. Antonio Zaballos (Director, Digital Technology for Development, ADB)

This panel aims to explore existing safeguards, raise community-level concerns, and begin a deeper dialogue with ADB on how to ensure that digital infrastructure investments serve the public interest—not just technical or corporate agendas.

Laying the groundwork for ongoing engagement

This side event is more than a one-off discussion; it’s a starting point for sustained engagement between ADB and civil society on digital development. Organizers aim to:

• Raise awareness about the implications of digital infrastructure investments

• Strengthen civil society collaboration and knowledge-sharing

• Build momentum for ongoing monitoring, policy dialogue, and advocacy

Why this matters now

As development finance institutions expand their digital portfolios, it’s critical to ensure that their policies and practices do not entrench inequality or threaten fundamental rights. With digitalization touching everything from healthcare to education to governance, civil society actors argue that public interest, human rights, and social justice must guide every investment.

This event—held on the sidelines of one of ADB’s most important gatherings—aims to push that conversation forward.