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Special Publications বিশেষ প্রকাশনা সম্পদ ব্যাঙ্কওয়াচ | বার্ষিক প্রতিবেদন | প্রকল্প সংক্ষিপ্ত | গাইড বই বিপজ্জনক distractions কোন ক্ষতি করোনা অন্ধকারে Regional Overview of Country Safeguard Systems to Mitigate Trans boundary Infrastructure Mega Project Impacts : Mongolia Regional Overview of Country Safeguard Systems to Mitigate Trans boundary Infrastructure Mega Project Impacts : Indonesia Regional Overview of Country Safeguard Systems to Mitigate Trans boundary Infrastructure Mega Project Impacts : Myanmar Regional Overview of Country Safeguard Systems to Mitigate Trans boundary Infrastructure Mega Project Impacts : South Asia and Sri Lanka Assessment of the ADB’s Energy Policy: Undermining International Climate Commitments ◄ 1 / 1 ► Please reload 2nd AIIB ESS Critique AIIB Energy Strategy Critique RISK AND RESILIENCE: Mainstreaming Climate Change Into the Environmental Impact Assessment Process The ADB in Burma: Behind the Scenes Roads to Destruction ADB’s Contradictory Roads, Biodiversity and Plantations Activities in Lao PDR or How Did You Know We Wanted Ecocide? ◄ 1 / 1 ► Please reload

Follow the AIIB energy campaign led by NGO Forum on ADB and allies, spotlighting civil society efforts to push the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank away from fossil fuels and toward just, community-centered renewable energy transitions. এশিয়ান ডেভেলপমেন্ট ব্যাংক (এডিবি) Project Monitoring Energy Campaign Project-affected People's Mechanism (PPM) AIIB Annual Meeting প্রজেক্ট মনিটরিং The Forum network maintains that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) ongoing support for fossil gas projects locks member countries into carbon-intensive energy systems and exposes them to global market volatility—an approach that is environmentally and economically irresponsible given AIIB’s limited resources and climate commitments (Urgewald, 2023; CLEAN & Forum on ADB, 2022). The network is also concerned that AIIB may increasingly shift toward high-risk sectors like large hydropower, waste-to-energy incineration, and geothermal, which have significant environmental and social costs. In particular, large hydro projects have a long record of displacing communities, damaging ecosystems, and generating conflict over land and water (International Rivers, 2021). The Forum calls for stricter financing criteria and meaningful consultation to ensure AIIB aligns with the goals of a just, community-centered energy transition. Read - Unpacking ADB and AIIB’s false narrative in COP29 Digital infrastructure for whom? Unpacking ADB and AIIB’s digital push AIIB Climate Advocacy Letter Critical Concerns on the Occasion of AIIB's Annual Meeting 2023 Open Statement on Collective Concerns Re: AIIB’s 2022 Energy Sector Strategy Update Re: Virtual Consultations Hosted by AIIB on the Energy Sector Strategy Update AIIB asked to go green, turn back on fossil fuels AIIB’s Extended Deadline for Public Input on the Energy Sector Strategy Update Collective Statement For the Energy Sector Strategy Update Collective Call for a New Forward-Looking AIIB Energy Sector Strategy Joint Submission by NGO Forum on ADB & Urgewald on the AIIB Environmental and Social Framework

PAKISTAN BANGLADESH INDIA INDONESIA PHILIPPINES বাংলাদেশ বাংলাদেশ সূত্র: বাংলাদেশ: কোভিড-১৯ অ্যাক্টিভ রেসপন্স অ্যান্ড এক্সপেন্ডিচার সাপোর্ট প্রোগ্রাম LATEST NEWS Read the latest COVID-19 Research produced by Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) and Change Initiatives in Bangladesh Download UPDATES 22 January 2022 Bangladesh to approach ADB for $940m in fresh aid 29 November 2021 ADB extends $150 million loan to help small enterprises to recover 18 November 2021 $150m ADB loan to support Covid-hit small enterprises in Bangladesh 3 November 2021 AIIB to extend $250 million loan for economic recovery 24 September 2021 ADB Approves $250 Million Loan for Bangladesh Economic Recovery Program 26 June 2021 ADB Approves $940 Million for Bangladesh COVID-19 Vaccines WEBINAR SERIES: BANGLADESH Hasan Mehedi from CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network), Bangladesh shares the findings of the research ‘Country Assessment Report on COVID-19 recovery loans provided by Bilateral and Multilateral Financial Institution in Bangladesh’. The research aims to revitalize Governance and Public Interest in the COVID19 Recovery External Debts provided by International Financial Institutes (IFIs).

The NGO Forum on ADB is an Asian-led network of civil society organizations (CSOs), based in Asia and the Pacific region. এশিয়ান ডেভেলপমেন্ট ব্যাংক (এডিবি) Project Monitoring Energy Campaign Safeguards Public Information Policy Accountability Mechanism Strategy 2030 প্রজেক্ট মনিটরিং Civil society demands ADB to strengthen environmental and social safeguards ahead of R-Paper release Read All Collective Civil Society Statement on ESF Draft: Calling for an Overhaul and immediate redrafting Read All Civil society recommendations on the ADB Safeguards Policy Statement (SPS) consultation process Read All NGO Forum on ADB Comments: Safeguard Compliance and Accountability Mechanism Framework Read All PH CSO Statement re: ADB’s Draft Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) Read All Request for Extension of Deadline for Submission of Written Comments on ADB's Draft ESF Read All Joint civil society statement for a robust, rights-based and just safeguards policy at the ADB Read All ADB Safeguard Spotlight The Story of ADB Safeguards Related Documents ADB Project Tracker COVID19 Loan Tracker ADB Documents This section compiles key documents utilized during the NGO Forum on ADB's campaign to strengthen the ADB safeguard policies. It includes ADB papers released during the campaign timeline. Publication This section features key publications produced by NGO Forum on ADB and its network during the ADB Safeguards Campaign. Advocacy Archives This section houses a curated collection of historical documents related to NGO Forum on ADB's Safeguards Campaign.

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Explore NGO Forum on ADB’s work in South Asia, advocating for accountability, environmental justice, and community rights in ADB-funded projects. Stay updated on campaigns, policy engagements, and grassroots initiatives across the region. এশিয়ান ডেভেলপমেন্ট ব্যাংক (এডিবি) Project Monitoring South Asia Southeast Asia Mekong Central Asia and Caucasus প্রজেক্ট মনিটরিং INDIA Kolkata Environmental Improvement Investment Programme The Kolkata Environmental Improvement Investment Programme funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised the following issues: More than 300 small shopkeepers are temporarily displaced due to the pending construction to facilitate the sewerage and drainage line along the Mahatma Gandhi Road. The shopkeepers do not have an adequate source of income as of the moment and are unable to access loans as they have no standing assets. The Entitlement Matrix was not explained nor shared as a leaflet to the affected persons (APs). The consultation merely focused on the timeframe of the construction. Bengaluru Metro Rail Airport Line (Phase 2A & 2B) The Bengaluru Metro Rail Project 2A and 2B Airport lines were conceived, presented, and heavily supported in the pre-pandemic era. And hence all the traffic demand analysis, modeling, and forecasting are from a time and lifestyle that we cannot hope to return to. Moreover, it's from when Government restrictions and company policies bound work From Home (WFH) in IT capital Bangalore. In November 2020, the Government of India (GoI) removed all constraints and compliances for the tech industry to work from home (WFH). The PM himself stated - "These steps will further flexibility and productivity." Read Growthwatch's letter regarding the Bengaluru Metro Rail Airport Line (Phase 2A & 2B). INDIA Accelerating Infrastructure Investment Facility Workers in Himachal Pradesh have demanded justice on unpaid wages and other benefits, arguing that the lender – the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – has violated its labor policies, causing a negative impact on a group of 116 union members working on the project. A group of fifteen workers, who were engaged on the ADB-funded Kiratpur-Nerchowk Four Lane Road project in Himachal Pradesh, explained to the ADB’s Compliance Review Panel staff in a conference call that the collapse of the project contractor Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) has left them millions of rupees out of pocket. Read More INDIA Wind Power Generation Project The Wind Power Generation Project in Sri Lanka is a US$ 200 million ADB – funded project which accordingly aims to provide increased access to the clean and reliable power supply by 2025. The project, which falls under the energy sector, is said to address environmentally sustainable growth and inclusive economic growth. A total of 39 wind turbines will be erected in the Mannar District area, located in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The outputs of this investment project are: Wind power generation capacity increased System reactive power management improved and Capacity of CEB in project engineering design review and supervision strengthened. Read More SRI LANKA SRI LANKA Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program The Upper Elahera canal project funded by the Asian Development Bank has committed serious environmental safeguard violations including the construction of a 1.7 km access road inside the Beligama forest which is part of the Knuckles conservation forest without adhering to the environmental safeguards as per the safeguarding policy statement 2009. The construction company Sinohydro Corporation Ltd involves in these environmental safeguards violations. Although the environmental impact has been identified for this 1.7 km section, the construction company has not followed the conditions set during the project approval to protect the environment. The company has already cleared this sensitive forest stretch and dump debris and soil to the riverside and constructed another 1 km of the road across non-approved stretch. SRI LANKA Southern Transport Development Project The Southern Transport Development Project (STDP) is an ADB co-financed project, which includes the construction of a 128-km controlled-access expressway from Colombo to the southern city of Galle, which will link up with an existing coastal road in Matara. ADB is providing a US$ 90 million loan approved in November 1999 for 55 km of this expressway, with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) providing funds for the rest of the stretch. The construction of the road aims to help catalyze economic growth in the southern region of Sri Lanka in general and reduce traffic and accidents on the coastal road. Read More BANGLADESH Phulbari Coal Project The Phulbari Coal Project involves the extraction of coal using open-pit mining method. It involves the construction of a 500-MW power plant. According to the ADB, at full production, about eight million tons of coal will be transported by rail and barges to an offshore reloading facility located in Akram Point. Some four million tons will be exported to India via railway. The remaining three million tons will be for domestic use. However, as much as the economic benefits it intends to bring to Bangladesh, the project will not only pose a health hazard but displace around 50,000 people. Likewise, Akram Point, where the reloading facility will be located, is in Sundarbans Mangrove Forest – a UNESCO-declared world heritage site. Transportation of millions of tons of coal through Sundarbans and Akram Point will also have serious environmental impacts Read More BANGLADESH Sundurban Biodiversity Conservation Project On January 22 and 23, Review and Planning meetings of the SBCP Watch Group were held in presence of Mr. Sardar Arif Uddin, Associate Program Coordinator, Southwest Region, of AAB at the Conference Room of CDP. Resolutions were adopted to enhance the membership of the SBCP, collect and prepare various SBCP related documents, prepare a Position Paper of the SBCP Watch Group and prepare to face the Asian Development Bank at its AGM to be held in May next at Istambul in Turkey, were adopted at the meeting. Mr. Sardar Arif Uddin also presented the plan for the Second Phase of the activities of the SBCP Watch Group and Budget for the same. CDP also compiled Newspaper Clippings on the activities of the SBCP Watch and published a book, entitled: “Sundarbans Biodiversity Conservation Project: Peoples’ Opinions in Bangladesh.” Read More Melamchi Water Supply Project Six years after its conception, the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP), the Asian Development Bank’s pet project in Sindhupalchowk District, Nepal, is still mired in controversy. Three of the project’s original funding agencies—the World Bank, Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD) —had pulled out in the last three years brought about by several pressing issues. In fact, the water project has been on the donors’ priority list in the last two decades but was never pursued due to conflict of interests among donors, mainly between the World Bank and the ADB. NEPAL Read More NEPAL West Seti Hydroelectric Project The West Seti Hydroelectric Project is a 750 MW dam project in western Nepal (located in Baitadi, Bajhang, Dadeldhura, and Doti Districts), which has been planned by an Australian company, Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC). The estimated project cost is 1.2 billion dollars, and the project is expected to receive loans and political guarantees by Asian Development Bank (ADB), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), Export and Import Bank of China, Bank of China, Infrastructure Leasing, and Export Corporation (India), Industrial Bank of China, China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE). All the electricity produced will be transferred to India by the Power Trade Corporation (PTC). As a royalty, 10 % of the produced electricity (or equivalent cash) is expected to be provided to the Government of Nepal. This project has been set under Category A, as per the ADB Environment Policy, and the first Environmental Assessment (EIA) report was carried out in 1999. NEPAL Kali Gandaki “A” Hydroelectric Project Informed officials about a nearby landslide that damaged five houses. Rising to the call of duty, at half-past seven in the morning the District Administration and Police Officers arrived and took stock of the situation. The nearby cracked surfaces served as a reminder of the devastating Gorkha earthquake the previous month. More than 250 villagers were relocated to a safe spot. More landslides ensued the following day as tents were provided for affected residents. Whilst sleeping in the temporary camp, the residents of Basari village got another rude shock at half-past two in the morning. This time an even more colossal landslide formed a wall of mud and rock that blocked the Kali Gandaki River. There was pandemonium as people panicked fearing for their lives. Local police made announcements on loudspeakers asking people in Mustang, Myagdi, Baglung, Parbat, Gulmi, Syangja, Tanahun, and Nawalparasi districts downstream to remain on high alert. The landslide dammed the river and blocked almost the entire flow, which resulted in a 2-km long artificial backwater lake. The landslide occurred as a nearby ridge had developed cracks after the earthquake. NEPAL Tanahu Hydropower Project Indigenous communities affected by the Tanahu Hydropower Project in Nepal have filed complaints with independent watchdogs of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) -- two co-financiers of the project -- requesting an independent mediation process. The communities have alleged failure to uphold free, prior, and informed consent and inadequate compensation for loss of lands and livelihoods. At least 32 affected families or landowners organized under the Directly Inundation Affected Peoples Collective Rights Protection Committee have called for ‘land for land’ and ‘house for house’ compensation, re-survey of land left out during the Detailed Measurement Survey of the project, and free, prior and informed consent in the project process, among their ten demands, they have submitted to the ADB and the EIB. Read More PAKISTAN Chashma Right Bank Irrigation The Chasma Right Bank Irrigation Project (CBRIP) was approved by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in December 1991. It involves the construction of a 274-kilometer canal along the Indus River that will run through two districts in Punjab and Northwest Frontier provinces. According to the Bank, it will irrigate 606,000 acres of land in D.I. Khan and D.G. Khan Districts in central Pakistan. The project primarily aims to provide a dependable perennial irrigation supply, ensure efficient distribution of water and provide necessary drainage and flood relief. Aside from the main canal, 72 distribution canals, 68 cross-drainage structures, and 91 bridges will be constructed. PAKISTAN M4 Gojra– Shorkot– Khanewal Project The entire M4 highway is a 240 km road which will construct: 15 interchanges 23 flyovers/underpasses 11 bridges 19 underpasses 191 pipe culverts 55 WCC boxes and gas culverts There will be two bridges that will be constructed across 2 main surfaces of water bodies that irrigate agri-lands: River Ravi and Sadhnai Canal. There will be a displacement of 3,429 households from the use of 1,616.7 acres of land of which 86 % is privately-owned agricultural land and will require the cutting of 91,661 trees. Photo © tribune.com.pk

The NGO Forum on ADB is an Asian-led network of civil society organizations (CSOs), based in Asia and the Pacific region. প্রজেক্ট মনিটরিং Latest News Sign the 1M Petition ADB Project Tracker Media NGO Forum on ADB questions ADB’s intent to shift towards using country safeguards systems without any ‘assessment’ and ‘equivalency’ with its own safeguards systems as presented by the Strategy and Policy Department of the ADB. This alarming move towards using country systems prematurely will have disastrous impacts on local communities and the environment especially in autocratic regimes where civil society voice is suppressed and persecuted, and national instruments are riddled with corruption and weak implementation. ADB in doing so will also be in violation of its own ADB Safeguards Policy Strategy SPS 2010, where it clearly indicates ‘equivalency’ and ‘assessment’ to be conducted for Country Systems with ADB standards before they are considered for use in any ADB project. In ADB’s own study on Country Systems in 2015, it indicates that in six upper-middle-income countries UMICs, the use of country systems are not feasible as they are far from ADB SPS 2010 standards. The ADB is faced to provide competitive lending rates with the rise of new banks and abruptly moving towards using Country Systems is a way by which the Bank is trying to reduce loan approval times and “costs” by compromising due diligence requirements which put human rights, public safety, environmental sustainability and national economies at risk. Read the Strategy 2030 related documents below : 21 Aug 2018 | Pillars for the Future of Development Finance in Asia 08 May 2018 | Joint Submission of Comments on ADB’s Draft Strategy 2030 02 Feb 2017 | ADB Strat 2030 Letter 29 Mar 2017 | ADB response to letter regarding ADB's new corporate strategy 30 Jun 2016 | ADB criticized for holding questionable consultations on its new corporate strategy এশিয়ান ডেভেলপমেন্ট ব্যাংক (এডিবি) Project Monitoring Energy Campaign Safeguards Public Information Policy Accountability Mechanism Strategy 2030

The NGO Forum on ADB is an Asian-led network of civil society organizations (CSOs), based in Asia and the Pacific region. এশিয়ান ডেভেলপমেন্ট ব্যাংক (এডিবি) Project Monitoring Energy Campaign Safeguards Public Information Policy Accountability Mechanism Strategy 2030 প্রজেক্ট মনিটরিং Latest News Latest Events/Activities Civil society slams ADB’s “clean energy” claims at ACEF 2025 As the Asian Development Bank marks 20 years of the Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF), civil society groups across Asia are calling it two decades of greenwashing. In a powerful joint statement, they denounce ADB’s continued backing of fossil fuels, harmful technologies, and corporate polluters, warning that false solutions like gas, mining, and incineration are worsening the climate crisis. With the bank’s energy policy review underway, they demand a real shift toward justice, equity, and people-powered renewable systems. Read Press Release

গাইড বই সম্পদ ব্যাঙ্কওয়াচ | বার্ষিক প্রতিবেদন | বিশেষ প্রকাশনা | প্রকল্প সংক্ষিপ্ত ইউরোপ থেকে টাকা এডিবি জবাবদিহিতা ব্যবস্থা বিপজ্জনক distractions

The NGO Forum on ADB is an Asian-led network of civil society organizations (CSOs), based in Asia and the Pacific region. এশিয়ান ডেভেলপমেন্ট ব্যাংক (এডিবি) Project Monitoring Energy Campaign Safeguards Public Information Policy Accountability Mechanism Strategy 2030 প্রজেক্ট মনিটরিং ADB Safeguard Spotlight The Story of ADB Safeguards Related Documents ADB Project Tracker COVID19 Loan Tracker In 2024, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is amidst Phase 3 of its process for revising the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), presenting the first draft of the W paper after two years of consultations. However, the draft falls significantly short of expectations, failing to ensure robust environmental and social safeguarding. The draft ESF’s ‘Vision’ does not commit to the fundamental principle of ‘Do No Harm’ in ADB operations. This omission reflects the disregard for feedback from consultations. Terms like 'materially consistent', 'timely', and 'where applicable' are used ambiguously throughout the document, undermining environmental and social safeguarding accountability. These terms should be replaced with clear, mandatory, and time-bound standards. Despite investing over 40 million USD in Country Safeguard Systems over the past decade, the ADB has not demonstrated successful application of these systems for SPS 2009 implementation. This underscores the need for stringent implementation of the SPS 2009 and the new ESF. Financing should not be approved if borrower systems are less stringent, and any flexibility in applying these systems must be revoked from the ESF. The ESF should prioritize avoiding harm and restoring affected communities and environments to pre-project conditions or better. Its objective should not be aligned with green economic growth, which other ADB policies cover. The ESF must act as a safeguard to prevent and mitigate environmental and social risks comprehensively and on time. The draft ESF introduces the Mitigation Hierarchy without definition and omits critical components such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA). These assessments are central to the SPS 2009 but are absent in the 170-page document, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the proposed framework. The ESF draft fails to clarify the ADB Project Cycle and its approach to addressing project-related harms. The proposed Common Approach for Co-Financing with other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) lacks commitment to the highest safeguard standards, potentially allowing lower standards to prevail. ADB must ensure the highest social and environmental standards for both standalone and co-financed projects. The draft includes problematic provisions like the treatment of Associated Facilities (AF), which are allowed to circumvent the ESF, contrary to the SPS 2009 policy. Moreover, the ESF is gender-blind, failing to address the fundamental rights and risks faced by women in project-affected areas. Binding language is needed to ensure gender safeguarding from the project design stage throughout the project cycle. Given these significant shortcomings, a full overhaul of the current draft ESF is essential. The ADB Board and Management must revisit the drawing board before finalizing the policy. The subsequent sections of this critique provide detailed analysis and specific concerns raised by civil society and labor organizations, urging a more robust and effective ESF. This comprehensive critique underscores the urgent need for the ADB to strengthen its commitment to environmental and social safeguarding in its revised ESF to ensure sustainable and equitable development outcomes.

The NGO Forum on ADB is an Asian-led network of civil society organizations (CSOs), based in Asia and the Pacific region. এশিয়ান ডেভেলপমেন্ট ব্যাংক (এডিবি) Project Monitoring Energy Campaign Safeguards Public Information Policy Accountability Mechanism Strategy 2030 প্রজেক্ট মনিটরিং Letter on ADB’s flawed July 22 CSO consultation Two decades in ADB’s ACEF: a race away from 1.5°c - NGO Forum on ADB Statement on the ADB Asia Clean Energy Forum 2025 Forum Network urgent concerns on ADB Energy Policy Review 2025 Forum Network Letter – Concerns on ADB CM2CET Value Chains Approach Unpacking ADB and AIIB’s false narrative in COP29 Re: Climate-Smart Mining for a New Climate Economy (Project 57273-001) Latest News Latest Events/Activities

PAKISTAN BANGLADESH INDIA INDONESIA PHILIPPINES বাংলাদেশ বাংলাদেশ সূত্র: বাংলাদেশ: কোভিড-১৯ অ্যাক্টিভ রেসপন্স অ্যান্ড এক্সপেন্ডিচার সাপোর্ট প্রোগ্রাম LATEST NEWS UPDATES 22 December 2022 Pakistan, ADB sign agreements worth $1.5bn for various projects 19 October 2021 Pakistan in deep economic crisis, needs $51.6 billion external financing over two year period 6 August 2021 ADB approves $500m loan to help Pakistan procure Covid-19 vaccines 10 June 2021 ADB approves $500m emergency loan for Pakistan