The Asia region has witnessed strong economic growth in recent years, averaging 6% per annum. However, growth in income has not translated into poverty reduction, and the region is still home to 620 million of the World’s poor. While MDB public-sector lending has focused on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), most indicators suggest that non-income MDG targets will not be met by 2015.
Despite being home to pockets of poverty, the region’s Middle Income Countries (MICs) are at the forefront of this prosperity and are playing a strong role in influencing development policy at the MDBs. Many are using their absorptive capacity to tempt the MDBs into fast-tracking project processing, cutting transaction costs, and streamlining environmental and social safeguards.
Major investments in the region are likely to happen in the energy, transport, agriculture, and urban sectors.
Multilateral Development Banks active in Asia
BIC’s current work in the Asia region
Within Asia, BIC’s work currently focuses on South Asia and the Mekong. Visit the South Asia and Mekong webpages.
BIC’s past work in the Asia region
BIC has also recently conducted extensive work on MDB activities in Afghanistan and Burma. The Burma Project worked to familiarize pro-democracy leaders in Burma with a range of issues related to the multilateral development banks, ultimately aiming to equip leaders with the skills they need to effectively engage with the institutions. See BIC’s Burma Project Web page
BIC’s Afghanistan Project examined the re-engagement of the international financial institutions in Afghanistan in late 2001. BIC will also work with NGOs and civil society to increase knowledge of IFI-funded activities and promote their participation in the development process. See BIC's Afghanistan Project page