http://bicusa.org/en/Region.8.aspx The latest news on Mekong/South East Asia from the Bank Information Center 10 http://www.infodev.org/images/infodev.gif http://bicusa.org/en/Region.8.aspx To broaden its use among civil society organizations in China, the Bank Information Center’s World Bank Toolkits for Activists is now available in Chinese. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3909.aspx Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:47:53 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3909.aspx A new report released by an independent researcher from the Burmese community says that many victims of Cyclone Nargis are still not getting adequate relief material from international aid groups, including the United Nations agencies. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3858.aspx Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3858.aspx On July 8-9, 2008, Indonesian NGOs held a two day workshop in Bandung, West Java on the ADB’s pipeline Integrated Citarum Water Resource Management (ICWRM) Project. The occasion marked the launch of the Peoples Alliance for Citarum (Aliansi Rakyat untuk Citarum-ARUM). http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3850.aspx Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:54:32 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3850.aspx Audio from the panel discussion on the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Safeguard Policy Update at the ADB's 2008 Annual Meeting is now available online. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3845.aspx Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:07:12 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3845.aspx In a Statement issued June 17, the Ethnic Community Development Forum (ECDF) of Burma cautioned the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) against any engagement with Burma's military rulers in the post-Cyclone Nargis scenario given the human rights situation in the country. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3818.aspx Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:33:10 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3818.aspx The World Bank announced today that it has set up a financing facility in the order of $1.2 billion to assist with the global food crisis. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3784.aspx Thu, 29 May 2008 15:16:41 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3784.aspx After ignoring civil society demands that called for a halt to public consultations, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has finally agreed to issue an additional draft and consultation. The announcement comes a week before the Asian Development Fund (ADF) replenishment wrap-up, and ADB watchers believe the concession was made after the U.S. tied its ADF contribution to a satisfactory resolution of the review. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3765.aspx Tue, 13 May 2008 14:59:47 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3765.aspx In a recent sign-on statement, multiple civil society organizations rejected the Asian Development Bank's new strategy, arguing that it will push for more private sector involvement in development and lead to more harmful impacts on services, livelihoods, food security and the environment. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3753.aspx Tue, 06 May 2008 14:37:09 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3753.aspx Civil society organizations warn that Asia's communities and environment will continue to be at risk if the Asian Development Bank (ADB) fails to improve its existing safeguard policies that are currently being revised. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3751.aspx Tue, 06 May 2008 13:48:12 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3751.aspx At the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) annual meeting, the Bank's Long-term Strategic Framework and the global food crisis tops the agenda. Civil society groups attending the meeting have criticized the ADB's pursuit of private sector development at the expense of poverty-alleviation efforts and community and environmental interests. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3750.aspx Mon, 05 May 2008 10:05:53 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3750.aspx As the Asian Development Bank prepares to meet for its upcoming annual meeting, it faces criticism from shareholders concerned about its role and relevance in the region and by civil society over its handling of the global food crisis. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3746.aspx Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:01:13 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3746.aspx A confidential report by the Asian Development Bank's evaluation unit reveals that the Bank is violating its own rules by investing more in private equity firms than it is allowed. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3744.aspx Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:51:34 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3744.aspx While the U.S. remains committed to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its mission of reducing poverty in Asia, objections to the Bank's lending policies and its function are causing concerns that U.S. funding commitments could be cut because of the dispute. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3741.aspx Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:01:29 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3741.aspx This update provides the most recent information regarding the 2008 Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank held in Madrid, Spain from May 3-6. It also includes the activities of civil society organizations taking place during the meeting. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3740.aspx Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:45:11 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3740.aspx The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and ITUC-Asia Pacific represents 18.6 million members in 48 national affiliates from 29 countries in the region. In a letter to President Kuroda of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the ITUC and ITUC-AP point out that the ADB draft omits mention of all labor issues except one brief mention. They urge the ADB to adopt a policy on core labor standards and other basic labor conditions. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3730.aspx Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3730.aspx As part of its North America leg of consultations, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held a half day event in Washington, DC on April 1 to seek feedback on its draft Safeguard Policy Statement. Several NGOs declined attendance in support of the position taken by the NGO Forum on ADB which calls for a "halt" in consultations given the weakness of the consultation draft. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3714.aspx Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:36:25 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3714.aspx Representatives of the U.S. Senate judiciary and House financial services committees, urge Hank Paulson, the U.S. Treasury secretary, to demand that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) stick to tougher environmental and social criteria. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3696.aspx Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:36:12 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3696.aspx Groups from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Burma have refused to attend the Asian Development Bank's safeguard policy update consultations held this week in Hanoi, citing weakness of the draft. As a result, only three (3) NGOs attended the consultation adding another blow to ADB's beleaguered efforts to pass off the consultation process as credible. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3692.aspx Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:39:35 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3692.aspx Burmese civil society groups have sent an open letter to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) stating that the ADB's weak Safeguard Policy Statement draft will cause not only social and environmental harms but may also lead to human rights violations. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3691.aspx Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:14:12 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3691.aspx Directors from several non-governmental organizations in Vietnam have sent a letter to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) stating their refusal to participate in upcoming ADB consultations in Hanoi on March 5-6, 2008. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3682.aspx Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3682.aspx Trainings aim to inform Indonesian civil society about the basics of the multilateral development banks and hold the institutions accountable. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3683.aspx Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:12:25 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3683.aspx In a press release, members of the Manila-based NGO Forum on ADB ask the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to stop its public consultations and revise the draft document known as the Safeguards Policy Statement (SPS) released in October 2007. The coalition demands ADB re-draft the policy before resuming consultations because the SPS is an “unacceptable and unsuitable basis for public review and consultation.” http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3675.aspx Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:46:16 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3675.aspx BIC and Oxfam Australia have closely followed the review of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Safeguards Policies since it was first announced in August 2005. Both organizations believe the dilution and weakening of the October 2007 Consultation Draft of the Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS) contradicts assurances the ADB publicly made on several occasions, and both have stated that unless revised, the current consultation process is not worthy of further engagement. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3670.aspx Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:08:56 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3670.aspx Leading donors to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have demanded that the institution overhaul its staffing and oversight procedures. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3655.aspx Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:57:45 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3655.aspx The Compliance Review Panel is part of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Accountability Mechanism. It is a citizen’s complaint panel where people affected by ADB projects can request an independent investigation into problems they face and policy violations committed by the ADB. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3634.aspx Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3634.aspx One World Trust’s 2007 report identifies vital accountability standards for global actors. Ratings of policies and systems, however, do not reflect the most critical dimension of accountability: on-the-ground practice. Asian groups disagree with top scores for ADB. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3598.aspx Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3598.aspx Working session aims to update the Indonesian civil society organizations and movements on the old and new trends in the governance and operations of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as they relate to Indonesia. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3594.aspx Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3594.aspx The NGO Forum on ADB, on October 24 and 25, raised several issues with the ADB around the review of its Safeguard Policies. The ADB responded by agreeing to change dates of two regional consultations and to provide Vietnamese and Bahasa translations of the Consultation Draft. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3562.aspx Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:04:31 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3562.aspx In a letter to the Asian Development Bank's Environment Division, non-governmental organizations raised substantial concerns about recent developments with the Safeguard Policy Update (SPU) process, calling into question the possibility of genuine participation by civil society organizations. It reminds the ADB to honour its previous commitments about the process of these consultations. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3548.aspx Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:17:16 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3548.aspx In its preliminary findings, the first ever Independent People’s Tribunal on the World Bank in India found that the Bank had an undue and disturbingly negative influence in shaping India’s national policies disproportionate to its contribution, financial or otherwise. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3514.aspx Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:22:37 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3514.aspx The World Bank has approved plans to proceed with the development of the controversial Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, although many critical issues remain unanswered. Civil society groups are concerned that the initiative may end up being profitable for governments, companies and investors without any real reductions in carbon emissions, true protection of forest resources, or equitable benefits for the poor. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3510.aspx Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:19:42 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3510.aspx The four-day Independent People's Tribunal on the World Bank, the first of its kind in India, begins today. The Tribunal is an opportunity for impacted commununities and concerned groups to discuss how the World Bank has influenced their lives. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3496.aspx Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3496.aspx Civil society groups monitoring the Asian Development Bank's "safeguard" policies find that the ADB needs to make substantial improvements to catch up with international standards and peer institutions. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3494.aspx Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:17:44 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3494.aspx The Asian Development Bank released a draft of its proposed Energy Strategy on May 28 for a sixty day comment period ending July 27, 2007. Civil society groups will engage with ADB but want to see more iterations of draft. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3391.aspx Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:56:07 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3391.aspx At the 40th Annual Asian Development Bank (ADB) AGMs, CSOs outlined major gaps in existing ADB standards and discussed what the ADB should do to meet and surpass the highest international standards as ADB gears up to revamp its Safeguard Policies. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3354.aspx Thu, 17 May 2007 12:47:41 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3354.aspx The Asian Development Bank (ADB) celebrated its 40th anniversary in Kyoto, Japan signaling its close relationship with one of its largest shareholders (the other being the USA) and using the 10th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol an occasion to promote its new focus on climate change and clean energy. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3304.aspx Mon, 07 May 2007 10:55:24 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3304.aspx Civil society groups issue a call to join activists from around the world to stand up in solidarity with Burma 's victims of severe and systematic human rights violations and environmental destruction and protest the Thai government's plans with the Burmese military regime to dam the Salween River in Burma on February 28. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3144.aspx Fri, 09 Feb 2007 12:49:28 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3144.aspx An ADB Safeguard Policy Consultation was scheduled to take place on March 8, 2007, in Hanoi, Vietnam. This has now been postponed and a new date has not been announced. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3139.aspx Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:42:02 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3139.aspx Accompanied with new anti-corruption frameworks and laws, loans to both Cambodia and Vietnam have been reinstated after a year of supension. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3137.aspx Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:23:52 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3137.aspx The consultation, whose date is yet to be determined, will collect the opinions of stakeholders from eight countries. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3122.aspx Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:01:27 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3122.aspx Information about recent developments and civil society concerns related to International Financial Institution (IFI) involvement in Indonesia, including that of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3115.aspx Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:05:37 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3115.aspx The report will guide the organization's work in Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, China, Laos and Indonesia. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3065.aspx Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:09:51 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3065.aspx Local community representatives from twelve provinces in Cambodia and from a number of other countries in the region spoke at the meeting last month. Participants described how their lives, livelihoods and environments have been adversely affected by large plantations in their respective regions. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3055.aspx Mon, 18 Dec 2006 11:01:31 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3055.aspx In continuation of its efforts to deepen engagement with communities and civil society organizations in the region, the Bank Information Center (BIC) would like to announce the opening of its Mekong/SE Asia Regional Office in Bangkok. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.2996.aspx Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.2996.aspx http://bicusa.org/en/Article.1630.aspx Thu, 16 Sep 2004 15:19:49 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.1630.aspx