MANILA — The 51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Governors has formally opened Thursday at the ADB Headquarters in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.
More than 4,000 participants from public and private sectors from Asia, North America, and Europe are attending the seminars and events from May 3 to 6.
With the theme “Linking People and Economies for Inclusive Development”, this year’s meeting will tackle topics such as examining the effect of new technologies and globalization on jobs and how countries can prepare; and addressing gender gaps in the region through women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
It also involves discussions on mobilizing private sector resources in meeting Asia’s huge infrastructure needs, adapting new technologies in finance, investing in community-led solutions for climate and disaster resilience, and promoting inclusive growth through regional cooperation.
With the Philippines as the host country for the 2018 meeting, Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III will serve as Chair of the Board of Governors.
The country has hosted the ADB Annual Meeting for 16 times already, with the last meeting held in 2012.
In previous statements, Dominguez stressed that the country’s hosting of the ADB Meeting is an opportunity for the Philippines to showcase its robust economic growth.
ADB Chief of Regional Cooperation and Integration Thematic Group Arjun Goswami told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the Philippines is a “very important country” for the ADB and has “lots of good things to lead on.”
Goswami said the ADB stands ready to support the Philippines in all its initiatives to ensure an economic growth that no one will be left behind.
Meanwhile, the Philippine government deploys around 8,000 police officers to ensure the security of the delegates and to maintain peace and order in the area. (Kris Crismundo/PNA)
