The meeting will be continued untill May 6 and will be attended by Finance ministers, central bank governors, private sector representatives, development partners, and others. Over 4,000 participants from across Asia, North America, and Europe are also expected to attend the Four-day meeting.
ADB President Takehiko Nakao expressed his deep gratitude to the Philippine government, and Finance Secretary and Chair of the Board of Governors, Carlos G. Dominguez, for hosting the ADB Annual Meeting with the theme “Linking People and Economies for Inclusive Development.”
Since last year’s Annual Meeting in Yokohama, Dominguez and Mr. Nakao met several times to discuss how the Philippine government and ADB can further strengthen partnership and operations, and on how the Annual Meeting in Manila can be more focused and substantive.
This is the 16th Annual Meeting held in Manila, with the last one in 2012. Last year in Yokohama, Dominguez mentioned that ADB should reinvent itself to further strengthen its support to developing member countries.
Delegates and participants over the coming days will discuss ADB’s Strategy 2030 to “achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific.” ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2017, ADB operations totaled $32.2 billion, including $11.9 billion in co-financing.