14 March 2025
MR. MASATO KANDA
President
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Dear President Kanda,
On behalf of civil society organizations (CSOs) across different regions endorsing this letter, the NGO Forum on ADB would like to be among the first to welcome you to your new role. The NGO Forum on ADB (“Forum”) is a network of over 250 CSOs that have been monitoring the projects, programs, and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and has been active since 1992. We look forward to working with you closely, especially on addressing the needs of communities affected by problematic ADB-funded projects.
For years, the Forum has actively engaged with the ADB on different levels. In 1994, the Forum conducted the first NGO regional consultation on ADB policies and issues. By 1995, NGO Forum network members had created a critique of ADB’s draft policies on information disclosure, involuntary resettlement, energy, forestry, fisheries, and women. Two years later, in 1997, the NGO Forum on ADB formalized its involvement with the Bank by conducting a series of parallel events titled ‘Questioning ADB at 30: Myth vs. Reality’ during the 30th ADB Annual Meeting in Fukuoka, Japan.
By 2004, as the ADB aimed to strengthen its relationship with CSOs, the NGO Forum on ADB held its first panel session during the 37th Governor’s Meeting in Jeju, South Korea.
The NGO Forum on ADB has also been at the forefront of providing critical analysis on the ADB Accountability Mechanism in 2008, as well as the Public Communications Policy in 2011. The Forum has submitted a critical analysis of the Bank’s Strategy 2030 and has participated in the consultation process.
In 2018, the NGO Forum on ADB took an active role in ADB’s energy investments. Through the ‘Decarbonize ADB’ campaign, the Forum has continued to pressure the Bank to shift from fossil fuel investments toward renewable energy.
In terms of direct engagement with the ADB, the NGO Forum on ADB has maintained active dialogue at all levels of Bank operations and management. Our network structure requires our local civil society organization members to actively engage with project developers, local government authorities, project staff, and ADB resident missions across South, Southeast, and Central Asia.
While our members are actively involved on the ground, our international secretariat is located in Quezon City, allowing us direct access to the ADB Headquarters in Ortigas. We have raised project and policy issues with the ADB Board of Directors, particularly with the US, Japan, Europe, and donor government shareholders. Consequently, we have an ongoing dialogue with the operations departments of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. Along with affected communities and local civil society, we have met with respective project leads and director generals of the Bank throughout the years, and we hope to continue those constructive discussions to address project-related issues and concerns.
On the policy advocacy side, the NGO Forum on ADB actively engages with the Sustainable Development and Climate Change (SDCC) Department, particularly on the ADB Safeguards Policy and Energy Policy and Program Review processes. Similarly, we also engage with the ADB Independent Evaluation (IED) Department on their current evaluations of the above policies and provide them with ground-level information from our members. The NGO Forum on ADB also engages with the Accountability Mechanism function of the Bank and maintains a constructive engagement with the Compliance Review Panel and the Office of the Special Project Facilitator. Regarding overall civil society engagement with the Bank, we maintain coordinated communication with the NGO Center of the ADB, which helps co-create space for civil society input in the policy review process, annual meetings, and audience with the ADB President during the management session with civil society at the annual meeting.
As you embark on this appointment, we call for your leadership to ensure that there will be:
Meaningful consultation, particularly with project-affected persons (PAPs) in all phases of the project cycle. In the ADB 2018 Learning Report on the Implementation of the Accountability Mechanism Policy, the Bank found that 19% of complaints received pertained to issues regarding information, consultation, and participation (2016–2018). Potential adverse impacts such as displacement, inadequate compensation, or loss of livelihood could be reduced, if not entirely avoided, if meaningful consultations are adequately undertaken. The 2009 Safeguard Policy Statement already provides strong language on what constitutes a “meaningful consultation,” i.e., it must be implemented in all phases of the project cycle, provide understandable and accessible information to PAPs, be conducted in an environment free of intimidation or coercion, be gender-inclusive, and enable the incorporation of relevant views of PAPs and other stakeholders. Under your leadership, we expect that the operations department, particularly the private sector operations department, will exercise greater due diligence in ensuring that this safeguard is upheld. Likewise, we call on your office to continue the commitment made by then ADB President Takehiko Nakao that CSOs will be proactively consulted on major policy reviews.
Effective, thorough implementation and no dilution of safeguards. In the past decade, there has been recognition of the trend for an “upward harmonization” of safeguards and environmental & social frameworks across different multilateral development banks (MDBs) to reduce risk and increase sustainability. Unfortunately, at some MDBs, this has translated into policies so flexible as to be unenforceable or, at best, ambiguous. In this light, the NGO Forum on ADB expects the Bank to continue protecting strong safeguards—e.g., information disclosure, gender considerations, and meaningful consultation—and to strengthen safeguards on climate change and resource efficiency to fully align with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree target. Furthermore, the Bank can be a progressive MDB leader by implementing equally strong safeguards on gender, labor, and vulnerable groups and by establishing a better framework for financial intermediaries. It should exercise caution with the use of country safeguard systems and focus instead on systematically strengthening them. We remind ADB that it is in its interest, and that of its clients, to ensure that these safeguards are not only on paper but are properly implemented throughout all project phases.
An end to ADB support for fossil fuels and a transition plan with more ambitious targets to achieve carbon-neutral development in Asia. ADB must not operate as business as usual, as this would only exacerbate the climate crisis. A truly “progressive” approach requires urgent action to protect both people and the planet by moving as quickly as possible toward carbon neutrality. The Bank should adopt a 1.5 degrees C aligned policy that accelerates and prioritizes clean energy and the climate agenda without relying on false solutions. Specifically, it is time for the Bank to commit its resources to stop financing fossil fuel projects, including LNG, natural gas, and coal, that are not aligned with 1.5 degrees C, enable clients to rapidly phase out all existing coal-fired power plants, and proactively assist developing member countries in transitioning to a low-carbon pathway.
Addressing historical accountability. In 2017, when ADB reached its 50th year, the NGO Forum on ADB raised the issue of ADB’s historical responsibility for project impacts before its safeguard policies and redress mechanisms were in place. Many projects—such as the Khulna Jessore Drainage Rehabilitation Project (KJDRP) in Bangladesh, the Marinduque Marcopper mining disaster, and the Masinloc coal power plant in the Philippines—are riddled with environmental and social harms that persist today. We urge ADB to reassess its immunity in today’s context, where it is evident that environmental and social harm often outlives project cycles and affects future generations. As a bank with a 50-year track record, we urge ADB to take responsibility for its historical project impacts.
We look forward to meeting you at the CSO Management Session in ADB AGM 2025. We wish you all the best as you begin your work ensuring accountability and leadership at ADB.
Respectfully yours,
Mr. Rayyan Hassan
Executive Director
NGO Forum on ADB
Endorsed by:
350 Pilipinas, Philippines
350.org Asia, Asia
AbibiNsroma Foundation, Ghana
Aksi! for Gender, Social and Ecological Justice, Indonesia
Alternative Law Collective, Pakistan
Alternative Law Collective, Pakistan
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), Philippines
Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED), Bangladesh
Bank Climate Advocates, United States/International
Bank Information Center, USA
Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka
Centre for Research and Advocacy Manipur, India
CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network), Bangladesh
Conseil Régional des Organisations Non Gouvernementales de Développement, DR Congo
Environmental public society, Armenia
Fundación CAUCE: Cultura Ambiental - Causa Ecologista, Argentina
Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Asia Pacific
Growthwatch, India
Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), India
Indigenous Women Legal Awareness Group (INWOLAG), NEPAL
Indus Consortium, Pakistan
Initiative for Rights View, Bangladesh
International Accountability Project (IAP), Global
Jamaa Resource Initiatives, Kenya
Jubilee Australia Research Centre, Australia
Lumière Synergie pour le Développement, Senegal
Mekong Watch, Japan
Nash Vek, Kyrgystan
Oyu Tolgoi Watch, Mongolia
Pakaid, Pakistan
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Pakistan
Participatory Research & Action Netwok-PRAAN, Bangladesh
Peace Point Development Foundation-PPDF, Nigeria
Phenix Center for Economic Studies, Jordan
Rivers without Boundaries Mongolia, Mongolia
Recourse, International
Rural Reconstruction Nepal, Nepal
Samata, India
Society for Peace and Sustainable Development (SPSD), PAKISTAN
South Asia Just Transition Alliance (SAJTA), Regional
Trend Asia, Indonesia
Urgewald e.V., Germandy
Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, Germany/Uzbekistan
WomanHealth Philippines, Philippines
Cc:
Office of the Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development
Office of the Vice-President for Private Sector and Public-Private Partnerships
Office of the Vice-President for Administration and Corporate Management
Office of the Vice-President for Finance and Risk Management
Office of the Vice- President for Operations 1
Office of the Vice-President for Operations 2
Director General, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department
Director, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Division
Director, Safeguards Division
Director General of Independent Evaluation at ADB
Office of the Chair, Compliance Review Panel (CRP)
ADB NGO Center
[ii] Opening Remarks by ADB President Takehiko Nakao at the Meeting between CSOs and ADB Management. 2 May 2017.
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