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As the Asian Development Bank (ADB) celebrates its 53rd year of operation, CSOs around the world are deeply frustrated because of the forced exclusion by the Bank on the occasion of its virtual annual meeting. By being a financier of authoritarian regimes during this pandemic, the ADB has thrown away over a decade of the inclusive practice of open dialogue with civil society in its annual meetings. Corporate and State greed are the voices the ADB wants to hear in this 2020 annual meeting, it is not the voice of the people from the Asia Pacific, it is not the voice of the communities, which the Bank promised to help and alleviate from poverty. What we are witnessing across lower-middle-income countries is an escalating debt and rampant corruption in the name of COVID-19 recovery. The ADB is directly responsible for aiding and abetting this horrific circumstance, where ruling powers are misappropriating critical funds meant for public health and social protection to private anonymous bank accounts. NGO Forum on ADB network is calling out the Bank to use its absolute leverage in ensuring that the funds they have loaned are not fed to authoritarian regimes who are silencing environmental and human rights defenders in the name of quarantine. We are all aware of the risk of this infection, and yet we know that our voices of dissent must be heard. The horrific fires in California and the deluge of flood in Pakistan remind us of the overarching threat of the climate crisis. The ADB through its COVID-19 loan packages and various other sovereign and non–sovereign modalities continues to support fossil fuels and coal-related infrastructure. This indifference in pursuing profit over the planet is bringing us closer to an extinction scale event. We have also witnessed the burning of plastic to generate heat and electricity deemed as a renewable energy solution mockingly titled Waste to Energy. The ADB has practiced these forms WTE incinerator projects in China, the Philippines, and is set to bankroll more in the name of Renewable Energy. This is pure toxic hypocrisy. ADB with its maze-like bureaucracy and thousands of expert staff still does not have the oversight on how many of its FI lendings is manifesting into dirty fossil fuel projects including coal. Its own Independent Evaluation Department (IED) in recent reports demonstrates its failure in monitoring ADB project loan impacts on society and the environment. Similarly, this lack of monitoring may very well end up in dirty coal projects as the borrowing governments have almost zero accountability with civil society arrested, silenced, and the free press muffled and gagged. Unemployment, debt, poverty, and joblessness are rising unprecedentedly across Asia. People working with living wages, with honor and dignity are begging in the streets of Delhi, Manila, Dhaka, and Karachi. 53 years of Bank operations and it only takes one pandemic to expose the fallacy of ADB’s development agenda. Each loan is a negative number which adds to the deepening socio-economic crisis? How can more negative numbers add up to have a positive outcome of economic freedom and sustainable development? Depreciation of currencies, rising inflation, and prices, and the loss of asset value beckon the coming of a deep financial crisis. Once these loans have run their course, economies will be left with a bill too high to pay and that is the edge of the precipice. We are calling out the 53-year-old ADB to take historical responsibility. ADB Must END Coal NOW ADB Must END the Debt NOW! ADB MUST Hold Corrupt Borrowers Accountable! ADB Must ensure workers’ rights, universal public health care, universal social protection! ADB Must Ensure Human Rights, Democratic Rights are upheld in their operations and among its borrowers! ADB Must Steer away borrowing governments from fossil fuels towards just renewable energy before we run out of time to meet the Paris Agreement of 1.5 degrees! *** As we cannot go out to the streets to make our voices heard we have attached to this document photos of network members around the world demanding the ADB to do what is just for the communities and the environment. Download the PDF here. To see NGO Forum on ADB's Statement to Bank last May click here.

A historical announcement took place this week when the Department of Energy (DOE), Government of the Philippines declared a moratorium on endorsements for greenfield coal power plants. Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi announced that the agency's most recent assessment revealed the need for the country to shift to a more flexible power supply mix [1]. He also added that “[t]his would help build a more sustainable power system that will be resilient in the face of structural changes in demand and will be flexible enough to accommodate the entry of new, cleaner, and indigenous technological innovations”[2]. Dr. Rene Ofroneo, president of Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) said that they welcome this reaffirmation by the DOE as part of the country's commitment to scale up the development of renewables such as geothermal energy and downsizing national energy reliance on GHG-emitting coal plants but asked: “Why can't the DOE be more explicit and firmer in making the foregoing policy declaration? For example why not a ban on permits for new coal plants instead of a "moratorium"? And why not spell out to the nation the schedule in the phasing out existing coal plants, as what many countries are now doing?” The same sentiment was echoed by Lidy Nacpil, the coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), “a moratorium is temporary, it can be revoked or lifted anytime, so this new coal moratorium is effective only until the next baseload capacity additions are needed.” Ian Rivera, national coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) called the moratorium “climate blind” because what is needed now is an energy plan that is in sync with the climate targets outlined in the Paris Agreement. CSOs are also alarmed by the announcement that the Philippines is now allowing 100% foreign ownership in large-scale geothermal exploration, development, and utilization projects. Large-scale geothermal projects are those with an initial investment cost of about USD 50 million capitalizations through Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs)[3]. “While we commend this milestone decision of a coal moratorium announced by the DOE, the state announcement to allow geothermal projects to push through as 100% foreign-owned through FTAAs needs an immediate callback,” says Rayyan Hassan, executive director of NGO Forum on ADB. Hassan explained that in the mining sector of the Philippines FTAAs have been notorious for exploiting people and the environment, “the 1995 Philippine Mining Act allows FTAA for large-scale mining to transnational corporations (TNCs) as well multinational corporations (MNCs) to put up capital and technology in favor of acquiring mining leases for up to 25 years for 100,000 hectares of mining land. The later amended FTAAs allows 100% ownership by MNCs, tax holidays, remittance of earnings, freedom from requisition of investment, confidentiality, auxiliary mining rights for water, land, timber, etc. right to possess explosives, entry into private lands and concession areas. The above-mentioned incentives were all in favor of the MNCs with hardly any protection of local community rights, livelihoods, and environments”. This was supported by Dr. Ofroneo saying that the declaration is surprising because it implies that only foreign companies have the knowledge and expertise to develop geothermal energy. This is false. Dr. Ofroneo added that what the DOE should have done is to declare that foreign companies engaged in geothermal development are welcome so long as they will abide by the country's laws on foreign investments, forest preservation, and protection of the rights of indigenous people and the host communities. “Better, the DOE should have announced a national program tapping the talents and expertise of Filipino geothermal engineers, technicians, and scientists in the development of this industry. “ he ended. According to Zeena Maglinong, secretary-general of Freedom of Debt Coalition (FDC), we are energized by the recent pronouncement of DOE, but while they are at it, we hope that our energies together with communities that are heavily affected by the impacts of these coal projects can be further renewed by pushing DOE to cover more energy projects including that of their indicative plans”. It is also worth noting that the ban on endorsing new coal-fired power plants will not affect those that were already given prior endorsements[4]. Gerry Arances, executive director of Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) thinks that the DOE should not stop here, “If it is to make up for the years it stood by its so-called 'technology-neutral' policy, it has to follow up with phase-out plans for the currently installed 12GW coal plants in the country, without this, the suffering of coal-affected communities, soaring electricity prices, and fossil fuel pollution would continue to proliferate." Maglinong also pointed out that if the remaining coal projects that are already in the pipeline are still being implemented, then the future projected carbon emissions will still be heavily impacting the Philippines' contribution to the climate crisis. Anti-incineration groups are also wary of DOE's endorsement of waste-to-energy incineration as a form of indigenous and renewable energy resource just as they argued in the Senate Energy Committee during the deliberations on the WTE bill. As stated by Glenn Ymata of No Burn Pilipinas "energy generation through waste incineration is like coal combustion that produces significant greenhouse gas emissions plus toxic and poisonous fumes like dioxins and furans." The group also made mention of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), according to Maglinong the network is banking on the ADB and AIIB to follow suit and make true to their commitments in divesting from coal plant projects, “we are banking on both of the Banks to push further by committing to divest from ALL coal projects, including indicative plans in the pipeline and instead put the money on community-centered energy renewable projects as grants and NOT loans”. Hassan warns that while coal is dying globally and the Philippines is embarking on a transition, it has to be mindful that it is being driven by environmental and social responsibility. If similar FTAAs are approved for geothermal and other forms of base load energy projects such as dams and WTE, the country may be opening up to a pathway of severe exploitation of precious resources and threatening ecological hotspots, and indigenous and traditional communities. # NGO Forum on ADB is a network of civil society organizations (CSOs) that has been monitoring the projects, programs, and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). To know more about the network follow this link. [1]https://www.doe.gov.ph/press-releases/doe-sec-cusi-declares-moratorium-endorsements-greenfield-coal-power-plants?fbclid=IwAR3mTmFDykZ0TFhIFN5TFZcyS90L5gKPkqSkWs7ruCeo1tX7tt0hM17lzYU [2] https://www.bworldonline.com/doe-bans-new-coal-run-power-plants/ [3] https://www.doe.gov.ph/press-releases/doe-sec-cusi-declares-moratorium-endorsements-greenfield-coal-power-plants?fbclid=IwAR3mTmFDykZ0TFhIFN5TFZcyS90L5gKPkqSkWs7ruCeo1tX7tt0hM17lzYU [4] https://www.bworldonline.com/doe-bans-new-coal-run-power-plants/

MR. JIN LIQUN President Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Dear President Liqun; A historical feat took place this week in the Philippines when the Department of Energy (DOE) declared a moratorium on endorsements for greenfield coal power plants. According to Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, the agency's most recent assessment revealed the need for the country to shift to a more flexible power supply mix[1]. He also added that this would help build a more sustainable power system that will be resilient in the face of structural changes in demand and will be flexible enough to accommodate the entry of new, cleaner, and indigenous technological innovations” [1]. With this huge pronouncement, NGO Forum on ADB, a network of over 250 organizations worldwide is expecting that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) pay heed to middle income countries detracting from coal as an energy source. The Forum network demands the AIIB to – Explicitly exclude coal, oil, and gas from its potential investment Have an explicit binding language banning all forms of Coal project amended into its Energy Sector Strategy Develop a Climate Change Action Plan, with clear and ambitious targets for how it will align its policies and operations with the Paris Climate Agreement. Provide a road map for the AIIB to shift direct and indirect investments from fossil fuels to renewable energy, including ruling out all financing for coal and any investment that would result in increased coal use. Ensure all energy projects help lift more people out of energy poverty in a sustainable way, especially by scaling up support for decentralized renewable electricity and clean cooking solutions. This should exclude large hydro dams or nuclear power plants. CSOs are alarmed by the announcement that the Philippines is considering allowing 100% foreign ownership in large-scale geothermal exploration, development, and utilization projects. Large-scale geothermal projects are those with an initial investment cost of about USD 50 million capitalizations through Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs)[1]. In the mining sector of the Philippines FTAAs have been notorious for exploiting people and the environment, “the 1995 Philippine Mining Act allows FTAA for large-scale mining to transnational corporations (TNCs) to put up capital and technology in favor of acquiring mining leases for up to 25 years for 100,000 hectares of mining land. The later amended FTAAs allows 100% ownership by MNCs, tax holidays, remittance of earnings, freedom from requisition of investment, confidentiality, auxiliary mining rights for water, land, timber, etc. right to possess explosives, entry into private lands and concession areas. The above-mentioned incentives were all in favor of the MNCs with hardly any protection of local community rights, livelihoods, and environments”. NGO Forum on ADB wants to bring attention to AIIB that in pursuing Geothermal projects using an FTAA approach will lead to a pathway of severe exploitation of precious resources and threatening ecological hotspots, indigenous and traditional communities. The Forum Network is hoping that the AIIB considers positive action on the listed demands and would make an immediate shift towards just and equitable renewable energy pathways for a Paris Aligned COVID-19 recovery and that the Bank ensures steps for withdrawing projects in the pipeline that fail to meet the climate criteria. Respectfully, Mr. Rayyan Hassan Executive Director NGO Forum on ADB Endorsed by: Aksi for gender, social and ecological justice, Indonesia ALTSEAN-Burma, Myanmar Arab Watch Regional coalition, Mena Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, Regional (Asia) Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED), Bangladesh CEE Bankwatch, Europe Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, Philippines Center for Environment and Participatory Research - CEPR, Bangladesh Christian Aid, UK CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network), Bangladesh DIGNIDAD Coalition, Philippines Environics Trust, India Environmental public society, Armenia Fair Finance Philippines, Philippines FIAN Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Freedom from Debt Coalition, Philippines Fresh Eyes, United Kingdom Friends of the Earth Japan, Japan GAIA Philippines, Philippines Gender Action, Global Green Alternative, Georgia GrowthWatch, India IDEALS Inc, Philippines Independent Consultant, Tajikistan Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), India Initiative for Right View, Bangladesh Institute for Political Ecology, Croatia International Accountability Project, USA KRuHA, Indonesia Mekong Watch, Japan Oyu Tolgoi Watch, Mongolia Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Philippines Recourse, Europe Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia SPELL-Sustainability and Participation through Education and Lifelong Learning, Philippines Sri Lanka Nature Group, Sri Lanka VOICE, Bangladesh WomanHealth, Philippines Youth For Environment Education And Development Foundation (YFEED Foundation), Nepal [1] https://www.bworldonline.com/doe-bans-new-coal-run-power-plants/ Download PDF version here.

MR. MASATSUGU ASAKAWA President Asian Development Bank (ADB) Dear President Asakawa; A historical feat took place this week in the Philippines when the Department of Energy (DOE) declared a moratorium on endorsements for greenfield coal power plants. According to Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, the agency's most recent assessment revealed the need for the country to shift to a more flexible power supply mix[1]. He also added that this would help build a more sustainable power system that will be resilient in the face of structural changes in demand and will be flexible enough to accommodate the entry of new, cleaner, and indigenous technological innovations”[2]. With this huge pronouncement, NGO Forum on ADB, a network of over 250 organizations worldwide is expecting that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) pay heed to middle income countries detracting from coal as an energy source. The Forum network demands the ADB to – Have an explicit binding language banning all forms of coal project amended into its Energy Sector Strategy Develop a Climate Change Action Plan, with clear and ambitious targets for how it will align its policies and operations with the Paris Climate Agreement. Revisit, review, and improve the existing ADB Climate Change Operational Framework Provide a road map for the ADB to shift direct and indirect investments from fossil fuels to renewable energy, including ruling out all financing for coal and any investment that would result in increased coal use. Ensure all energy projects help lift more people out of energy poverty in a sustainable way, especially by scaling up support for decentralized renewable electricity and clean cooking solutions. This should exclude large hydro dams or nuclear power plants. CSOs are alarmed by the announcement that the Philippines is considering allowing 100% foreign ownership in large-scale geothermal exploration, development, and utilization projects. Large-scale geothermal projects are those with an initial investment cost of about USD 50 million capitalizations through Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs)[1]. In the mining sector of the Philippines FTAAs have been notorious for exploiting people and the environment, “the 1995 Philippine Mining Act allows FTAA for large-scale mining to transnational corporations (TNCs) to put up capital and technology in favor of acquiring mining leases for up to 25 years for 100,000 hectares of mining land. The later amended FTAAs allows 100% ownership by MNCs, tax holidays, remittance of earnings, freedom from requisition of investment, confidentiality, auxiliary mining rights for water, land, timber, etc. right to possess explosives, entry into private lands and concession areas. The above-mentioned incentives were all in favor of the MNCs with hardly any protection of local community rights, livelihoods, and environments”. NGO Forum on ADB wants to bring attention to ADB that in pursuing Geothermal projects using an FTAA approach will lead to a pathway of severe exploitation of precious resources and threatening ecological hotspots, indigenous and traditional communities. The Forum Network is hoping that the ADB considers positive action on the listed demands and would make an immediate shift towards just and equitable renewable energy pathways for a Paris Aligned COVID-19 recovery and that the Bank ensures steps for withdrawing projects in the pipeline that fail to meet the climate criteria. Respectfully, Mr. Rayyan Hassan Executive Director NGO Forum on ADB Endorsed by: Aksi for gender, social and ecological justice, Indonesia ALTSEAN-Burma, Myanmar Arab Watch Regional coalition, Mena Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, Regional (Asia) Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED), Bangladesh CEE Bankwatch, Europe Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, Philippines Center for Environment and Participatory Research - CEPR, Bangladesh Christian Aid, UK CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network), Bangladesh DIGNIDAD Coalition, Philippines Environics Trust, India Environmental public society, Armenia Fair Finance Philippines, Philippines FIAN Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Freedom from Debt Coalition, Philippines Freedom from Debt Coalition, Philippines Fresh Eyes, United Kingdom Friends of the Earth Japan, Japan GAIA Philippines, Philippines Gender Action, Global Green Alternative, Georgia GrowthWatch, India IDEALS Inc, Philippines Independent Consultant, Tajikistan Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), India Initiative for Right View, Bangladesh Institute for Political Ecology, Croatia International Accountability Project, USA KRuHA, Indonesia Mekong Watch, Japan Oyu Tolgoi Watch, Mongolia Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Philippines Recourse, Europe Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia SPELL-Sustainability and Participation through Education and Lifelong Learning, Philippines Sri Lanka Nature Group, Sri Lanka VOICE, Bangladesh WomanHealth, Philippines Youth For Environment Education And Development Foundation (YFEED Foundation), Nepal [1] https://www.bworldonline.com/doe-bans-new-coal-run-power-plants/ Download PDF version here.

According to Hasan, 38, he is a worker in the mechanics department of state-run Eastern Jute Mills Ltd. in Khulna district that has about 900 permanent and 2,500 seasonal employees- I couldn’t believe it when I first heard it from colleagues. This is an inhuman decision amounting to kicking the stomach of poor workers, The father of two told UCA News[1]. Frustration and fury have gripped workers since Jute and Textiles Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi made a surprising announcement on June 29 about shutting down all 26 jute mills under the state-run Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC). The move has led to layoffs of about 57,191 employees like Hasan for whom the mills have been the only source of livelihood for years. Most workers are from the Khulna industrial area that houses nine large jute mills. The shutting down of the Jute Mills have also led to abrupt closing of hundreds of thousands of associated small businesses, vendors, shop keepers whose lives were directly linked to the mill industry. The closure has also deeply impacted the jute farming community amid this pandemic.[2] The gradual decline of state jute mills is implementation of an anti-people scheme in place since 1990s, said Anu Muhammad, a professor of economics at Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka. Bangladesh had more than 70 state jute mills after 1971 independence and in the past some 40 were closed down on the prescription of the World Bank and IMF. The biggest casualty was closure of Admajee Jute Mills in 2002 that rendered 20,000 workers jobless. Muhammad told UCA News. For the last 3 days heavily armed state security forces have been deployed to quell workers dissent as local tensions continue to intensify. Oct 2, 2020 the disenfranchised workers will assemble in Khalishpur, Khulna and demand – Reopening of all state owned jute mills Fair compensation for all lost wages amid these enforced lockdown We appeal to everyone to step up and provide their support to the Jute Mill workers in order for them to continue their struggle for their right to work, compensation and just wages!!! [1]https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-last-nail-for-bangladeshs-state-jute-industry/88643 [2]https://tbsnews.net/economy/industry/govt-shut-down-production-25-state-owned-jute-mills-101029

Register here. Download speakers bio here.

5 years after its foundation, the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) still risks the wellbeing and livelihoods of people affected by its projects across Asia. In a joint press conference, NGO Forum on the ADB together with civil society organizations from Bangladesh, India, and Germany intend to shed light on the weak Human Rights and Environmental standards of the multilateral bank and give examples of harmful AIIB projects. The press conference will reflect on the recently held AIIB virtual annual meeting, which was heavily criticized for not including civil society representatives. During the press conference, the NGOs will also explore the bank's climate change approach, in view of its recent financing of fossil fuel-based energy projects that harm the Goals of the Paris Agreement. The press conference is scheduled to take approximately 45 minutes and will include both presentations from the speakers as well as a Q&A with the experts. Speakers are members of impacted communities and CSOs monitoring AIIB-funded projects. Mr. Hassan Mehedi Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) Bangladesh Ms. Vidya Dinker GrowthWatch India Dr. Nora Sausmikat Urgewald Germany AUGUST 25th, 2020 5pm Manila | 3pm Dhaka | 2:30pm New Delhi | 11am Berlin | 10am London You can register in advance for the digital press conference through this link.

Download the PDF here.

MR. JIN LIQUN President Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Dear President Jin Liqun; Greetings from NGO Forum on ADB. We are writing to you on behalf of civil society groups and project-affected peoples in the time of this global pandemic to raise some key issues of concern. Unfortunately with struggling fiscal health, and lack of public health infrastructure Asian governments are opting to use the heavy-handed method of police and military crackdowns to enforce quarantine protocols, violating human rights and basic political freedoms. As this letter is being written civil society and journalists in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia among many others are being persecuted, silenced, or incarcerated for speaking the truth and reporting state obligation failures surrounding COVID19 responses [1]. AIIB Project Affected Communities Mr. President, you will be glad to know we have reached out to AIIB project-affected communities in the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, and raised small funds to provide food, masks, and basic medicines amid this crisis[2]. It was sad to hear back from local people that the project developer had never reached out once to them with any material or financial support during this time. We are also saddened to notice that the AIIB itself during this time of crisis has completely neglected project-affected communities in their crisis response. Some AIIB staff independently contributed to our relief efforts and we applaud and recognize that people within the bank are there who want to do what is right and just. We hope you will take this into consideration as the threat continues and people are still at the mercy of this pandemic and the AIIB can do much more than just provide loans. AIIB Annual Meeting, Civil Society Space and Management Response We were assured by you, Mr. President at the AM in Jeju 2017 - that there will always be a management session with civil society in every annual meeting to discuss ground realities and policy ramifications. In a time of a global pandemic when communities are most vulnerable, and the wealth the divide is contributing directly to the rise in covid19 infections across the world, the AIIB has issued an annual meeting agenda with no mention of local communities and civil society engagement. After repeated inquiries to management, we finally received word on a possible civil society engagement session, but nothing has been confirmed in terms of time or date. Mr. President, please note that this was a reactive response from management and not a position taken as per your commitment to us previously. The initial forthright communication linkages with management have slowed down in momentum drastically. Formal letters surrounding the Climate, Financial Intermediaries, Human Rights Defenders, inputs for Water, Transport, and sectoral strategies submitted from the civil society side had no meaningful responses if any. Even responses to public comments submitted during consultation on recent draft AIIB strategies have not been published along with finalized strategies that bear no trace of incorporating concerns expressed by civil society. We have heard from the board and management that the AIIB Corporate Strategy will address our concerns around climate and green finance, unfortunately, this document has not been open to civil society review or input and is heading straight towards a board approval in September. Simultaneously, with the ESF review underway, we are also noticing that emails to management are not being responded to, and the bank is retreating itself from the space of open dialogue with civil society. To reiterate our key concerns in this letter we request you to take action on the following issues- Ensure that management responds to all critical inputs from civil society on key issues, strategies, projects in a time-bound manner as an institutional practice throughout the year. AIIB should ensure its safeguards operations team and project developers respond appropriately and urgently to project-affected communities on the ground suffering from COVID19. AIIB must ensure that there are space and time for dialogue with CSOs and affected communities at all AGMs, including this virtual Annual Meeting 2020. This includes dialogue with management, project, and strategy meetings, and meetings with senior management to discuss key policy revisions, in this year's case, the ESF review and corporate strategy. Ensure that the Corporate Strategy draft is released for public comment and civil society review prior to board review in September Ensure time-bound information disclosure and meaningful consultation of all projects being considered amid this pandemic prior to board approval. Ensure all COVID19 recovery loans de link from fossil fuel propagation and follow a Paris 1.5 aligned pathway. We hope you will take appropriate action with your usual diligent leadership. We will be looking forward to your proactive and open response in addressing our concerns at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, Mr. Rayyan Hassan Executive Director NGO Forum on ADB Cc: Ms. Laurel Ostfield, Director General, Communications Mr. D. Jagatheesa Pandian, Vice President, and Chief Investment Officer Mr. Joachim von Amsberg, Vice President, Policy and Strategy Mr. Danny Alexander, Vice President, and Corporate Secretary Mr. Hamid Sharif, Complaints - Resolution, Evaluation and Integrity Unit (CEIU) Board of Governors Endorsed by the following organizations: 350.org Asia, Regional 350.org Japan, Japan 350.org  Pilipinas, Philippines Action Paysanne Contre La Faim, Democratic Republic of Congo Aksi!, Indonesia Arab Watch Coalition, Middle East and North Africa Article 19, UK/Bangladesh Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), Regional Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication, Bangladesh Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED), Bangladesh Bank Information Center, USA Bretton Woods Project Both ENDS, Netherlands Buliisa Initiative for Rural Development Organisation (BIRUDO), Uganda Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), Philippines Center for Environment and Participatory Research –CEPR, Bangladesh Center for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), United States Center of Bird Lovers, Armenia Central Asia and Caucasus NGO Forum on ADB, Armenia Centre for Financial Accountability, India Centre for Human Rights and Development, Mongolia Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), Bangladesh Collective for Economic Justice, India Community Initiatives for Development in Pakistan-CIDP NGO, Pakistan Conseil Regional Des Ong De Developpement, Democratic Republic of Congo Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR), Peru Digo Bikas Institute, Nepal Environics Trust, India Environmental Public Alliance, Armenia Environmental Public Society, Armenia Equitable Cambodia, Cambodia Freedom from Debt Coalition, Philippines Fundacja "Rozwój TAK - Odkrywki NIE”, Poland Gender Action, International Global Environment Centre, Malaysia Global Social Justice, Belgium GrowthWatch, India Hape Development and Welfare Association, Pakistan Horn Afrik News Agency For Human Rights, Somalia Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), India International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Tajikistan Inclusive Development International, U.S. Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), India Initiative for Rights View, Bangladesh International Accountability Project (IAP), International International Association of People's Lawyers, Australia Lumiere Synergie pour le Developpement, Senegal Magar Lawyer's forum-Nepal, Nepal Mangrove Action Project, USA Mekong Watch, Japan MiningWatch Canada, Canada Nash Vek Public Foundation, Kyrgyzstan Network Movement for Justice and Development, Sierra Leone NGO "Youth Group on Protection of Environment", Tajikistan NGO Forum on Cambodia, Cambodia OXFAM Oyu Tolgoi Watch, Mongolia Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Pakistan Participatory Research Action Network- PRAN, Bangladesh Peoples Development Institute, Philippines Progressive Plantation Workers Union, India Programme on Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (PWESCR) International Recourse, Europe Rivers without Boundaries Coalition, Mongolia Rivers without Boundaries Coalition, Russia Rural Reconstruction Nepal, Nepal Safety and Rights Society, Bangladesh Songshoptaque, Bangladesh SPELL-Sustainability and Participation through Education and Lifelong Learning, Philippines Urgewald e.V., Germany Voices for Interactive Choice & Empowerment, Bangladesh Witness Radio – Uganda, Uganda WomanHealth Philippines, Philippines Youth For Environment Education And Development Foundation (YFEED Foundation), Nepal [1] https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/03/how-authoritarians-are-exploiting-covid-19-crisis-grab-power [2] https://www.forum-adb.org/covidfund Download the letter here. Read AIIB response here.

As of September 2019, the global debt stood at 263 trillion USD, and COVID-19 lockdowns have forced over 128 million people to lose their jobs in Asia. This scenario is being considered much graver than the global financial crisis in 2008, and experts are comparing it to the Great Depression of 1939[i]. As a response to the pandemic, the AIIB has issued over a 10 billion USD loan portfolio as COVID19 emergency loans, but what the region needs are grants and not more debts[ii]. Deeper questions surround these loans, in terms of environmental social safeguards applicability, transparency, and accountability, risk of embedding existing fossil fuel pathways, and bridging public access. Unfortunately, the AIIB management and operations have not presented a track record of openness, especially at the project level, to instill confidence among local communities. In addition, there is also the lack of time-bound information disclosure and pre-project meaningful consultation around Bhola Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Bangladesh, Myingyan 225 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine in Myanmar, National Innovation Foundation (NIF) in India, National Slum Upgrading Project in Indonesia and to name a few. The bank has failed in every project to provide information to the people (inadequate time and method) and failed to explain to them the impacts of the said projects. This has led to direct livelihood loss, displacement of poor and vulnerable people, destruction of environmental systems, and occupational hazards. With its scale of impact, the AIIB MUST change as a practice, rule, and institutional norm. Sreedhar Ramamurthi from Environics Trust, India explained “the AIIB should ensure that management responds to all critical inputs from civil society on key issues, strategies, and projects, in a time-bound manner as an institutional practice”. He also added that there should be a meaningful consultation of all projects, now more than ever, being considered amid this pandemic prior to board approval”. Hasan Mehedi of Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) strongly suggests that “the AIIB should ensure its safeguards operations team and project developers respond appropriately and urgently to project-affected communities on the ground suffering from COVID19”. Forum on ADB has raised a small fund to provide food, face masks, and basic medicines amid this crisis[iii] and in the course of the distribution it is heartbreaking to hear from the local people, those project developers had never reached out to them, not even once, with any material or financial support during this trying times. The AIIB has completely neglected project-affected communities in their crisis response. In addition, this year the AIIB has issued an annual meeting agenda with no mention of local communities, and civil society engagement. For the past year, communication linkages with management have slowed down in momentum drastically. Formal letters surrounding Financial Intermediaries, Human Rights Defenders, inputs for Water, Transport, and sectoral strategies submitted from the civil society side had no meaningful responses if any. The AIIB has not been as open and transparent to civil society interaction, communications to the management are not being responded back, and the bank is retreating itself from the space of open dialogue with civil society. Vidya Dinker of Growthwatch and INSAF (Indian Social Action Forum) stated “the AIIB must ensure that there is space and time for dialogue with affected communities and CSOs at all AGMs, including this virtual Annual Meeting of 2020. This must include dialogue with management, project and strategy meetings, and meetings with senior management to discuss key policy revisions, and in this year's case, the ESF review and corporate strategy”. The said Corporate Strategy is set to be discussed at this annual meeting as well, but unfortunately, this document has not been open to civil society review or input and is heading straight towards a board approval in September 2020. Rayyan Hassan, NGO Forum on ADB executive director on behalf of the 250 network members in a letter sent to the AIIB management “calls for immediate debt cancellations payments for borrowing governments, so they can have critical access to public funds to address the pandemic and carve out a meaningful and independent recovery”. He also added that the AIIB should "ensure all COVID19 recovery loans de-link from fossil fuel propagation and follow a Paris 1.5 aligned pathway”. [i] https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2020/05/26/abhijit-banerjee-and-esther-duflo-on-how-economies-can-rebound [ii] https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/04/13/pr20151-imf-executive-board-approves-immediate-debt-relief-for-25-countries [iii] https://www.forum-adb.org/covidfund

The coronavirus crisis has revealed a number of serious shortcomings in our social protection systems in general and in our health systems in particular. The dire economic and social crisis we are now in is the consequence of decades of neoliberal austerity policies, with lack of investment in economic and social infrastructure, lack of investment in policies for families, employment, pensions, health and care systems. Victims of this situation, everywhere, are the most vulnerable people in our societies, informal workers, migrants and asylum seekers, farmers and fisherfolk, women, children, disabled persons, indigenous people, etc. Our failing democracies do not help to solve this crisis, on the contrary, our governments tend to become more repressive and authoritarian. Add this to the intensifying environmental crisis due to global warming, compelling us to address the urgent need for fundamental changes in political, economic, social and environmental policies, worldwide. Indeed, our interdependence is also crystal clear. Whether we talk of the climate, the coronavirus or poverty and inequality with the consequential migration flows, no one on this planet is detached from or independent of the global framework. Multilateral development bank financing over the last decade has focused on mega infrastructure projects, which have not addressed the critical need for public health infrastructure. The large scale projects have focused on building ports, base load power generators and commercial pipelines, none has addressed local health care needs and social protection. Now, most of these mega infrastructure projects have been stalled due to the pandemic, even bringing down the China led Belt and Road Initiative to a standstill. Sadly the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the BRICS (Brasil, Russia, India, China and South-Africa) continue to charge debt-servicing costs in 2020 from crippled economies all over the world for projects, which have not resulted in appreciably favourable economic or sustainable development outcomes. Thus there is now an urgent need for social infrastructure and to reorient the development pathway to ensure that we are developing financial investments, which put community health needs and social protection at the forefront of all development projects. The economic globalisation underscores the various connexions between and among our worlds, in spite of our divergent development levels. We may not be all in the same boat, but we are definitely in the same storm. This is why the Asia Europe People’s Forum and NGO Forum on ADB call for a fundamental re-thinking of our health care and social protection systems, which should be transformative so that social policies will be a tool for comprehensive and genuine change in our political, economic, and social systems. We see a strengthened and broadened health care and social protection, with health and social insurances, assistance, equitable labour laws, and public services as social commons toward universal health care, continuing basic services such as water and decent shelter, sustainable livelihood and incomes. We have the right to water and decent shelters and the capability to work and earn for a living. We should have control over our rights and be encouraged and allowed to exercise our capabilities. Social commons are ours, we need to decide on them. Moreover, the focus must be on prevention instead of on healing of illnesses, hence the imperative need to care for the environment, to know how our food is produced and how contamination comes about. We have to examine and revise the system of production to promote ecological and environment-friendly practices and make it serve the needs of the greater majority of the people. As undeniable is the crucial importance of all health care workers whose wages and working conditions should be urgently improved. They are the ones who help the afflicted and sustain our societies in the middle of this severe crisis. And we definitely have to look at the funding, re-orienting public expenditure, slashing military spending, fighting tax havens and illicit financial flows and through a fair and better tax system in which the wealthy and big corporations will contribute the biggest share. To sum up, we need to arrive at and implement a comprehensive definition, design, and strategy of social protection, within a participatory and democratic framework to bring about genuine political, economic, and social change. Universal health care and social protection should not be at the service of markets, but should instead serve to prevent markets from dominating our lives and our societies. Empowerment of the greater majority of the people is what the Asia Europe People’s Forum and the NGO Forum on ADB stand for. This is how we want to promote social transformation. We call on States, Parliaments, Regional and Global Bodies and multilateral institutions to adopt urgent measures for universal and public health care in order to ensure the dignified living  humanity under this pandemic. We call on all global, national and local civil society to cooperate for a participatory, democratic, and transformative universal health care and social protection, for the lasting good of the social commons and for a liberating transformation for all. These measures include, i.a., living wages and guaranteed incomes as well as decent shelter. TO SUPPORT THIS PETITION PLEASE SIGN HERE. *** To this end, we have drafted an inspirational guidebook for a Global Charter for Social Protection Rights which is not a binding text but an inspirational guidebook that would help enable our societies to leave the neoliberal straitjacket. We kindly invite you to support it (www.globalsocialprotectioncharter.eu) and sign on the Global Social Protection Charter along with this petition.