Unpacking ADB and AIIB’s False Narrative in COP29
The global climate crisis has undeniably reached alarming levels, with unprecedented record-breaking temperatures. Recent studies showed that June 2024 marked the thirteenth consecutive month of record-high global temperatures and the twelfth month of consistently breaching the 1.5°C threshold pre-industrial levels of surface air temperature. The acceleration of global warming and extreme weather events, particularly in Asia being the most climate-vulnerable region, has brought devastating loss of life and destruction to communities, underlining the urgency of addressing the crisis. The region has experienced its hottest summers, driest winters, and strongest typhoons. In the past months, different countries in Asia were swallowed by severe flooding, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and many others. The prolonged and accelerating high temperatures are just the tip of an iceberg to picture the threats of this ecological crisis globally.
NGO Forum on ADB's
17 September 2024
Mr. Jin Liqun
President
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Dear Pres. Jin,
We have reviewed your response to our letter requesting formal civil society panel sessions (sent August 30) and concluded that the program remains unchanged per your website's schedule. Therefore, we regretfully decline this year’s participation at the AIIB Annual Meeting in Uzbekistan and are calling for a boycott of the event by our network. However, we acknowledge that some members may attend the meeting in person while supporting the Forum network's boycott and its principles.
NGO Forum comments on ADB ESF R-paper
Following NGO Forum on ADB network and allies call for redrafting the ADB ESF W-paper we acknowledge the substantial changes made to the current R-paper. We have also appreciated the lengthy in-person discussion held with the Office of the Safeguards team in Manila following the release of the R-paper. We are pleased that some key revisions and additions that were advocated for by civil society that are reflected in the R-paper include –
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120-day disclosure period for sovereign projects
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Common Approach: Commitment to applying the requirements among the co-financiers that are the most stringent or protective of the project-affected persons and/or the environment
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The Financial Intermediaries annex is now included in the overall ESF framework