Group lauds move to review ADB policies

A non-government group welcomed the launch of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) public communication policy review, a move that will help improve effectiveness of the lender’s bank practices. Approved in 2005, the ADB’s review will involve consultations with government officials, civil society and the private sector, the NGO Forum on the ADB said in a statement, citing an earlier ADB statement. “It’s about time the ADB’s narrow information disclosure policy is reviewed," Forum Executive Director Red Constantino said. “If it is to be of use to communities facing displacement due to ADB-funded projects, the Bank has to recognize that public access to information is not an option but a fundamental human right," Constantino said. In its press release, the bank said it “will seek views on the policy from all interested parties, primarily through the internet." However, the Forum on the ADB said that this “exposes the pro-business bias of ADB’s disclosure policy." “Supposedly the primary beneficiaries of ADB’s operations are the poor. Yet, since most don’t even have access to landlines or electricity, the impoverished are already being left out the process from the start," Constantino said. Souparna Lahiri of the Indian-based National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers said, “Participation in the review process will depend on how serious the ADB is in consulting project-affected communities. The ADB has yet to commit to an extensive consultation and thorough examination of the PCP provisions on access to information by affected people." In a letter to ADB’s external relations director Ann Quon, the ADB watchdog said the bank should recognize affected communities as primary stakeholders who possess the right to project information. “Right now, it doesn’t seem like it," Lahiri added. “Information is both power and empowering, enabling affected communities participate actively in projects funded by the ADB that will have great impact on their lives and the environment," said Leak Kay of Conservation Development of Cambodia. A civil society strategy session led by the Forum was held in Manila in February 2009, kicking off community-level consultations in key developing regions in preparation for the ADB’s review of its PCP. The NGO Forum on the ADB is a 250-strong Asian-led network of civil society organizations and communities that has been monitoring the bank's policies, projects and programs since 1992. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV