ADB watchdog to boycott lender's meeting in Uzbekistan

A watchdog of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will boycott the multilateral lender’s 43rd annual meeting in Uzbekistan. Holding the meeting in Tashkent, the capital, is "not only non-transparent but also endorsing suppression of human rights and people’s freedom of expression," the NGO Forum on the ADB said. The bank watchdog also criticized the ADB’s decision to hold the meeting in Uzbekistan pointing out the track record of the government when it comes to human rights violations and curtailment of people’s freedom of expression. Political rights are severely constrained and dissent is not tolerated and is often met with extreme force, it said in a statement, quoting Forum Executive Director Dr. Avilash Roul. “As there is no vibrant civil society groups in Uzbekistan, it is impossible to hold public opinion in the venue of the annual meeting or outside by looking at the political situation in the country," Parviz Umarov of the Tajikistan-based Center for Development of Civil Society said. In a letter submitted to the bank last January, the Forum requested the ADB to guarantee the safety, security, and well-being of civil society participants in the 43rd annual meeting, and their right to assemble and discuss development-related issues, distribute printed materials related to ADB’s operations, and peaceful protest. However, until now, the multilateral bank has kept its silence on the matter. “As a multilateral public entity, the ADB must respect the rights of local communities to development and livelihood rather than just serving the interests of the undemocratic, arrogant governments and businesses," Hemantha Withanage of the Sri Lankan Centre for Environmental Justice said. In March this year, the UN Human Rights Committee scrutinized Uzbekistan's rights record and expressed its concerns over “the number of NGOs, journalists and human rights defenders imprisoned, assaulted, harassed or intimidated because of the exercise of their profession." “The ADB's move only shows that it is more inclined to holding its meetings in such an autocratic regime where the freedom of speech is severely restricted,"Roul said. Last year, during ADB’s annual meeting in Bali, Indonesia, local activists were harassed by security, local activists were harassed by security. “Police and intelligence were stationed in our hotel, our vehicles were stopped several times on our way to the annual meeting venue which gave us no choice but to cancel our meetings with some of the ADB’s board of directors," Wardarina of Solidaritas Perempuan, Jakarta said. The NGO Forum on the ADB is a 250-strong Asian led network of civil society organizations which has been monitoring the ADB’s policies, projects and programs since 1992. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV