Asian Development Bank

Requests: The ADB InfoUnit handles requests and can be contacted at disclosure@adb.org or use an electronic form. You may also contact ADB’s office in your country.

Procedures: The 2011 policy aims to make relevant information available to the public in a timely manner. Under the PCP, ADB must acknowledge receipt of a written request within 5 working days after receipt, and respond to the requests within 30 calendar days after receipt.  Other procedures are described in the policy and in the FAQs on the transparency home page.


  • 6 January 2012

    IFIs Faulted for Exemptions in Disclosure Policies

    International financial institutions (IFIs) have “overbroad regimes of exceptions” in their  transparency policies, according to a report issued by the Centre for Law and Democracy.
    Particularly troublesome are the exceptions relating to internal deliberations and third-party commercial information, according to…

  • 25 October 2011

    ADB Revises Communications Policy, Makes Changes

    The Asian Development Oct. 25 announced a new Communications Policy, revising its rules on disclosure and adding an appeals body.
    According to the Bank, the key changes include:

    earlier disclosure of core ADB documents, such as final proposals for country partnership…

  • 22 July 2011

    GTI Challenges ADB to Improve Disclosure Plan

    The Global Transparency Initiative is urging the Asian Development Bank to improve its draft Public Communications Policy (PCP), saying it “now has a chance to jump ahead of the World Bank.”
    Addressing issues raised by GTI “would place the ADB…

  • 28 January 2011

    GTI Recommends Changes to Draft ADB Openness Policy

    The Global Transparency Initiative (GTI) explained its proposals to improve the second draft of the Public Communications Policy (PCP) prepared by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) during a workshop in Manila Jan. 24 with key stakeholders, including senior ADB representatives.…

  • 10 January 2011

    GTI Makes Suggestions on ADB Draft Policy

    The second draft of the proposed Public Communications Policy by the Asian Development Bank still needs improvement, according to comments submitted by the Global Transparency Initiative.
    While there have been come positive alterations, the regime of exceptions remains too narrow…

  • 2 December 2010

    ADB Issues Second Draft of Proposed Disclosure Policy

    By Toby McIntosh
    The Asian Development Bank Nov. 26 proposed to release more documents prior to Executive Board meetings than previously proposed and to create an appeals body for disclosure requestors.
    The ADB’s second draft revision of its public communications…

  • 21 June 2010

    ADB Draft Transparency Policy Criticized

    “Zero draft” is the informal phrase being used by Asian Development Bank officials to describe their opening proposal for a new Public Communications Policy. ADB officials hope to convey that the draft proposal is a starting point — a work in progress. But critics see the first draft as “a big zero.”

  • 4 June 2010

    ADB Proposes Revisions to Public Communications Policy

    The Asian Development Bank June 4 issued proposed changes in its Public Communications Policy. Release of the  “consultation draft” comes as the ADB commences a series of worldwide meetings. The first session will be June 15 in Canada, and the last is scheduled for August 2 in the Philippines. The ADB’s 12-country consultation schedule is posted online.

  • 17 February 2010

    ADB Commences Review of Public Communications Policy

    The Asian Development Bank has invited public comment by April 15 on its current disclosure policy, kicking off a review process that will involve a series of in-country consultations before a new policy is approved by the end of the…

  • 17 July 2008

    Annual Report Suggests Gaps in Routine Disclosure

    As its Public Communications Policy nears its third anniversary, the Asian Development Bank is coming up short of its own targets for routinely disclosing information and has frustrated civil society groups by denying several access requests.
    The ADB’s second report…

  • 21 May 2007

    ADB Assesses Positives and Negatives of New Disclosure Policy

    In a detailed report on the first year of its revised disclosure policy, the Asian Development Bank says the rollout has gone pretty well, despite a few gaps concerning project-related information.
    One weakness concerned a primary source of information about…

  • 19 April 2007

    African Development Bank Behind on Disclosure Policy Review

    The African Development Bank is a year behind in conducting a review of its disclosure policy, and on writing a staff handbook on disclosure policy.
    According to the AfDB policy approved in March 2004, the Tunis-based Bank was to assess…

  • 12 September 2005

    Best Practices on Transparency Among IFIs

    The Asian Development Bank has pulled markedly ahead of other international financial institutions in its standards for disclosure and civic participation, but like its sister international organizations the ADB continues make slow progress when measured against the increasingly refined transparency…

  • 18 January 2005

    ADB Board Getting Briefed on Disclosure Policy Proposals

    The executive directors of the Asian Development Bank on Jan. 21 will discuss a “working paper” outlining plans to revamp the ADB disclosure policy that critics say remains deficient.
    The closed session is not intended as a decision-making meeting, but…

  • 21 December 2004

    Critics Fault ADB Draft Public Communications Policy

    The Asian Development Bank’s second draft of a new communications policy is meeting with some praise, and also with continuing criticism.
    Common themes included: demands for more disclosure about private sector operations, recommendations for releasing the key documents as they…

  • 5 November 2004

    ADB Issues Second Draft of Revised Disclosure Policy

    The release of the revised policy triggered a second public comment period, with a deadline of Nov. 24. Getting a decision by ADB board in early 2005 is the goal.
    The more detailed draft is accompanied by various appendices, including…

  • 21 July 2004

    Four MDB’s Fail to Protect Whistleblowers, Group Finds

    The protection of whistleblowers at four major multilateral development banks is deficient, according to a report by The Government Accounting Project.
    Using a 24-point checklist, the Washington-based nongovernmental organization said none of the four institutions merited a passing grade. Out…

  • 21 July 2004

    ADB Critics in India, Bangladesh Protest ADB Policies, Disclosure Proposal

    Critics of the Asian Development Bank’s Proposed Disclosure Policy staged a walk-out of the ADB’s consultation in Bangalore, India, July 16, and issued a sharply critical statement in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
    The walk-out in Bangalore by civil society representatives came after…

  • 21 July 2004

    ADB Announces Grants for Civil Society Participation in Government Processes

    The Asian Development Bank July 2 announced a $400,000 technical assistance grant to “help make public service delivery more responsive to the poor by promoting greater civil society participation in resource allocation and budgeting.”
    The grant will go to selected…

  • 21 July 2004

    ADB Holds Consultation in Washington

    The deadline for the Asian Development Bank to rewrite its disclosure has been pushed back for a second time, with completion now targeted for March 2004.
    This was one bit of news from ADB officials during a June 21 consultation…

  • 9 June 2004

    ADB at Midway Point in Consultations on Disclosure Policy

    The Asian Development Bank is now about midway through its consultations concerning its proposals to change its disclosure policies.
    In a second report on the consultations, freedominfo.org covered the May 13 and 14 sessions in Hanoi. The story highlights a…

  • 6 May 2004

    ADB Holds First Consultation on Public Communications Policy

    JAKARTA – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) met with Indonesian organizations in Jakarta April 27 to discuss its draft Public Communication Policy.
    Nongovernmental organizations involved in the first of 12 planned ADB consultations came to the conclusion that they were…

  • 18 March 2004

    ADB Sets Dates, Places for Transparency Policy Consultations

    The consultation schedule for the disclosure policy review is now available on the ADB’s website.

    Date

    Location

    Contact Person

    21 April 2004
    Suva, Fiji Islands
    Mr. Bart W. Édes
    Office of External Relations, ADB
    Manila, Philippines
    Tel: +63 2 632…

  • 10 March 2004

    ADB Offers Draft Transparency Policy, Requests More Comment

    The Asian Development Bank has issued a proposal to revise its disclosure policies and called for further public comment by May 28.
    Although the Feb. 28 draft does not propose dramatic changes, such as the disclosure of certain key draft…

  • 1 August 2003

    Asian Development Bank Launches Transparency Policy Review

    The Asian Development Bank Aug. 8 officially kicked off its disclosure policy review by asking for public comments on the current policies.
    Anticipating a year-long process, the ADB has established a web site (http://www.adb.org/Disclosure/default.asp). It provides links to relevant background…

  • 1 July 2003

    Asian Development Bank Begins Disclosure Policy Review

    The Asian Development Bank has kicked off its review of the ADB information disclosure policy, appointing a steering committee to manage the effort.
    The five-person steering committee, composed of senior-level Bank officials, which held a closed meeting May 29, announced…

  • 1 May 2003

    NGOs Advise ADB on Procedures for Revamping Disclosure Policy

    The Bank Information Center and 54 civil society organizations from different parts of the world have urged the Asian Development Bank “to ensure meaningful civil society participation” as it begins a reviews of its Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information Policy.…

  • 21 January 2003

    Asian Development Bank Plans Spring Announcement of New Disclosure Policy

    Early in 2003, the Asian Development Bank will be announcing a new policy on information disclosure, an ADB official has told freedominfo.org.
    The Bank intends to take action in the first quarter of 2003, the official said, following an internal…

  • 22 November 2002

    Cutting Plans Criticized; Global Witness Seeks Halt to Logging

    By Richard Sine
    The Cambodia Daily, November 22, 2002
    Three years ago, a major study commissioned by the Asian Development Bank found forests here so depleted, and cutting rates so rapid, that logging was only viable for a few more…

  • 1 October 2002

    Disclosure or Deception? Multilateral Development Banks and Access to Information

    By Shalmali Guttal, Focus on the Global South, October 2002
    Multilateral institutions such as the Asian Development Band (ADB) and the World Bank pride themselves on their information disclosure policies. Especially since the Asian economic crisis, they have held their…

ABOUT IFTI WATCH

In this column, Washington, D.C.-based journalist Toby J. McIntosh reports on the latest developments in information disclosure in International Financial and Trade Institutions (IFTI).
Contact: tmcintosh@bna.com or
1-(703) 341-5815