ADB assistance tops $ 21.5 b in 2012

MANILA, Philippines: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $ 21.57 billion in financing operations including co-financing last year, according to ADB's 2012 annual report released ahead of its 46th annual meeting of the Board of Governors to be held from May 2-5 in New Delhi.

Poverty reduction in Asia remains "an unfinished agenda" despite the region's strong record of economic growth, the report said.

In 2012, operations were concentrated in five core areas: infrastructure, environment, regional cooperation and integration, finance sector development, and education. The ADB continued to focus on its three key development agendas of inclusive growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.

A special focus on regional integration highlights ADB's work to forge close links between countries across the region, including the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund; a new five-year strategy for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program; cross-border partnerships between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Mongolia and PRC and Vietnam; accelerated cooperation in South Asia; and a new generation of planned projects for the second decade of cooperation in the Greater Mekong sub-region.

Other notable achievements in 2012 include: $ 825 million in funding for India's power transmission systems; record replenishment of Asian Development Fund of $12.4 billion to help Asia's poorest; the first-ever loan for road network upgrades in Timor-Leste; a $ 625 million equity investment in the innovative Philippines Infrastructure Fund; a new public-private partnership plan; a new Interim Country Partnership Strategy for Myanmar; and ADB's first Supply Chain Finance Program to help the region's small businesses access capital to help them grow.

ADB also continued to improve operational efficiency and development effectiveness in 2012.