Asian Development Bank

Two thirds of the world’s poorest people live in Asia and the Pacific. The aim of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), based in Manila, is to reduce poverty and promote development within this region. As well as providing finance and technical expertise, the ADB has extensive knowledge and experience of working in the region and has built close ties with governments.

In recent years many countries in this region have seen rapid economic and social development. However, the ADB estimates that around 900 million people are surviving on less than $1.25 a day. Between 2005-2008, money provided by the ADB had a wide range of benefits in the region, including: 

• 18.5 million children benefiting from school improvements or direct support.
• 51,000 classrooms were built or upgraded.
• 600,000 more teachers were trained.
• 1.3 million houses were given access to a water supply.
• 1.1 million houses given access to sanitation.
• 39,100 kilometres of roads and 3,200 kilometres of railways were built or upgraded.
• 2.3 million houses were connected to electricity.

Donor countries including the UK, have agreed to contribute almost US$ 4.2 billion to the ADB Fund between 2009-12, to assist the poorest countries in the region. This money will provide grants for projects which include:

• Rebuilding and improving road networks in the eastern province of Sri Lanka which were severely affected by the long running conflict.
• Providing a safe and adequate water and sanitation supply in 20 small towns in Nepal.
• A community based project to improve literacy and training in 29 rural districts of Bangladesh.
• Emergency assistance, such as the Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster response project in Samoa after the earthquake which struck the islands on 29 September 2009.