Public Communications Policy Review 2010: Second Consultation Draft

Abstract

The Public Communications Policy (the Policy) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a living document that guides the institution’s efforts to be transparent and accountable to the people it serves. The Policy recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. ADB’s vision of an Asia and Pacific free of poverty cannot be achieved unless its stakeholders understand and support ADB’s role and operations in the region. The Policy covers both disclosure of information and external relations, making it a comprehensive guiding document for informing and engaging with member governments, opinion leaders and decision makers, civil society, academia, media, and the people who stand to be affected by ADB activities. It is a cornerstone of ADB’s institutional governance in that it recognizes the right of people to seek, access, and impart information about ADB’s operations, as well as the vital role of communication in driving transparency and accountability. The Policy is also central in ADB’s evolution as a learning institution, and to ADB’s commitment to create, apply, and share its knowledge of development in Asia and the Pacific.