In 2009, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) interviewed senior and younger personnel, both past and present, to get insights on their struggles and triumphs in ADB. They also shared experiences on working for the development of Asia and the Pacific region, and ADB’s evolution as an institution. Interspersed with the critical elements of ADB work--from project formulation to making tricky judgment ...

"Communities of practice are groups of people who share a passion for something they know how to do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better. By engaging in rich conversations in informal and welcoming social environments, they break down communication barriers to populate and reference their knowledge network workspace. By asking, learning, and sharing, they help manage tacit knowledge. ...

Learning Lessons in ADB: Strategic Framework, 2007-2009 sets the stage for regular annual knowledge audits for systematic identifi cation and analysis of knowledge needs, products and services, gaps, flows, uses, and users from the perspective of learning lessons. The publication also permits formulation of annual business plans to deliver outputs steadily against each interface.

This issue discusses the Asian Development Bank’s revamp of its political risk guarantee policy, making it more userfriendly and transparent. The scope of coverage for lenders to private sector projects has also been expanded and made more explicit. Areas of political risk coverage now include expropriation, currency inconvertibility and/or nontransfer, political violence, and breach of contract. Other ...

Environmental degradation in the Asia and Pacific region is pervasive, accelerating, and unabated, putting at risk people’s health and livelihood and hampering the economic growth needed to reduce the level of poverty in the region. This is the scenario depicted by the Asian Environment Outlook 2001 released in June by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Other topics tackled in this issue includes ...

In September 2001, the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve secretariat was established within the Cambodia National Mekong Committee to facilitate coordination and strengthen cooperation among national agencies, provincial authorities, and civil society. However, no information exchange and management system serves its needs. Data on the Tonle Sap exist and are being collected continuously. However, ...

The Tonle Sap is the most important inland wetland in Southeast Asia. It supports a huge population through its enormous fisheries productivity and water supply, and provides the last refuge for some of Asia’s most globally significant biodiversity. Human population and development pressures, however, are increasing. In response, the Government of Cambodia established the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve ...

This issue discusses mobilization of resources from an Asian perspective, and as ADB President Tadao Chino noted, “Asia faces daunting development challenges at the same time official development assistance is becoming increasingly scarce.” Other topics include the President’s visit to Spain, France, and Germany, as well as Spain’s effort to fight poverty in Asia, among others. This quarterly ...

On 14 March, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched its new Long-Term Strategic Framework (LTSF) to help the developing nations of Asia and the Pacific eradicate extreme poverty by 2015. The LTSF is embodied in a new document, “Moving the Poverty Reduction Agenda Forward in Asia and the Pacific,” that spells out ADB’s plans and priorities. Other topics in this issue includes institutional change ...

A competency approach befits knowledge management and learning. Knowledge Solutions are handy, quick reference guides to tools, methods, and approaches that propel development forward and enhance its effects. They fit in five comprehensive areas: (i) strategy development, (ii) management techniques, (iii) collaboration mechanisms, (iv) knowledge sharing and learning, and (v) knowledge capture and ...