Reducing Poverty: Major Findings and Implications: A Report Based on Consultations in Selected Developing Member Countries of the Asian Development Bank

Abstract

As part of the preparation of a poverty reduction strategy for the Asian Development Bank, consultations on strategies for reducing poverty were held between November 1998 and April 1999 in Bangladesh, People’s Republic of China (PRC), India, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam. These countries are major borrowers from the Bank and represent three groups of developing member countries–East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, and countries undergoing transition to market economies–that have common characteristics in terms of their needs and opportunities for reducing poverty. Extensive meetings were held with government officials, development agencies, academics, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and donor communities in each country except in Bangladesh.1 In most countries, a formal consultation was conducted to bring key stakeholders together in an interactive situation. The major focus of the consultations was on the lessons that had been learned from poverty reduction efforts in each country, the strategies now emerging, and the manner in which the poverty reduction strategy of the Bank might best support national efforts and priorities.