Delegates begin arriving for ADB's 45th annual meeting in Manila

Manila, May 1, (Xinhua-ANI): Delegates have begun arriving at the Philippine International Convention Center to register for the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) 45th Annual Meeting of its Board of Governors, which begins Wednesday, a ADB statement said Tuesday.

Nearly 4,000 delegates, comprising top policymakers, business leaders, media, academics, civil society, and development institution representatives, are set to attend the meeting, according to the statement.

For the first time, it said, this year ADB welcomes the participation of the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, for a seminar exploring greater trade and cooperation between Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Other notable delegates include the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency; the Secretary General of ASEAN; the Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the CEO of the Agence Francaise Developpment and the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Council of the Europe Development Bank. Top ASEAN+3 finance officials will also meet on the sidelines of the meeting.

This year's highlight is the Governors' Seminar, which will explore how Asia can respond to global economic crisis and transformation. The session will feature economist Jeffrey Sachs and finance officials from the Philippines, Japan, India and China as they discuss what Asia can do to both weather and help resolve the global economic downturn.

As host of this year's meeting, the Philippines chose the theme of "Inclusive Growth through Good Governance," providing a platform to discuss one of the region's most pressing issues: how to bring the benefits of Asia's rapid growth to all levels of society.

The Annual Meeting takes place against the backdrop of an Asia and Pacific region that has seen steady growth and is leading global recovery, but one that is vulnerable to growing inflation, spikes in fuel prices, austerity measures in the eurozone, and worsening impacts of climate change.

The meeting's delegates will hear from experts about urban disaster risk management, the pros and cons of pursuing a growth model built on modern services, ways to get financial services to nearly three billion poor people around the world, ensuring food security in the region, and reforming financial safety nets. (Xinhua-ANI)