In May 2007 activists and civil society organizations (CSOs) from around the world gathered in Kyoto, Japan to protest during the Annual Governors’ Meeting (AGM) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). During the AGM, the Board of Governors, who represent ADB’s member countries, make decisions that set the direction of the Bank in terms of its policies and programs. The AGM is a venue where CSOs engage with the Bank’s Governors, officials and staff regarding contentious issues, destructive projects and unjust policies in connection to ADB’s operation in Asia and the Pacific.
On May 5, over 250 Japanese and foreign activists/campaigners joined the ‘March for Justice in North South Relations against the Asian Development Bank,’ to strongly protest the Bank’s destructive development activities in the region.
Watch a video of the march:
The ‘People’s Forum on the ADB’ that was held in the Doushisha University from May 5-6 drew some 200 Japanese and international participants. The speakers and the audience shared their experiences/views on a number of disastrous ADB-funded projects. They also discussed the role of the ADB in promoting its neo-liberal agenda that have resulted in poverty creation and
illegitimate debt. In the Forum, CSOs also tackled ADB’s bias for privatization and corporate entities, putting profits before the people, and funding projects that contribute to climate change.
At the conclusion of the 40th Annual Governors Meeting (AGM) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Japan, civil society organisations from more than 20 countries once again reiterated their collective rejection of the institution and its destructive operations and activities in Asia and the Pacific. They called on the Bank to put an end to the vicious cycle of debt, poverty and ecological plunder brought about by its practices over the last four decades. In an official statement, CSOs told ADB’s highest officials that the Bank’s macroeconomic policies are highly unacceptable, therefore have to be stopped. “The ADB has no place in our vision for economic and social well-being in the Asia and the Pacific region based on democracy, ecological sustainability and genuine cooperation among our peoples and governments.”
For more information and analysis download the Briefer on 40th AGM of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Kyoto, Japan.
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