India to host ADB annual meet in May next year

NEW DELHI, Apr 28: India will host the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in May next year, providing an opportunity for policy makers across 67 countries to brainstorm developmental issues.
“The Annual Meeting will provide a valuable opportunity for brainstorming and cross fertilisation of ideas amongst intellectuals and policy makers from across Asia and the World,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said after releasing logo of the four-day event to be held from May 2, 2013.
Official delegations from 67 countries, where Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors usually lead the country delegations, are expected to participate in the “high profile and prestigious” meeting, an official release said.
The theme of the 46th meeting is ‘Development through Empowerment’.
This would be the third time that India would be hosting the Annual Meeting. Earlier, it hosted the meeting in 1990 at Delhi and then against in 2006 at Hyderabad.
The 45th annual meeting focussing on inclusive growth through better governance and partnerships is scheduled to be held in Manila, Philippines from May 2-5.
About 4,000 people, including delegates from different countries, economists, investment bankers, corporate leaders, Nobel laureates, civil society and media are expected to participate in the event in that will be held at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida.
Given the size and scope of the event, the Government has invited industry bodies—CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI—to partner in the organisation of the event.
“This is the first time that such a public-private partnership approach has been adopted for an event of this scale in India,” the Finance Ministry statement added.
CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said industry would extend all support to ensure that the event is commensurate with India’s stature in the world today.
India is associated with the ADB since 1966 and is a founder member of this multilateral institution. ADB’s lending operations in India commenced two decades later in 1986. The country has just completed 25 years of partnership with ADB.
The logo for the Annual Meeting represents the ‘web of life’ which is based on the tribal motifs of central India, which signifies the cycle of life. The logo has been designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. (PTI)