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ADB improves people’s well-being, fosters a healthy planet, and drives economic growth and prosperity.

Economic growth is essential for long-term progress, but it must be inclusive and sustainable to create real impact. By strengthening resilience to shocks and challenges, expanding economic opportunities—especially for women and vulnerable communities—and enhancing trade and tourism, ADB is helping countries build a more stable future.

The stories in this report reflect the commitment of ADB and its financing partners to an approach that drives economic growth while ensuring long-term benefits for people and the environment.

By working together, ADB and its partners are not just tackling challenges but creating real opportunities for people to thrive.

To see the stories, click on people, planet, or prosperity below.

Ensuring People’s Well-being and Empowerment

Georgia- woman on wheelchair learning how to sew

ADB is committed to helping people build better lives across Asia and the Pacific. While poverty in the region has declined over the decades, challenges remain.  The lingering effects of the pandemic, disruptions to global commerce, climate change, disasters caused by natural hazards, geopolitical conflicts, and the high cost of living have slowed and even reversed progress. Education, health, gender equality, access to clean water and energy, and economic opportunities shape people’s everyday struggles and aspirations.

breaking the cycle of poverty

Fighting poverty is at the core of ADB’s development efforts. In Armenia, ADB and Japan are helping vulnerable communities in Shirak and Tavush provinces not just with financial aid but by improving food security, farming livelihoods, and income opportunities. Access to good jobs is a prime means to escape poverty and boost prosperity.  In Vanuatu, with ADB and Japan’s support, job training and skills development programs are giving women, youth, and people with disabilities better chances to succeed in the workforce.

strengthening communities and equality

Gender-based violence remains an issue, tearing apart families and communities.  In Cambodia, ADB and Australia are working to strengthen laws on domestic violence, improve local response services and shelters, and introduce digital solutions for school and community programs. In Sri Lanka, ADB and the Water Innovation Trust Fund, supported by Austria and Spain, are tackling critical water and sanitation issues and addressing climate vulnerabilities, weak water resources management, and social inequalities.

building foundations for learning

In Meghalaya, India, 2,400 daycare facilities are being upgraded or built to improve childcare and nutrition services. ADB and Japan are ensuring that trained educators provide quality early childhood development and support. In Solomon Islands, ADB, and Ireland are improving the outmoded education sector that shortchanges girls with better learning environments, starting with 38 high schools upgraded to be more storm-resistant, and improving the skills of more than 700 high-school teachers. 

By investing in people and communities, ADB and its partners are helping to break down barriers to opportunity and build a more inclusive, resilient future for Asia and the Pacific.

2024 Project Snapshots
Federated States of Micronesia
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More Power, More Water for Small Islands

Investments in renewable energy will improve electricity and water access, increase weather resilience, and reduce fossil fuel reliance on smaller islands.

Asia and the Pacific
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Building Resilience Beyond COVID-19

The search for knowledge solutions to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s long-term damage to economies and people’s health continues.

Protecting the Planet

Boy near shore in Maldives

Climate change is reshaping lives across Asia and the Pacific, threatening lives and livelihoods, economies, and the environment. Rising temperatures, extreme weather, and disasters from natural hazards disrupt food security, health, and job opportunities, making resilience a top priority.

planning for smart cities

Building climate resilience requires smart planning and actions at the local, national, and regional levels.  

ADB and the Republic of Korea are helping cities in India, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan develop city climate action plans to help them adapt to climate risks while promoting sustainable urban growth.

protecting small island nations

Small island nations face some of the worst climate challenges. Maldives, with 80% of its area less than a meter above sea level, is one of the lowest-lying countries in the world, beset by challenges such as rising sea levels, coastal storms, and flooding.  ADB, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the Nordic Development Fund are supporting flood prevention, coastal protection, and climate-smart farming in the country.

Similarly, Pacific Island nations— Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tuvalu—are strengthening their defenses with help from ADB and the Water Resilience Trust Fund, supported by the Netherlands. Their initiatives focus on agriculture and fisheries, water resources protection, ocean and coastal resources management, and flood control.

shifting to renewable energy

Shifting to clean energy is crucial for reducing carbon emissions and creating a greener future. ADB, France, and Germany are supporting Indonesia’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, with a goal of net-zero power emissions by 2050.  Their initiative will help Indonesia develop vital policies and regulations to accelerate clean energy adoption.

India’s renewable energy aspirations are also getting support from ADB and the private sector with a project to construct a 500-megawatt solar facility in Assam, along with strengthening Assam’s public-private-partnership framework for clean energy. The project will extend electricity access to nearby communities, spreading the benefits of solar power.

greening transportation

Meanwhile, Thailand’s roads are going green as ADB, the Clean Technology Fund, and BANPU Public Company Limited bring electric tuk-tuks to the streets. The program includes expanding charging stations, boosting battery production, cutting air pollution, and promoting sustainable transport.

From urban centers to remote islands, these efforts are proving that climate action and sustainable development go hand in hand. By investing in resilience, clean energy, and smart planning, Asia and the Pacific can build a future that is both prosperous and sustainable.

2024 Project Snapshots
Asia and the Pacific
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Financing Nature's Future

Innovative finance models and projects for ADB’s Nature Solutions Finance Hub will help mobilize $2 billion for nature-based development solutions.

Indonesia
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Waving Off Plastics from Oceans

Indonesia is finding better ways to manage marine plastics, reduce plastic production and consumption, and monitor ocean pollution.

Philippines
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Building a Highway Across a Lake

Across the Philippines' biggest lake, a weather-resilient expressway will promote regional connectivity and cut travel time from southern Laguna province to Manila.

Asia and the Pacific
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Closing the Climate Investment Gap

Climate adaptation financing will be funneled into creating investment plans, improving project appraisals, and sharing expertise.

Asia and the Pacific
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Stopping Big Polluters with Partnerships

Knowledge and information sharing will help quell heavy-polluting industries, such as cement and petrochemicals, and promote regional trade.

Building Prosperous Economies

Vinfast electric bus in busy Viet Nam street

Economic growth is a powerful engine for building resilient and prosperous economies. Whether a country is emerging or advanced, sustained and inclusive growth drives job creation, improves living standards, and opens opportunities for innovation and investment. Today, the emphasis is on making sure that economic gains are widely shared, lifting communities out of poverty while safeguarding the environment for future generations.

building economic resilience

In Lao People’s Democratic Republic, where 1 in 4 people lives below the poverty line, ADB and the Green Climate Fund are expanding the government’s targeted conditional cash transfers to poor and vulnerable households, particularly poor women and mothers of young children, to reduce poverty, enhance food security, and build resilience.

ADB is also partnering with Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, and the World Bank to help Fiji build resilience to disasters and achieve sustainable economic growth.  This highly concessional loan is under ADB’s new lending terms for small island developing states, designed to reduce Fiji’s debt burden while promoting long-term stability.

empowering women entrepreneurs

Supporting women entrepreneurs is also a priority. In Mongolia, ADB and the Bogd Bank teamed up with Canada to help finance micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which make up nearly 20% of the country’s gross domestic product.  Women entrepreneurs often face challenges in securing loans, so this initiative emphasizes supporting women-led MSMEs and green finance. 

Similarly, ADB and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative are addressing barriers to business for women-led MSMEs in Viet Nam. Working with the Lien Viet Post Joint Stock Commercial Ban, this initiative will provide private sector financing and tailored advisory services to help businesses grow.

boosting trade and tourism

Trade is essential for economic growth, as it connects markets, creates jobs, and opens up opportunities, particularly for smaller economies. ADB and the Republic of Korea are exploring ways to improve port efficiency, economic resilience, and regional trade, particularly in Viet Nam and Indonesia, through smart port practices.

Tourism is another major economic driver, employing tens of millions of people in the region.  To help the sector recover from COVID-19 disruptions, ADB, the Nordic Fund, the Republic of Korea, and Spain are helping Southeast Asia—especially Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam—revitalize tourism by encouraging private sector financing, improving tourism facilities, and helping policymakers design visa, online short-term rental, and other policies to attract longer-staying, higher-spending visitors and remote workers.

By investing in resilience, inclusivity, and long-term growth, these efforts are helping economies across Asia and the Pacific create a more stable and prosperous future.

2024 Project Snapshots
India
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Creating a Green and Smart City

More infrastructure investments in India will transform Andhra Pradesh’s city of Amaravati into a center of economic growth.