- Managing Director General Woochong Um announces the launch of the draft Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and the next round of stakeholder consultations to enrich the ESF.
- Since 2020, stakeholder participation in the Safeguard Policy review process has been tremendous, and the diverse experiences and lessons helped shape the draft Environmental and Social Framework.
- ADB invites stakeholders to provide feedback to further enrich the draft Environmental and Social Framework.
Managing Director General Woochong Um announces the launch of the draft Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) which modernizes the 2009 Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS), and invites stakeholders to provide feedback to further enrich the ESF. Since 2020, stakeholder participation in the SPS review process has been tremendous, and the diverse experiences and lessons helped shape the draft ESF. The next round of consultations on the draft ESF will commence in November 2023.
Transcript
Since September 2020, ADB has been working on a comprehensive review and update of our 2009 Safeguard Policy Statement.
Throughout this process, we have placed great emphasis on meaningful stakeholder engagement, ensuring that consultations and communication are inclusive, timely, comprehensive, and safe.
So far, we have completed 18 analytical studies on the policy architecture and on various environmental and social issues. We held more than 130 consultations with more than 3,500 people. We engaged ADB’s developing member countries, thematic experts, the private sector, civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, and communities directly affected by ADB financed projects.
Participation in the process has been tremendous, and the diverse experiences and lessons learned have helped shape the drafting of the new policy.
We now call the new policy, ADB’s Environment and Social Framework or ESF and I am pleased to be launching the first draft for further consultation.
The draft ESF contains an Environmental and Social Policy which sets out the overall policy objectives – and a set of ten Environmental and Social Standards that will apply to ADB-financed and administered sovereign and nonsovereign projects.
The ESF supports ADB’s vision of a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific. It does this by setting requirements for protecting people and the environment and by promoting and strengthening environmental and social systems and the implementation capacity of ADB’s developing member countries and clients.
In the coming months, we will again reach out to you for a series of regional and in-country consultations on the draft policy and standards.
This will be the last stretch of the policy review and update, with the new policy expected for approval by ADB’s Board of Directors in 2024. Further information is available on our website.
With your support, ADB continues to do good by doing better.
