Mangala to address 51st ADB Annual Meeting in Manila, Philippines
Sri Lanka’s Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera will arrive in Manila, the Philippines today to take part in the 51st Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Board of Governors.
Finance and Mass Media Ministry Secretary Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga will accompany Samaraweera.
The officials from the Finance Ministry’s External Resources Department arrived in Manila on Tuesday, before the arrival of the minister and the secretary.
Samaraweera is scheduled to address the meeting on May 5 (Saturday) during the ‘Governors’ Plenary: ADB Strategy 2030’ session.
Over 4,000 participants, including finance ministers, central bank governors, private sector representatives, academics, members of the civil society and media from across Asia, North America and Europe are expected to attend the meeting from May 3 to 6.
In a press release, ADB President Takehiko Nakao expressed his deep gratitude to the Philippine government for hosting the Annual Meeting with the theme ‘Linking People and Economies for Inclusive Development’.
This is the 16th Annual Meeting held in Manila. Last year’s Annual Meeting was held in Yokohama, Japan. Next year’s meeting will be held in Fiji.
ADB said the delegates and participants over the coming days would discuss ADB’S Strategy 2030 to “achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient and sustainable Asia and the Pacific.”
Various seminars and events will also be held during the Annual Meeting.
Topics include: Examining the effect of new technologies and globalisation on jobs and how countries can prepare, addressing gender gaps in the region through women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, mobilising private sector resources in meeting Asia’s huge infrastructure needs, adapting new technologies in finance, investing in community-led solutions for climate and disaster resilience and promoting inclusive growth through regional cooperation.