April 2005

Ahmed Swapan Mahmud
Voice
Bangladesh

I'd like to take the opportunity to offer thanks to Shalmali Guttal for her nice paper. And I must say, it's a nice paper to present the AsDB as a problem institution. However, I have some feedback on the paper which might be taken into account by the author:

1. The paper needs more example over Bank's　project and also an analysis over the projects how they affect people's life and livelihood to justify it as a problem institution. There might have more examples from South Asia region. For example, SBCP in Bangladesh which severely affects people's livelihood and violate the rights of the people.

2. Regarding its governance structure, advocacy on governance, it misleads most of the time. Often, they violated their own mandate to operation in a country especially in the
developing countries like Bangladesh. The immunity that the Bank enjoys is a difficulty to bring the Bank in a judicial procedure? If legal procedures are mentioned it will be nice.
Information on international rules and regulations to sue against Bank if needed for violation people's right can be put into the paper.

3. There are studies that show that where ADB invests one dollar, it earns three dollars. It will be better to put the investment measurements and their earnings/profits in country-wise along with mentioning the conditionalities they put on
the projects and how those conditionalities affect.

4. How regional ADB watch dog will be established? What are the mechanisms, who are the possible players? If the regional watchdog, the national watchdog will also be important. If the details are put, it's better.

5. The question of ADB's internal governance mechanism is important alongside it's accountability and it's mandate. How the institution is continuously violating its own mandate is also worth mentioning and what the civil society can legally do against its violation can be put as example. ADB greatly influence the political mechanism of a country like Bangladesh which they should not do. ADB must be accountable to the Country's government as well as to the people of the country in which they operate. These issues may be brought into light.

6. Is it worth mentioning to justify which is better between the two evils e.g. between ADB and WB?
7. At the end I must say, the paper of Shalmali covers many issues with a limited space and yes, it is not also possible to put all the issues in the paper. But highlighting it as a problem institution, a few issues/points can be more focused. Finally, I again thank Shalmali for her nice paper.

In solidarity,

Ahmed