The Asian Development Bank has invited public comment by April 15 on its current disclosure policy, kicking off a review process that will involve a series of in-country consultations before a new policy is approved by the end of the year.
The consultation plan was announced by the ADB February 16.
After the first round of comments on the 2005 Public Communications Policy, a first draft will be prepared. The consultations in yet-to-be-announced locations will focus on the first draft. In October, the ADB aims to invite public comments on a second draft for 30 days.
Comments will be posted on the ADB website unless the sender indicates otherwise, according to the announcement, a bit of additional transparency that has not been a part of the consultation process by other international financial institutions. ADB’s response to key comments received will be publicly disclosed during the consultation process.
Comments may be submitted via a form on the ADB website or by e-mail (pcpreview@adb.org).
“ADB will also use other communication channels to inform interested parties of its intent to review the PCP and will consider comments received by fax or by mail to allow stakeholders with limited access to the internet to participate,” according to the ADB. Comments can be faxed to +632 636 2649 or sent by post mail to:
Asian Development Bank
Public Information and Disclosure Unit
P.O. Box 789
0980 Manila, Philippines
The ADB said it is particularly interested in three points:
- Based on your experience, what practical suggestions could you make to help improve PCP implementation, in particular information disclosure and access to information?
- Are there disclosure issues the PCP does not address?
- What provisions you feel could be included to improve PCP effectiveness?
The PCP has been translated into 12 languages, and the Bank detailed its plans for translation during the process.
By Toby McIntosh
Filed under: IFTI Watch