Partnership in Development:

20 years of ADB’s

Bangladesh Resident Mission (BRM)

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a multilateral development bank whose aim is to reduce poverty in Asia and the Pacific. Established in 1966, the ADB is owned by 61 members, mostly from the region.

In 1999, the ADB adopted a new poverty reduction strategy targeting economic growth for the poor, social development and good governance.

The ADB lends to governments and to public and private enterprises in its developing member countries. It gives loans and technical assistance to governments for specific development projects. It raises funds by issuing bonds, recycling repayments, receiving contributions from members, and co-financing from various sources.

In carrying out its poverty reduction strategy, the ADB is emphasizing the role of women in all development activities. It supports programmes of the Bangladesh Government that benefit women directly such as the allowance to secondary students, loans for women to raise livestock and assistance for poor women and children.

Bangladesh became a member of the ADB in 1973 and the Bangladesh Resident Mission (BRM) was set up in July 1982, the first country to have a resident mission.

Increasingly ADB resident missions, including BRM, are being given more responsibility for programming, project implementation and administration in their countries.

Bangladesh has emerged as one of the largest borrowers of the ADB’s concessional loans. The amount of annual lending rose from US$33 million in 1973 to US$330 million in 1990s. As of 31 December 2001, Bangladesh received US$ 6.5 billion in concessional loans and another US$ 106 million in technical assistance. This means that the country receives one-fifth of the ADB’s concessional lending.

The ADB has provided assistance to Bangladesh in about 15 sectors including agriculture and natural resources, power and gas, transport and communication, social infrastructure, finance and emergency projects such as flood rehabilitation.

In Bangladesh, the ADB has the lead role in power, urban development, railways, secondary and non-formal education, and monitoring of project implementation performance.

Here are some highlights of ADB assistance in Bangladesh: