This publication records the proceedings of the Second Regional Workshop on Strengthening Country Safeguard Systems: Towards Common Approaches for Better Results held at Asian Development Bank headquarters in Manila on 7–9 October 2014. The workshop had three objectives: (i) Provide an opportunity to reflect on achievements across the region and share innovations in safeguard policies and their implementation in the region and beyond; (ii) Improve understanding of client and partner priorities and needs to better target capacity development initiatives; and (iii) Promote dialogue and sharing of experiences among the participants and identify opportunities for South–South and triangular cooperation and knowledge sharing in environmental assessment, involuntary resettlement, and indigenous peoples' safeguards.

This publication records the proceedings of the Country Safeguard Systems (CSS) Regional Workshop on April 2012 at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters. Discussions focused on the evolution, current status, and future directions of CSS, and the CSS partnership between developing member countries (DMCs) and development partners. Participants from 15 DMCs and 10 multilateral and bilateral agencies discussed the significant convergence of CSS with international best practice achieved in the past 2 decades, particularly environmental assessment and involuntary resettlement practices, and remaining challenges, including filling gaps in legal frameworks, building implementation capacity, and ensuring stakeholder engagement. DMCs expressed their desire to further strengthen CSS through policy dialogue, technical assistance, and South–South cooperation. Representatives of ADB, the Australian Agency for International Development, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the World Bank confirmed their readiness to collaborate in providing assistance to advance CSS.

This publication presents a snapshot of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) environmental strategies, programs, initiatives, partnerships, and a range of activities that demonstrate ADB's commitment to support environmentally sustainable growth in Asia and the Pacific---a strategic agenda of ADB's Strategy 2020. The report highlights innovations designed in selected ADB-supported projects with environmental sustainability as a theme that were approved in 2008–2010. It also discusses the emerging environmental challenges in the region, and previews ADB's strategies to strengthen its operational emphasis on the environment, including climate change, that would help realize green growth in Asia and the Pacific.

The Japan Scholarship Program (JSP) was established in 1988 to provide well-qualified citizens of developing member countries an opportunity to undertake postgraduate studies in economics, management, science and technology, and other development-related fields at 27 educational institutions in 10 countries in Asia and the Pacific. Between 1988 and 2012, Japan contributed around $135 million to the JSP. A total of 2,966 scholarships have been awarded to recipients from 35 member countries, 1,045 of whom are women. Of the total, 2,627 scholars have already completed their courses. An average of 150 scholarships are being awarded each year.

Political and social forces exert pressure on our globalized economy in many forms, from formal and informal policies to financial theories and technical models. Our efforts to shape and direct these forces to preserve financial stability reveal much about the ways we perceive the financial economy. The Handbook of Safeguarding Global Financial Stability examines our political economy, particularly the ways in which these forces inhabit our institutions, strategies, and tactics. As economies expand and contract, these forces also determine the ways we supervise and regulate. This high-level examination of the global political economy includes articles about specific countries, crises, and international systems as well as broad articles about major concepts and trends.. Substantial articles by top scholars sets this volume apart from other information sources Diverse international perspectives result in new opportunities for analysis and research Rapidly developing subjects will interest readers well into the future

The symposium held on 28-29 July 2010 at the Asian Development Bank---whose proceedings are documented in this publication---brought together senior members of the judiciary and environmental ministry officials from Asian jurisdictions, academe, civil society, international organizations, and distinguished experts from developed countries and development institutions to share experience that will lead to an improvement in the quality of environmental adjudication on environment and natural resource cases in Asian jurisdictions. At the symposium, Asian judges proposed an Asian Judges Network on the Environment to improve the quality of environment court rulings and cases.