At the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in May 2010, the President announced a joint Board and Management review of the Accountability Mechanism. This paper gives the summary of the review in which the main objective was to examine the scope for improvements in the Accountability Mechanism. The Accountability Mechanism provides a forum where people adversely affected by ADB-assisted projects can voice and seek solutions to their problems and report alleged noncompliance of ADB's operational policies and procedures. It consists of two separate but complementary functions: consultation phase and compliance review phase.

This revised edition offers updated information and an expanded range of tools to support ADB staff and stakeholders to implement participatory approaches effectively. The updated content reflects ADB's new business processes and highlights key opportunities for participation in policy dialogue and throughout the project cycle, and advises on methods and approaches, as well as pitfalls to avoid. In this edition, special attention is given to safeguards, gender, governance, HIV/AIDS and infrastructure, and water and sanitation. A wealth of participation resources developed by a wide range of organizations exists online; this guide includes an inventory of references for those seeking further information.

Defending the Environment provides the means for nongovernmental organizations, community groups, and individuals to bring environmental and public health problems to the attention of international courts, tribunals, and commissions, or to their domestic counterparts. It suggests specific strategies and provides detailed information for taking action. This revised and updated edition also contains new case studies of the application of those strategies that has occurred in recent years. Each chapter provides a description of the institutional mechanisms that can potentially receive, review, and remedy the alleged violation, along with a set of guidelines that explain how the reader can employ a particular strategy, and an example that indicates the effectiveness of a given strategy. In addition, the book offers an appendix that lists individuals and organizations who can assist with the various strategies described. Defending the Environment represents the first concise, comprehensive guide to international environmental law and institutions that offers readers hands-on strategies for addressing environmental and public health problems.

The 2010 Annual Report of the Board of Directors to the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reviews ADB's operations, projects, internal administration, financial management and includes a separate report on the activities of the Special Funds of ADB. The report also contains chapters on regional, sectoral and thematic highlights. It also includes the complete financial statements and opinions of the independent auditors, a statistical annex, and appendixes.

Law in the Pursuit of Development critically explores the relationships between contemporary principles and practice in law and development. Including papers by internationally renowned, as well as emerging, scholars and practitioners, the book is organized around the three liberal principles which underlie current efforts to direct law towards the pursuit of development. First, that the private sector has an important role to play in promoting the public interest; second, that widespread participation and accountability are essential to any large scale enterprise; and third, that the rule of law is a fundamental building block of development. This insightful and provocative collection, in which contributors critique both the principles and efforts to implement them in practice, will be of considerable interest to students, academics and practitioners with an interest in the fields of law and development, international economic law, and law and globalization.