The proposed Facility will finance five small-scale activities to support preparation and implementation of transformative projects. The activities will include feasibility studies, detailed designs, preparation of safeguard documents, financial and economic analysis and operation and maintenance for ensuing projects, as well as pilot-testing of advanced technologies and management approaches, extending capacity building and implementation support, governance reform support and knowledge products.

Extending across seven provinces and two autonomous regions, the Yellow River Ecological Corridor (YREC) comprises the second largest river basin in the People's Republic of China (PRC) with a population of 120 million. The basin is critical for food security yet faces complex ecological and environmental challenges. The region suffers from severe water scarcity, impacts from climate change and environmentally unsustainable development.

The proposed program will support the enhancement of Pakistan's resilience to disasters triggered by natural hazards and the impacts of climate change. Through an integrated approach, the program will support (i) strengthened institutional capacity for strategy, planning, and response; (ii) increased investment in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate resilience; and (iii) enhanced disaster risk financing (DRF) using a risk-layered approach.

The proposed project will support the Royal Government of Cambodia in its commitment to reduce Gender-based Violence (GBV) line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on gender equality, specifically to eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, through proven and novel approaches across the continuum of prevention, mitigation, and response.

The Secondary Education for Human Capital Competitiveness Project will support priorities of phase 2 of Cambodia's Secondary Education Blueprint 2030. The project's impact is aligned with the vision of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MOEYS) and the government's strategy, which highlight the importance of high-quality human resources to develop a knowledge-based society.2 The outcome will be effectiveness of a gender-inclusive upper secondary education system improved.

The project is closely aligned with (i) ADB's Strategy 2030's operational priorities on gender equality, environment, climate resilience and disaster risk management, rural development and food security, and institutional strengthening; (ii) Sustainable Development Goals on economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection; and (iii) ADB's Water Sector Directional Guide that aims for poverty reduction, gender equality, climate resilience, food security, and capacity building.

The Government of Bangladesh (GOB) has recently launched the Bangladesh Climate and Development Partnership to drive climate actions at scale and with urgency. The BCDP is an example of country-led climate platform established to scale up implementation of climate actions and is being recognized as an important modality by the global community to deliver climate actions at scale.

The technical assistance (TA), which will be approved with the proposed Integrated Water Resources Management Project, will help the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology: (i) implement one of the activities of output 2 (para 6), (ii) inform rice farmers about and train them to implement innovative climate mitigative water management technology, and (iii) disseminate this innovative AWD technology to the entire country. The TA project's demonstration activities are expected to reduce emissions by 11,750 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The proposed project will increase access to livelihood training opportunities and support services for women and at-risk youth in the Marshall Islands, including through new facilities and targeted quality skills and livelihood development and support programs.

In the Laguna area, the government has prioritized improvement of public transport and is developing the South Commuter Rail Project, connecting Manila and Calamba. The government also released the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program in 2017 to improve the efficiency of road-based public transport operations, and started to establish bus terminals, such as the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, for more efficient and convenient bus operations.

The proposed Enhancing Climate Resilience and Food Security Project will support Maldives' efforts to build climate resilience focusing on the interlinkages between human settlement and agri-food systems. It will enhance the country's adaptation capacity in line with Maldives Climate Change Policy Framework (MCCPF) and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

The proposed project will expand a targeted, nutrition-sensitive conditional cash transfer (CCT) program to up to 30,000 poor households in areas with high rates of poverty, malnutrition, and climate risks, and make social protection systems more adaptive and shock-responsive. The CCT targets poor pregnant women and mothers of children under two as adequate nutrition is critical during the first 1,000 days of a child's life.

The transaction involves a loan of up to $10,000,000 (or the local currency equivalent) to Araz Supermarket LLC (Araz) for the Veyseloglu Modern Retail Expansion Project in Azerbaijan, and technical assistance (TA) of $500,000 for the Building the Capacity of Smallholder Fruit and Vegetable Farmers for Climate-Resilient Farming.

This report examines the progress of trade facilitation in Asia and the Pacific, highlights recent trends in paperless trade, and evaluates the impact of trade facilitation initiatives on trade costs and overall trade.

This brief shows how mainstreaming blue finance hinges on developing a solid regulatory framework that drives investment toward bankable marine-based projects and analyzes how to expand the sector in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

This edition of the ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide series focuses on updates in the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) market since the publication of the previous guide for the ROK in 2018.

This brief shows how India sparked a digital payments boom and boosted financial inclusion through the introduction of its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and outlines ways countries in the region can ramp up their own digital transformation.

This report shares insights on economic corridor development (ECD) from the 2023 Regional Cooperation and Integration (RCI) Conference, discussing how ECD can help diversify trade, cut costs, and support regional growth.

This report emphasizes that open and fair trade is essential for Asia and the Pacific’s transition to low-carbon economies and outlines the important role of Aid for Trade in this transition.

This report outlines the cascading environmental, social, and economic impacts of aquatic biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia and recommends ways to develop scalable projects that tackle river pollution and support sustainable development.

Asia and the Pacific’s developing economies are projected to grow 5.0% this year on the back of resilient domestic demand and strong export growth, particularly in the electronics sector.

This publication provides updated statistics on a comprehensive set of economic, financial, social, and environmental measures as well as select indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This paper examines how booms and busts in peer-to-peer (P2P) lending in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) affect monetary policy transmission to inflation and output.

The project will continue the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to Bangladesh in managing the influx of around one million displaced people from Myanmar (DPFM) since 2017. Now a protracted situation, the crisis is putting significant pressure on infrastructure and causing substantial challenges in terms of food, shelter, health, security, water, sanitation, and other services in the DPFM camps and host communities.

The project will be aligned with the following impacts: (i) modern public health service system ensuring well-being of all Thais in an effective, fair, sufficient, and sustainable manner developed; and (ii) UHC, including access to essential health care services, sustained. The outcome is: access to quality public hospital services by all in selected provinces improved.

The project will install a total of 15 megawatt hour battery energy storage system (BESS), which will enable the grid to increase the utilization of outputs from the solar photovoltaic power plant and provide grid services to Koror-Babeldaob grid to equip Palau Public Utilities Corporation (PPUC) with tools to optimize the use of renewable energy. Protection systems will also be upgraded to reduce the frequent blackouts of the grid system, especially with the expected increase of outputs from the solar photovoltaic power plant.

It is proposed to modernize the 1,147 km strategic railway line between Turkmenabat, Mary, Ashgabat, and Turkmenbashi (TMAT), which is located at the crossroads of major eastwest and northsouth international trade routes and accounts for over 50% of freight movements in Turkmenistan.

The proposed SMEDP2-Phase 2 will consist of a $100 million concessional loan from ADB's ordinary capital resources and an attached technical assistance of $950,000 in aggregate from TASF-7 and Financial Sector Development Partnership Special Fund. It will finance the continuation and expansion of activities financed under the SMEDP2 project by increasing the number and size of commercially viable cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs), as well as supporting employment in the CMSME sector.

1. Output 1: Quality of STEM education with support of technology improved.

The project aims to establish a high-quality, climate-resilient road network in northern Armenia, which will enhance trade, and stimulate inclusive economic growth. By improving the resilience and transport connectivity, the project seeks to promote a more balanced development across the region. Additionally, it focuses on enabling the development of future roads that are sustainable, safe, inclusive, and support low-carbon mobility, ensuring long-term benefits for the environment and communities.

The project will support Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and their government to finance sound wastewater and drainage system in the remaining catchments, thereby strengthening its foundation as the socioeconomic growth pole of southern Viet Nam. The impact of the project will be improved surface water quality and drainage capacity in HCMC. The outcome will be increased wastewater and drainage collection and treatment capacity in key catchments in HCMC.

The proposed project will build a bridge across the Fanga'uta Lagoon in Nuku'alofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga (Tonga). The crossing will consist of an approximately 720 m long bridge and 4.96 km of approach roads from Nuku'alofa to Vaini, southern Tongatapu.

Project objectives. The proposed project will assist the government in addressing climate vulnerabilities and enhancing public health and economic conditions by ensuring inclusive access to safe, reliable, climate-resilient, and sustainable WSS services for the residents of Andijan, Djizzak and Fergana provinces; and the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The project will help upgrade and expand the WSS infrastructure in the project regions and support regional suvtaminots in implementing transformational changes.

The proposed Northern China Agriculture and Food Ecosystem Net Zero Transformation Project (project) will support the PRC to achieve its climate commitment through catalyzing financing and strengthening institutional capacity for net zero transformation in agriculture and food ecosystem.

The project will reduce trans-boundary animal diseases (TAD), food safety and zoonotic disease risks and strengthen livestock value chains and COVID-19 responses through investments in infrastructure, capacity building and policy support. The project will have the following outcome: health, value chains, and formal trade of livestock and livestock products improved. The project will be aligned with the following impact: GMS vision as a leading supplier of safe and environmentally friendly agriculture products realized.

The Sustainable Urban Transport Project aims to support Perum DAMRI (DAMRI), the state-owned bus operator, in replacing its aging fleet of internal combustion engine (ICE) buses with battery electric buses (BEBs), and in improving the quality and resilience of its public transport facilities and services. The project is aligned with the following impact: Acceleration of electric vehicle deployment to increase energy conservation in the transportation sector, improve air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Presidential Regulation No.

The project will support an expansion of Indonesia's geothermal generating capacity to contribute to the sustainability, resiliency, and sufficiency of the electricity system. The project will support PT Geo Dipa Energi (GDE), a state-owned geothermal company, to commission an additional 110 megawatts (MW) of geothermal electricity generating capacity at the Dieng geothermal field in Central Java.

The proposed program is a large-scale transformative and integrated initiative addressing the constraints. It aims to bridge the financing, capacity, institutional, and technical gaps in implementing the NAP and adaptation measures mentioned in the NDC and GRID while promoting mitigation, biodiversity, air pollution, and food security as co-benefits.

For approval in 2023.

Fossils in rocks that are 3.8 billion years old have puzzled biologists as they look nothing like modern cells, but now it seems they may be an ancient precursor life form that was unable to control its structure

Horses experience hyperflexion, or rollkur, when their necks bend far towards their chests – it could place the animal at a greater risk of physical discomfort and stress

Eight Australian sea lions were fitted with cameras and trackers to capture unprecedented insights into their behaviour and the marine habitats where they hunt

Blackworms are ultra-fast swimmers, and they tangle up into worm balls to protect themselves from predators – but leeches have an ingenious method of catching them called “spiral entombment”

Microwaves in homes, offices and laboratories have been found to host diverse microbiomes, highlighting the importance of regular cleaning