The technical assistance (TA) will support the Kingdom of Cambodia in building resilience within, and improving the competitiveness of the country's private sector by enhancing the capacity of state institutions to support adoption of digital technologies and to foster innovation and diversification in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), where women entrepreneurs and workers are traditionally prevalent.

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 proposed $75 million investment in Creador VI, L.P., a targeted $750 million regional private equity fund, will enable ADB to contribute growth capital to companies operating in the business services, consumer, health care, financial services, and manufacturing sectors. The fund will invest in businesses with significant business operations in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Viet Nam.

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 proposed TA will promote sustainable forest development for Papua New Guinea by (i) leveraging the effective management of existing Protected Areas and its expansion, (ii) promote low-emission loggings and timber legality standards for sustainable forest harvest, (iii) facilitate downstream processing and access to international market for timber and non-timber products, and (iv) exploring and piloting eco-tourism linked to a sustainable financing model for biodiversity and forest conservation.

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.

The U-Tapao International Airport is the core infrastructure of the EEC and its expansion project is to be implemented via Public-Private Partnership modality. Land transport network connecting the U-Tapao International Airport in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to the rest of the Pattaya City and country cannot adapt to changing needs as a result of the expansion plan of the airport due to the limitations of the existing land transport network to cope with traffic increase.

The investment project is aligned with the following impact: Adequate, quality, sustainable, resilient, and safe transport infrastructure provided in the Greater Capital Region for the economic transformation of the country. The investment project will have the following outcome: Efficiency of road travel improved and the following outputs: (i) Output 1: Climate-resilient expressway along Laguna Lakeshore built; and (ii) Output 2: Institutional capacity of the Department of Public Works and Highways strengthened.

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 project will support the development of a 25.6 MW Tier-III/Rated 3, LEED Gold certified, green data center in Samut Prakan, Thailand. This financing will align with the Green Loan Principles and marks ADB's first data center financing, supporting Thailand's green growth and innovation agenda. The project aims to expand green data center capacity in Thailand, demonstrate the potential for green data centers, and support the digital economy while aligning with ADB's climate finance targets. This financing will align with the Green Loan Principles and marks ADB's first data center financing, supporting Thailand's green growth and innovation agenda. The project aims to expand green data center capacity in Thailand, demonstrate the potential for green data centers, and support the digital economy while aligning with ADB's climate finance targets.

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.