ADB Knowledge Forum kicks off in Manila

The first ADB Knowledge Forum kicked off on Tuesday at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila with participation of more than 150 representatives from multilateral organisations, financial institutions, private sector, academia and think tanks.

With the theme “Learn. Collaborate. Apply”, the event is part of ADB’s efforts to make better use of latest knowledge for improving development outcomes of developing member countries, according to a press release received in Dhaka on Tuesday, reports BSS.

UNESCO Chair in Future Studies Sohail Inayatullah delivered a special address on the future of knowledge and took part in the opening plenary with ADB President Takehiko Nakao, former Central Bank of Pakistan Governor and UNESCAP Under-Secretary-General Shamshad Akhtar, and Academic Committee of China Development Research Foundation Member Li Shantong on “Knowledge Work in the Development Agenda: How Can International Financial Institutions Add Value?”.

ADB Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development Bambang Susantono gave the opening remarks.

Nakao highlighted that ADB will foster strategic thought leadership for the region, through combining knowledge on new and emerging needs, new technologies, and local expertise.

“In the face of rapid advancing technologies including mobile and digital, robotics and artificial intelligence, ADB’s continued relevance will increasingly depend on its role as a knowledge institution,” Nakao said.

Under the Strategy 2030, ADB will incorporate these technologies into its work on infrastructure, education, health, financial inclusion, and governance. “Clients turn to ADB for high standards in project design and implementation; the transfer of technology and good practices; and, importantly, the sharing of knowledge, skills, and expertise accumulated over more than 50 years of ADB working in partnership with countries,” the ADB president said.

ADB is also increasingly shaping the regional development agenda, for example, in the theme chapter of its flagship annual economic publication, Asian Development Outlook 2018, “How Technology Affects Jobs”, ADB provides policy recommendations for its developing member countries on how to leverage technology for an expanding job market.

This inaugural forum features two days of panel discussions and networking opportunities for experts and practitioners to discuss new insights into knowledge management and ways of thinking, for example, future thinking and foresight and nurturing a knowledge culture, in the context of emerging disruptive technologies and machine learning.