Editing Asian Development Bank (section)

==Objectives and activities==

===Aim===
The ADB defines itself as a [[Social change|social development]] organization that is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally [[sustainable growth]], and [[regional integration]]. This is carried out through investments – in the form of loans, grants and information sharing – in infrastructure, health care services, financial and public administration systems, helping countries prepare for the impact of [[climate change]] or better [[natural resource management|manage their natural resources]], as well as other areas.

===Focus areas===
Eighty percent of ADB's lending is concentrated public sector lending in five operational areas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Core Operational Areas |url=http://www.adb.org/about/core-operational-areas |access-date=2015-12-14 |date=30 March 2014 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222112203/http://www.adb.org/about/core-operational-areas |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Education – Most developing countries in Asia and the Pacific have earned high marks for a dramatic rise in primary education enrollment rates in the last three decades, but daunting challenges remain, threatening economic and social growth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education |url=http://www.adb.org/sectors/education/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=9 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209153540/http://www.adb.org/sectors/education/main |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Environment, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management – [[Environmental sustainability]] is a prerequisite for economic growth and poverty reduction in Asia and the Pacific.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Environment, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management |url=http://www.adb.org/themes/environment/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=6 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106085622/http://www.adb.org/themes/environment/main |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Finance Sector Development – The financial system is the lifeline of a country's economy. It creates prosperity that can be shared throughout society and benefit the poorest and most vulnerable people. Financial sector and capital market development, including microfinance, small and medium-sized enterprises, and regulatory reforms, is vital to decreasing poverty in Asia and the Pacific. This has been a key priority of the Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) since 2002. One of the most active sub-sectors of finance is the PSOD's support for trade finance. Each year the PSOD finances billions of dollars in letters of credit across all of Asia and the rest of the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Finance Sector Development |url=http://www.adb.org/sectors/finance/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=13 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213105907/http://www.adb.org/sectors/finance/main |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Infrastructure, including transport<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sustainable Transport for All |url=http://www.adb.org/sectors/transport/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=14 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114162633/http://www.adb.org/sectors/transport/main |url-status=live }}</ref> and communications,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Information and Communications Technology |url=http://www.adb.org/sectors/ict/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=26 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026144116/http://www.adb.org/sectors/ict/main |url-status=live }}</ref> energy,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Energy |url=http://www.adb.org/sectors/energy/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=12 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112194102/http://www.adb.org/sectors/energy/main |url-status=live }}</ref> water supply and sanitation,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Water for All |url=http://www.adb.org/sectors/water/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=20 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220233108/http://www.adb.org/sectors/water/main |url-status=live }}</ref> and urban development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Urban Development |url=http://www.adb.org/themes/urban-development/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201090741/https://www.adb.org/themes/urban-development/main |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Regional Cooperation and Integration – Regional cooperation and integration (RCI) was introduced by President Kuroda when he joined the ADB in 2004. It was seen as a long-standing priority of the Japanese government as a process by which national economies become more regionally connected. It plays a critical role in accelerating economic growth, reducing poverty and economic disparity, raising productivity and employment, and strengthening institutions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regional Cooperation and Integration |url=http://www.adb.org/themes/regional-cooperation/main |access-date=2015-12-14 |publisher=Asian Development Bank |archive-date=12 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612181227/http://www.adb.org/themes/regional-cooperation/main |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Private Sector Lending – This priority was introduced into the ADB's activities at the insistence of the Reagan Administration. However, that effort was never a true priority until the administration of President Tadeo Chino who in turn brought in a seasoned American banker – Robert Bestani. From then on, the Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) grew at a very rapid pace, growing from the smallest financing unit of the ADB to the largest in terms of financing volume. As noted earlier, this culminated in the Long Term strategic Framework (LTSF) which was adopted by the Board in March 2008.