THE Asian Development Bank’s strong presence in the Pacific region shows its commitment to strengthen ties with member countries. ADB’s deputy director general for the Pacific Regional Department, James Lynch said given the remoteness of the Pacific, they had physical presence in all 14 Pacific member countries.
ADB’s director general for the Pacific Regional Department, Carmel Locsin said 58 per cent of their staff members were in the Pacific region with a huge presence in Sydney, Australia — covering Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Nauru.
Recently the Pacific region had been a victim of tropical cyclones and Ms Locsin said they had mechanisms and instruments to ensure that affected member countries received relief assistance as quick as possible.
She said apart from providing relief assistance they also had programs that focused on helping clients in the Pacific build more climate resilient infrastructure that could withstand the climate risks.
Through their Pacific Disaster Resilience Program, the ADB was able to release funds for relief assistance to Tonga after Tropical Cyclone Gita devastated the island nation.
