TBILISI: Some synergies already exist between climate change work and procurement, director for climate change in ADB’s Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department Noelle O’Brien, said, Trend reports.
He made the statement at ADB’s annual meeting in Tbilisi during the panel discussion on Sustainable Procurement – Contributing to ADB’s Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Goals.
“There is already some synergy, and from our perspective, the potential is huge. More importantly, this approach to procurement allows us to deal with change at a system level. Therefore, when procurement decisions align with these objectives, they can stimulate change and innovation within the supply chain.
I think we already have a very expanded view of the role that finance ministries can play concerning public procurement. We see this engagement with the finance ministry as critical to scaling up climate impact. ADB has already launched an initiative where we are aligning our work with a global coalition of finance
ministers on climate action. We are collaborating with several regional networks because we believe this is a critical approach to achieving this change.
We recently launched the Climate Resilience Finance Facility for Asia and the Pacific. This aims to strengthen the capacity of finance ministries to scale up and align finance with low-emission and climate-resilient development. We recently concluded a specific policy agreement with the Association of ASEAN Finance Ministers, and we look forward to scaling up this process to other regions, including Central and West Asia, as well as the Pacific and South Asia,” she said.
The 57th Annual Meeting, “Bridge to the Future,” takes place from May 2 through May 5.
The opening session of the Board of Governors will take place on May 4. The opening session marks the official start of the annual meeting. It is a high-profile event attended by the guest of honor from the host country. Remarks will be made by ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa, the Minister of Finance of
Georgia, and Chair of the ADB Board of Governors Lasha Khutsishvili.
The annual meeting is an opportunity for ADB governors to consider development issues and challenges facing Asia and the Pacific. Several thousand participants, including finance ministers, central bank governors, senior government officials, members of the private sector, representatives of international organizations and civil society organizations, youth, academia, and the media, regularly join the meeting.
Source: Trend News Agency