ADB Urges Asia-Pacific to ‘Act Together to Develop Together’

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, May 4, 2026 (KPT) — Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda opened the bank’s 59th Annual Meeting on Monday with a call for Asia and the Pacific to strengthen cross‑border connections to drive resilience and inclusive growth.

“The decisions we make at this new crossroads will secure the future for the next generation,” Kanda told delegates. “In this fragmented world, traditional and isolated development responses will fail. To survive and thrive, we must build deeply connected and resilient systems.”

The meeting, held from May 3–6 under the theme Crossroads of Progress: Advancing the Region’s Connected Future, brings together policymakers, private sector leaders and development partners to advance solutions in connectivity, digital innovation and finance.

Kanda warned that shocks travel rapidly across borders through energy markets, supply chains and digital networks, hitting vulnerable communities hardest. He said coordinated regional responses are essential, and highlighted ADB’s $29.3 billion in support last year alongside reforms to deliver aid faster and at scale.

On Sunday, ADB launched a $70 billion program to strengthen shared security and resilience, including a $50 billion Pan‑Asia Power Grid to integrate renewable energy and a $20 billion initiative to expand digital connectivity.

The bank has also moved to provide crisis response during the ongoing Middle East conflict, projecting growth in developing Asia and the Pacific to slow to 4.7 percent this year, with inflation rising to 5.2 percent. Under a severe downside scenario, growth could fall to 4.2 percent in 2026 and inflation surge to 7.4 percent.

Describing ADB as “an anchor of stability,” Kanda pledged to leverage the bank’s regional mandate and mobilize private sector funds to confront economic disruption and environmental stress. “The work ahead is immense, but our purpose is clear. We have the strategy. We have the resources. We have the collective will to execute,” he said.