By NNN,
Kuala Lumpur : The challenges standing in the way of Asia’s financial integration will be one of the key issues which Asian finance ministers will discuss at the 40th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) beginning on Friday.
According to a statement from the manila-headquartered ADB, other topics likely to be the focus of attention will be where Asia stands a decade after the Asian financial crisis and how developing Asian economies will adapt to vast changes underway in the region.
The finance ministers, as well as senior government officials, leaders, academics, and representatives of international organizations will gather in Kyoto, Japan, to discuss these and other issues at the meeting from May 4 to 7.
The event at the Kyoto International Conference Centre will also discuss issues such as clean energy and the environment, private capital flows and financing for small and medium enterprises.
Other topics which will be discussed are efforts to advance Asia’s bond market, new investment opportunities in emerging markets across Asia, disaster risk management and the ageing population of Asia.
The ADB’s Annual Meeting brings together senior government officials from across Asia and the Pacific to discuss ways to effectively address poverty and ensure sustainable economic growth in the region.
The meeting will also include country presentations from Viet Nam, Pakistan, and the Philippines, an open forum on ADB-civil society organization co-operation and a special Governors’ seminar on Asia’s future.