ADB President: “We have the strategy. We have the resources. We have the collective will to execute”
At the opening ceremony of the 59th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank in Samarkand, the President of this prominent multilateral financial institution, Masato Kanda, delivered a speech.
The ADB President first expressed gratitude to Uzbekistan and its partners for the high level of organization of this large-scale event. He called on the countries of Asia and the Pacific to unite and pursue joint development, emphasizing the importance of stability and inclusive growth by strengthening cross-border connectivity.
– Today, the decisions we make at this new crossroads will secure the future for the next generation, Masato Kanda said. – In this fragmented world, traditional and isolated development responses will fail. To survive and thrive in this new era, we must build deeply connected and resilient systems.
In 2025, amid rising global challenges, ADB provided an unprecedented $44 billion in support to the region. This was driven by over $29 billion in our own resources, a 20% increase over the previous year. We also mobilized nearly $15 billion from our partners.
We have moved rapidly to provide crisis response when our members needed it most. This shows ADB can act with urgency when the moment demands it.
We were the first development partner to reach out to many of you on budget support in response to the Middle East conflict. And we were the first multilateral development bank to announce a financial support package for affected countries.
So, what does this future look like? It looks like a region where connected systems drive shared resilience and inclusive growth.
It begins with integrating development across our borders. Yesterday, we took a significant step in this direction by launching the $50 billion Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative.
Across Asia and the Pacific, demand for reliable electricity is growing faster than national systems can deliver. This initiative shifts us away from bilateral projects. It moves us toward coordinated, region-wide multilateral power trade. It will be a massive driver of shared energy security.
Many communities still lack reliable broadband access. Cross-border digital infrastructure remains limited. To help meet this need, we are advancing the $20 billion Asia-Pacific Digital Highway.
From the construction of cross-border power grids and submarine cables to the protection of our fragile ecosystems, the sheer scale of this transition is unprecedented.
Navigating this level of complexity requires an anchor of stability.
It requires an institution with the mandate and the capacity to drive the economic integration of Asia and the Pacific. Our developing member countries look to the Asian Development Bank as the main bank for this task; as the main bank for the region.
We have the strategy. We have the resources. We have the collective will to execute.
We will not face the future as a fragmented region. Instead, we will step forward as one, with ADB as your steadfast anchor.
Bekhruz Khudoyberdiyev, Musulmon Ziyo, UzA
