The question is whether an old institution like the ADB can reinvent itself to play this new role. Almost everyone agrees on the need for the bank to tackle one of Asia's oldest scourges, especially now that poverty levels have come back up because of the Asian Crisis. But many wonder whether the ADB has the commitment, expertise and heart to really make a difference. Therefore, we have to learn from our early implementation. This is the cultural change within the institution.
Money is another problem.
At its annual meeting in Manila in May, U.S. Assistant Treasury Secretary Edwin Truman urged the bank to come to an agreement with other lending institutions, mainly the IMF and the World Bank, on their respective roles. More work, for one. Now greater care will be taken to shape programs and focus them. Every project we do will have some link to poverty. All projects will be measured by what they do to alleviate poverty.