Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan (Architect: Zaha Hadid)

The theme of the 2015 Annual Meeting is Fostering Partnership for Development, which underscores the importance of leveraging resources and strengthening collaboration between ADB, its members, and other multilateral and bilateral partners.

This is the first time the meeting will be held in the South Caucasus, and enhancing cooperation and integration within this region and Central Asia will be the focus of one of the panel discussions.

In Baku, the flagship Governors Seminar will discuss the Asia and Pacific region’s growth potential. It will also look at policies being developed by countries to adapt their own economic growth models to changing internal and external environments to help sustain economic expansion and further reduce poverty.

For the second year in a row, international broadcaster CNBC will moderate a TV debate about Asia’s economic outlook, while the International Monetary Fund will co-host a panel discussion on financial sector development. Private infrastructure financing will be the focus of a joint seminar with the World Economic Forum.

Other panels will tackle how to provide the right environment for public-private partnerships; development effectiveness; how to make burgeoning Asian cities more liveable and resilient to climate change; universal health coverage; gender equity, and innovation (see schedule).

The deadline for online registration is 20 April 2015. Members of the media who have been invited are reminded to register online to confirm their attendance. Registered journalists are required to submit a complete list of media equipment to be brought to the Annual Meeting. Send the list to the Azerbaijan Organizing Committee through Elchin Rufullayev (ADB Annual Meeting Working Group, Ministry of Finance, Azerbaijan) at e.rufullayev@maliyye.gov.az by 10 April 2015.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region.