|
KYOTO, Japan (AP) - The United States voiced concern Sunday over plans to overhaul the Asian Development Bank, saying reforms should not abandon the poor in an attempt to cater to wealthier countries.
The ADB, founded four decades ago to fight poverty through economic development, should stick to its original task and not "seek new mandates that stray from the mission," Kenneth Peel, head of the U.S. delegation, told delegates at the ADB's annual meeting in Kyoto.
Restructuring the bank is the hot topic at this year's conference. With extreme poverty projected to be all but wiped out in Asia within 15 years, the ADB is weighing how to address the needs of a wealthier region to remain relevant as one of the world's premier development agencies along with the World Bank.
|