The Water Safety Plan (WSP) is about protecting water quality from catchment to the tap. Promoted by the World Health Organization, WSP has changed the way water supply systems are managed. This report documents the pilot application of the guidance note for mainstreaming WSP in water projects supported by the Asian Development Bank as piloted in the Chongqing Municipality in the People's Republic of China. The guidance note seeks to promote systematic assessment and management of water safety risks from infrastructure construction to operation. The pilot concluded that WSP could be effectively integrated into the Asian Development Bank's project preparation with careful scoping, planning, and evaluation. The report also summarizes challenges and lessons learned from the pilot.

Water safety planning is considered an international best practice for assessing and managing public health risks from drinking water supply systems. Under the West Bengal Drinking Water Sector Improvement Project and in close collaboration with the World Health Organization, the Asian Development Bank assisted in developing these water safety planning guidelines for the state of West Bengal. This document offers practical guidance for taking a water safety planning approach to bulk water supply systems, particularly in developing and implementing the stages of rural drinking water delivery service schemes in India and elsewhere.

In 2011, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $21.72 billion in financing operations, representing a 14.5% increase on 2010 financing, according to the latest Annual Report of the Board of Directors to the Board of Governors. The 2011 Annual Report highlights how ADB has helped developing member countries in Asia and the Pacific make progress toward inclusive growth. It includes a comprehensive discussion on ADB’s operational, administrative, and financial activities in 2011, complete financial statements and opinions of the independent auditors, and a separate report on the activities of the Special Funds of ADB. It also contains chapters on regional, sectoral and thematic highlights.

Armenia, a country of ancient traditions, is shaped by events of the recent past. As it left behind the Soviet legacy of an official gender equality policy, there came about a resurgence of patriarchal views and customs. At the same time though, Armenia saw the growth of diverse women's civil society organizations, and the development of a solid legal and policy framework for the protection of equal rights. This publication discusses gender equality concerns in Armenia's government, economy, society, and culture. It analyzes gender issues in key sectors such as energy, transport, water supply and municipal services, and entrepreneurship. Developed in cooperation with the government and other development partners, this country gender assessment is envisaged to be a useful guide in developing and implementing policies, programs, and projects with a social and gender perspective.

The provision of water supply and sanitation services is particularly vulnerable to projected changes in climate conditions (temperature and precipitation among others), in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, as well as and in the projected rise in sea-level and the intensification of storm surges. The process of climate proofing investment projects aims both at assessing the climate risk to a project's future costs and benefits, and undertaking a technical and economic analysis of options to alleviate or mitigate those risks. Accounting for climate change at the outset of the project cycle implies that decisions about project design, and the adoption and timing of climate-proofing measures be informed with the possible impacts of climate change in the initial phases of the project cycle so that decisions of an irreversible nature will be avoided. This publication presents a step-by-step methodological approach to assist project teams in managing climate change risk in the context of water supply and sanitation investment projects.

Asia proved resilient to the effects of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, but sustaining rapid growth became more difficult afterward. Development challenges intensified, the global development agenda became more ambitious, and new sources of development finance emerged. This volume shows how the Asian Development Bank (ADB) continued to reform in order to meet these challenges. A new long-term strategic framework, Strategy 2020, was launched in 2008, to respond to the changing needs of the region. A midterm review of Strategy 2020 was released in 2014, further refining and adjusting priorities in order for ADB to remain relevant and responsive to borrowers. Various organizational changes were introduced, internal business processes were improved, and several new instruments were adopted as part of ADB's efforts to become "stronger, better, faster." ADB's lending capacity expanded significantly, with the fifth general capital increase in 2009, followed by the unique and groundbreaking combination of the Asian Development Fund portfolio with the ordinary capital resources balance sheet approved in 2015. Lending reached record levels in 2015 and 2016, exceeding the earlier spike in 2009 when ADB had responded to the needs of countries affected by the global economic crisis. ADB also enhanced its accountability and results orientation, becoming the first multilateral development bank to adopt a corporate results framework in 2008.