ADB Vice-President to Speak At Pacific Energy Summit in New Zealand

Manila, Philippines, 21 March 2013 – Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Stephen Groff will lead an ADB delegation to the Pacific Energy Summit, to be held in Auckland on 25-26 March, hosted by the New Zealand Government and the European Union.

Mr. Groff, who is responsible for ADB’s operations in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, is a key speaker at the Summit, which will explore ways in which the Pacific region’s access to clean, affordable and reliable energy may be increased.

On the first day of the summit, Pacific leaders will present their energy plans for reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Day two will have an international focus, with development partners sharing lessons learned and offering insights into making progress toward Pacific renewable energy targets.

Mr. Groff will participate in a plenary session on investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Financing energy sector investments through private sector and public funding will be discussed. Other ADB delegation members will discuss specific country challenges and opportunities, working with development institutions, and improving demand and supply side efficiency. ADB will also have available the March 2013 issue of its Pacific Economic Monitor with a special theme on energy.

ADB is a major financier of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements for the power sector in the Pacific, with an existing public sector financing portfolio in renewable energy and energy efficiency of $187.5 million ($169.5 loan/grant, $18 million technical assistance grant) and a projected portfolio 2013-2015 of $270 million.

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.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>