https://www.aiib.org/en/news-events/events/2021-annual-meeting/program/session/oct26/Opening-Ceremony.html
1 opening ceremony
- Keynote Speech by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Remarks by Mr. Jin Liqun, President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
- Remarks by H.E. Dato Dr. Amin Liew Abdullah, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors, AIIB & Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II, Brunei Darussalam
- Remarks by H.E. Mr. Guy Parmelin, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors, AIIB & President and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Swiss Confederation
- Welcome Address by H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chair of the Board of Governors, AIIB & Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE
* Moderator: Ludger Schuknecht, Vice President & Corporate Secretary, and the Secretary of the Board of Governors, AIIB
2 Broadband services in Oman used to be offered mainly via buried copper or LTE modems which are unreliable and expensive. Through this project, Oman Broadband Company is rolling out a network of fiber optic broadband cable to over 700,000 homes and buildings. Upon completion in 2025, it will cover close to 80 percent of urban areas in the country, changing the lives of many.
AIIB and Oman Broadband launched the project in 2017 and have already boosted Oman’s infrastructure in the information and communication technology sector. The project has improved digital literacy and productivity and increased Oman’s attractiveness as a destination for manufacturing business and strategic logistics services. It is also helping to progressively diversify Oman’s economy from its dependency on hydrocarbons.
This session is an opportunity to see how a connectivity infrastructure projects are prepared, implemented and create impact.
Speakers:
- Supee Teravaninthorn, Director General, Infrastructure Investment Department (Region 2), AIIB
- Gregory Liu, Manager, Infrastructure Investment Department (Region 2), AIIB
- Sara Al Abdali, Head of Elite Customer Relations, Awasr
- Eng. Said Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mandhari, Board Chairman and CEO, Oman ICT Group
- Rohan Dhamija, Managing Partner, Analysys Mason
- Grace Yue Zhou, Director, Investment I, Silk Road Fund
- The current market trends with regard to ESG principles and “green financing” and how these principles are being translated into legal requirements in financing and investment documentation.
- Market orientation and role panelists envision for MDBs in catalyzing this process.
- Impediments to the standardization of ESG disclosures and how these can be addressed.
- Principles, mechanisms and legal structures which gain the most traction within the private sector.
Join us for a critical analysis of current approaches to incorporating ESG principles and gain thought-provoking insights as to where the market is headed and the role that MDBs can play in supporting standardization mechanisms.
Speakers:
- Alberto Ninio, General Counsel, AIIB
- Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director, Economy Division, UN Environment Programme
- Charles Di Leva, Former Chief Counsel, E&S, World Bank
- Nicolas Grabar, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
- 4
Multilateral development organizations play an important role in promoting regional development. Connectivity, sharing experiences and lessons learned among development partners creates an excellent opportunity for mutual learning and to explore innovative approaches to ongoing challenges.
This high-level session will bring together officials from development partners and AIIB Members to discuss current initiatives and strategies adopted to enhance investments in cross-border connectivity projects. Through the review of actual projects and case studies, the panel will discuss how enhancing cross-border connectivity supports the achievement of resilient and sustainable socioeconomic development. The panel will also deliberate on the role which development partners, policy makers and private sectors can play to contribute efficiently to cross-border connectivity.
Speakers:
- Fatima Yasmin, Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh
- D. J. Pandian, Vice President, Investment Operations (Region 1), AIIB
- Shixin Chen, Vice President (Operations 1), Asian Development Bank
- Martin Raiser, Country Director, China, Korea and Mongolia, World Bank
- Zhongjing Wang, Chief Executive Officer, Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance
The massive global shocks created by the pandemic have deeply affected the infrastructure sector. The pandemic has boosted demand for infrastructure investments that will help societies strengthen their resilience to health and sanitary shocks while disrupting the demand for traditional infrastructure sectors. It has also channeled a new form of demand for digital technology to increase connectivity for everyone, everywhere—so that remote work, distance learning and provision of social services could develop.
In parallel, the pandemic is accelerating the transformation of the infrastructure sector. Current operating models in the transport, water, or energy sectors are being questioned to face new geographic or urban demand and pressing climate change objectives. The adoption of technology is at the heart of this shift. Technology-enabled infrastructure is providing the backbone economies for organizations to be competitive tomorrow. At stake is how economies will transform.
This seminar will gather high-level speakers from governments, private sector investors and technology infrastructure implementers, to discuss infrastructure transformation driven by the technology.
Speakers:
- Jin Liqun, President and Chair of the Board of Directors, AIIB
- Ludger Schuknecht, Vice President and Corporate Secretary, AIIB
- Zhijun Cheng, Director General, International Financial Dept, Ministry of Finance, China
- Adi Rahman Adiwoso, Chief Executive Officer, PT Satelit Nusantara Tiga
- Hazem Ben-Gacem, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Investcorp
- Omobola Johnson, Senior Partner, TLcom Capital LLP
As the world recovers from the pandemic, investment in critical infrastructure projects is needed across much of the Middle East to realize the economic potential of countries. This panel therefore focuses on the United Arab Emirates, the GCC and the Middle East.
Topics for discussion:
- How new financing models can support public and private partnerships and secure investment for new infrastructure.
- How multilateral cross-border cooperation can mobilize finance for infrastructure.
- The regulatory frameworks and policies necessary to accelerate and facilitate investment in large infrastructure projects.
Speakers:
- Danny Alexander, Vice President, Policy and Strategy, AIIB
- Tareq Alnassar, Assistant Director General – Private Sector and Trade Finance Operations Dept
- Niall Hannigan, Chief Financial Officer, Masdar
- Mark Cutis, Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi Global Market Authority – Abu Dhabi Global Market
As the world recovers from the pandemic, investment in critical infrastructure projects is needed across much of the Middle East to realize the economic potential of countries. This panel therefore focuses on the United Arab Emirates, the GCC and the Middle East.
Topics for discussion:
- How new financing models can support public and private partnerships and secure investment for new infrastructure.
- How multilateral cross-border cooperation can mobilize finance for infrastructure.
- The regulatory frameworks and policies necessary to accelerate and facilitate investment in large infrastructure projects.
Speakers:
- Danny Alexander, Vice President, Policy and Strategy, AIIB
- Tareq Alnassar, Assistant Director General – Private Sector and Trade Finance Operations Dept
- Niall Hannigan, Chief Financial Officer, Masdar
- Mark Cutis, Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi Global Market Authority – Abu Dhabi Global Market
While eight of the world’s 10 largest megacities are in Asia, low urbanization levels cause inefficiencies of citizen services and imbalanced economic development at the expense of sustainability.
For many Asian cities, making the way forward for development requires both “catching-up” and “getting-ahead.” Digital and engineering technology bring nonlinear solutions to solve the leapfrog challenge and improve accessibility. Best practices from Asia’s leading cities such as Singapore testify to the cost-effectiveness of innovation. Nevertheless—to spread best practices—governments, corporations, research Institutes and technology providers should join hands to incubate, commercialize, incentivize and accelerate adoption of technology-enabled solutions.
The seminar will gather government representatives, thought leaders and entrepreneurs to discuss key drivers and enablers to build future cities, including effective and cross-sector partnership for technology-enabled urban infrastructure.
Speakers:
- Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, ICT and Health, Singapore
- Konstantin Limitovskiy, Vice President, Investment Operations (Region 2), AIIB
- Philip Abraham, Senior Vice President, Veolia
- Kevin Crull, Managing Director, I Squared Capital
- Jennifer Tay, Partner and Infrastructure Leader, PwC Singapore
As the world’s second largest multilateral financial institution in terms of membership, AIIB brings much more than the needed capital. The Bank’s past experiences show that a multilateral financial institution's participation in funds enhances portfolio investments' environmental and social standards, which lay the foundation for sustainability that forms one of the critical features of Infrastructure for Tomorrow (i4t).
This session will convene leading investors and fund managers to discuss the catalytic role of multilateral financial institutions in private equity and explore new investment opportunities.
Speakers:
- Najeeb Haider, Director General, Banking Department (Region 2), AIIB
- Dong-lk (Don) Lee, Director General, Banking Department (Region 1), AIIB
- Abdullah Abobakr, Director, National Infrastructure Fund
- Karim Mourad, Global Head of Infrastructure, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
- Sami Neffati, Managing Partner, Aberdeen Investcorp Infrastructure Partners
- Jennifer Powers, Partner and Chair, GIP Credit
As Asia faces the dual challenges of addressing climate change and development, Paris Alignment will conceive additional business opportunities in shifting toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient and sustainable development pathway. On the other hand, Paris Alignment is not an easy undertaking, which must cater to different national and sectoral contexts and capabilities to ensure that the transition is inclusive and fair. It also calls for unprecedented collaborations between public and private sectors in developing and developed economies to deliver timely impact at scale.
This event will bring together high-level speakers from MDBs, private sector investors and governments, to share their insights on how Asia can grasp opportunities and address challenges to align its future development with the Paris goals on mitigation, adaptation and finance.
Speakers:
- Jin Liqun, President and Chair of the Board of Directors, AIIB
- Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of Finance, Maldives
- Carlos G. Dominguez, Secretary of Finance, Philippines
- Ken O’Flaherty, COP26 Regional Ambassador of Asia-Pacific and South Asia
- Anne Richards DBE, CEO, Fidelity International
In this event, CEIU representatives and CSOs/NGOs will exchange views on the work of the Project-affected People’s Mechanism (PPM), CEIU’s complaints-resolution function. The session will explore next steps needed to ensure that the PPM is accessible and effective.
The session will also introduce the AIIB’s anticorruption policy as set out in the Policy on Prohibited Practices and AIIB’s Learning and Evaluation Policy (here) and Directive (here) approved earlier this year to guide independent learning from evaluation in AIIB. The event will also introduce the Learning and Evaluation Framework and consider how it can contribute to design and implementation of AIIB projects, including providing project-affected people an accessible and effective PPM.
This session is for CSOs/NGOs and is by invitation only.
12 n 2020, AIIB established its Social Infrastructure Department with the aim of supporting health care infrastructure through sovereign and nonsovereign financing. AIIB is committed to helping its clients build back better and this event offers an opportunity to understand and align future urban health infrastructure needs based on the experiences of major cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health professionals and public policy thought leaders will elaborate on priorities for health care investments and expenditures to enhance preparedness against the next global health crisis. We also jointly look at the performance of city governments during the pandemic and explore how to strengthen public-private partnership to enhance resilience and preparedness.
Panelists will discuss the role of MDBs in reorienting priorities in urban health care investments and promoting the use of ICT in health care service provision. This event will gather MDBs, city governments and public health professionals to identify areas for intervention and build together a GREAT (Green, Resilient, Equitable, Accessible and Technological) urban health care infrastructure.
Speakers:
- Shira Greenberg-Gelbwaser, Chief Economist, Director of State Revenue, Research and International Affair, Israel
- Luky Eko Wuryanto, Vice President and Chief Administration Officer, AIIB
- Hun Kim, Director General, Social Infrastructure Department, AIIB
- Nisreen Abada, Specialist, Dubai Healthcare Corporation
- Sekhar Bonu, Director General, Development, Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog
- Charnelle Hicks, President, CHPlanning Ltd.
- Soonman Kwon, President, Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI)
Building Resilient Urban Health Infrastructure
In 2020, AIIB established its Social Infrastructure Department with the aim of supporting health care infrastructure through sovereign and nonsovereign financing. AIIB is committed to helping its clients build back better and this event offers an opportunity to understand and align future urban health infrastructure needs based on the experiences of major cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
israel near 100% digital med records; telemedicine , big data analytics;
korea's soonman kwon pivotal roe korea health ecosystems- all major univerities.
pael india , uae, member of us cdc
uae vew - no country fully prepared; in uae lucky log run tech-health -rapid earlyresposeoce who declared pademic- multisectoral responce..
Health professionals and public policy thought leaders will elaborate on priorities for health care investments and expenditures to enhance preparedness against the next global health crisis. We also jointly look at the performance of city governments during the pandemic and explore how to strengthen public-private partnership to enhance resilience and preparedness.
Panelists will discuss the role of MDBs in reorienting priorities in urban health care investments and promoting the use of ICT in health care service provision. This event will gather MDBs, city governments and public health professionals to identify areas for intervention and build together a GREAT (Green, Resilient, Equitable, Accessible and Technological) urban health care infrastructure.
Speakers
Ms. Shira Greenberg
Chief Economist, Minister of Finance, Israel
Since January 2019, Ms. Greenberg-Gelbwaser is holding the position of Chief Economist of the Ministry of Finance. Her duties include heading the research on Israel's economy, forecasting Israel's economic growth, overseeing tax policies and state revenue, as well as running the international economic relations department, including leading the economic and financial cooperation team pursuant to the recent normalization agreement with the Arab Gulf states. During the current economic crisis, she is leading the economic evaluation of the COVID-19 economic impact and analysis of policy measures and the stimulus package.
Preceding this designation, Ms. Greenberg-Gelbwaser served in the ministry's Budget Department for ten years. In her most recent position as Deputy Director, she oversaw the management of the following sectors: industry & trade, tourism, higher education, basic research, high tech, labor market, and regulations and communications. Prior to that, Ms. Greenberg-Gelbwaser supervised the education sector, the health system and the field of water and agriculture.
Until accepting her current appointment, Ms. Greenberg-Gelbwaser served as a Board member of the following entities: Israel Innovation Authority Council, JDC Institute for Leadership and the Industrial R&D Funds: SIIRD and KORIL-RDF.
Dr. Luky Eko Wuryanto
Vice President and Chief Administration Officer, AIIB
Wuryanto is responsible for overseeing human resources, information technology and facilities and administration services. In this position, Wuryanto is also chair of the Information Technology Committee and the Human Resources Review Committee. Before joining AIIB in April 2016, Wuryanto served in senior positions in the Indonesian government for more than 20 years, most recently as the Deputy Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Acceleration and Regional Development, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs. He has an undergraduate degree in engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology and a PhD in regional science from Cornell University. Wuryanto is from Indonesia.
Dr. Hun Kim
Director General, Social Infrastructure Department, AIIB
Kim leads the Social Infrastructure Department, Investment Operations, a department created to strengthen AIIB’s technical capacity to deliver high quality social infrastructure projects as part of its mission to finance the Infrastructure for Tomorrow. The Social Infrastructure Department will focus on all aspects of social infrastructure, including health and education. Kim is responsible for managing the department in the fulfilment of its function through strategic planning, talent and capability building, developing a strong pipeline of high-quality investment transactions and ensuring the successful implementation of such projects. Kim is a seasoned development professional who has built his skills and expertise throughout his long and successful career in the Asian Development Bank (ADB) where he has held various positions, the latest of which is Director General, South Asia Department. Prior to that, he was the Country Director for the ADB India Resident Mission and Director, Urban Development and Water Supply Division, South Asia Department, ADB.
He holds a Ph.D. in Applied and Resource Economics from the University of Minnesota, U.S.A and an MA and BA in Economics from Yonsei University, Republic of Korea. Kim is from the Republic of Korea.
Ms. Nisreen Abada
Specialist, Dubai Healthcare Corporation
Nisreen Abada is a Specialist at Dubai Healthcare Corporation (DHC), and is a healthcare quality management professional, with more than 22 years of rich experience in delivering high quality & ample value in the fast-paced healthcare systems.
Nisreen has an extensive expertise in healthcare quality management, infection prevention & control, environment health & safety management, international accreditation and regulatory requirements.
She currently works actively with senior leadership to establish, lead and support the evolvement of service line framework within DHC organizations and she leads several significant strategic DHC projects. Nisreen also serves as a certified ISO internal auditor and a DHA Excellence Pioneer.
During the COVID19 pandemic, Nisreen played a core role in collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to unite efforts, identify and cooperate on measures that can alleviate the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the community. She was one of the pioneers that served in operating the preliminary emergency, crisis & disasters management command center.
Throughout her career, Nisreen has established herself as a leading expert in healthcare quality and performance improvement. Prior to joining DHC, she has served as the Quality Survey Manager at Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA) - Regulatory and had been a core member in driving the ISQua External Evaluation Organization-International Accreditation Programme. In addition to being a focal member in establishing and launching the DHCA Excellence Awards Program.
That besides to her long and diverse experience at the fast-paced Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) SEHA-Abu Dhabi and steering the quality operations across all facets of Prime Healthcare Group, as the Quality director.
Nisreen earned her degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy from the University of Alexandria, Egypt. She is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) and a fellow of the International Society for Quality in Health Care (FISQua).
On a personal level, Nisreen is compassionate and focused on instituting excellence in day-to-day operations, with a focus on enhancing performance & outcome, fostering a high quality and safe healthcare environment.
Dr. Sekhar Bonu
Director General, Development, Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog
Dr Sekhar Bonu joined as the Director General of Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) in April 2019. DMEO was established by the Government in September, 2015 as an attached office of the NITI Aayog (apex think tank of the Government of India) to fulfill the monitoring and evaluation mandates assigned to NITI
Aayog. Before joining NITI Aayog, Dr. Bonu worked with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila for 15 years. At ADB he worked in health, urban infrastructure development and regional cooperation, mainly in South Asia region. Dr. Bonu worked in the Indian Administrative Services and served as a civil servant in the state of Rajasthan between 1987-2003, among others, as district magistrate, director of primary and secondary education, chief executive officer of state-owned enterprises. Dr. Sekhar Bonu has a Ph.D from the Johns Hopkins University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder. He has wide range of research and operational interests and has published in peer-reviewed journals.
aadhar used for certificates
Ms. Charnelle Hicks
President, CHPlanning Ltd.
Charnelle Hicks is the President of CHPlanning and Nspiregreen, a CHPlanning subsidiary. CHPlanning is a leader in mobility planning, equity planning, and environmental justice. We serve as consultants to the nation’s leaders in Vision Zero analysis, Safe Routes to School, and Complete Streets planning and analysis. With offices in the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and Ft. Lauderdale our work centers on equitable access for communities of color, people with disabilities, immigrant communities, and youth.
Ms. Hicks has received numerous awards for her work in business and in planning. Her awards and recognition include the Philadelphia Business Journal Minority Business Leaders award as well as awards and recognitions by the Womens’ Transportation Seminar (WTS), the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), and other organizations committed to equity in mobility and transportation. She served as Vice-Chair of the American Planning Association Transportation Division and as a member of the Executive Committee for the American Planning Association Planning in the Black Community Division. She is a researcher and review panelist for the Transportation Research Board (TRB).
Ms. Hicks is a graduate of Swarthmore College where she majored in Sociology and Anthropology with minors in Natural Sciences & Engineering. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband.
Prof. Soonman Kwon
President, Korea Health Industry Development Institute
Prof Kwon is a health economist and has worked over 30 years on UHC, health finance and systems, ageing, and health industry. Before leading the KHIDI, which is a government agency allocating R&D funds to the health sector, he was Professor and Former Dean of the School of Public Health, Seoul National University (SNU). He has held visiting positions at the Harvard School of Public Health, London School of Economics, University of Toronto, University of Tokyo, Peking University, and University of Bremen. He was the Chief of the Health Sector Group in the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2016-2017. He was the founding director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health System and Financing at SNU. He received the Excellence in Education award of Seoul National University in 2020.
He is the President of the Korean Society of Health Policy and Management and has served as President of the Korean Health Economic Association, the Korean Association of Schools of Public Health, and the Korean Gerontological Society. He is the Asia Region Editor of Health Policy (Elsevier) and International Journal of Health Economics and Management (Springer). He has been a member of board or advisory committees of Health Systems Global (HSG), WHO Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization), and WHO Centre for Health and Development. He has occasionally been a short-term consultant of WHO, World Bank, and GIZ for health system and financing in more than 30 countries in Asia and Africa. He holds a PhD from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (1993) and taught at the University of Southern California School of Public Policy until 1996.
14 Climate change will result in higher temperatures worldwide. With COP26 seeking global consensus on how governments and businesses can tackle this challenge, the panel will focus on how the United Arab Emirates is working to build resilient infrastructure across the region through the adoption of new technologies and innovative adaptation measures.
It also aims to showcase how today’s investment decisions can have a long-term impact on climate change, help build inclusive societies and deliver sustainable growth.
Topics for discussion:
- Setting the scene: How climate change affects infrastructure.
- How the UAE is working to decarbonize its infrastructure network such as buildings, transport, water, energy and sanitation.
- Examples of technologies and adaptation measures being deployed.
- New business opportunities being created.
- Financing options for smart infrastructure that anticipates climate challenges.
Speakers:
- HE Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, UAE’s Permanent Representative to IRENA
- HE Fatima Mohammed Al-Foura Al Shamsi, Energy Policy Executive Director, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy
- Joachim von Amsberg, Special Advisor to the President, AIIB
- Omar Al Marzooqi, Chief Executive Officer, AIQ
The panel will comprise ministers, central bankers, green finance experts, business leaders and other distinguished guests to leverage their collective wisdom and experience in the three areas critical for green transition: technology, finance and policy.
We will ask: Where are countries on their journey to net zero carbon? How will finance and government policies shape corporate sector incentives to adopt green technologies and encourage greater private sector financing? How to make the financial sector care about green transition? What are new business opportunities? What can we learn from each other? What’s the role of MDBs?
Speakers:
- Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Egypt
- Nasser Yassin, Minister of Environment, Lebanon
- Aisha Al Abdooli, Ministry of Climate Change & Environment, UAE
- Erik Berglof, Chief Economist, AIIB
- Jean-Jacques Barbéris, Executive Committee Member, Amundi
- Ma Jun, Chairman, China Green Finance Committee
- Francesco La Camera, Director General, IRENA
This panel discussion will explore concepts such as natural capital, the nexus of biodiversity and climate and nature-based solutions. The event will also elaborate on the increasingly important role of International Financial Institutions (such as AIIB) in the transition toward green financing. Potential contributions to the new biodiversity framework will also be identified.
With the objective of highlighting the critical need for biological diversity conservation in infrastructure financing, this high-level event will bring together personalities at the frontier of the discussion including AIIB Member representatives, thought leaders and globally renowned practitioners.
Speakers:
- Danny Alexander, Vice President, Policy and Strategy, AIIB
- Partha Dasgupta, Frank Ramsey Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge
- Aban Marker Kabraji, Senior Advisor Climate Change and Biodiversity, UN Office for Asia-Pacific (UNDCO)
- Deborah Lehr, Vice Chairman and Executive Director, The Paulson Institute
- Kongjian Yu, Professor, Peking University
This interactive session will include a panel discussion featuring AIIB investment and policy professionals sharing their experiences and passion for building the Infrastructure for Tomorrow (i4t). AIIB staff will share their personal career paths and what drew them to a career in multilateral development banking.
Over the course of the event, you will have the opportunity to learn more about life in Beijing, what opportunities are available, and how to apply to join the Bank. A Q&A session will also be organized to offer the chance to chat directly with members of the AIIB Talent Acquisition team.
18 The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are not gender-neutral, with the majority of frontline health and care workers being women and with quarantine restricting access of women to paid child care and to safe spaces for women threatened by domestic abuse. The experience from other crises in the 2000s shows that gender inequalities widen during periods of economic turmoil. While governments are rightly focused on short-term survival, it is important not to lose sight of the bigger picture.
Recent research by AIIB argues that once the immediate task of containing COVID-19 has been achieved, the focus will need to shift from crisis management to assist developing economies invest in adequate infrastructure for development, so as to prevent and mitigate the impact of future outbreaks. This work shows that a country’s readiness to cope with epidemics is correlated with the quality of its infrastructure, and that infrastructure development is a key to security and epidemic preparedness. Furthermore, for countries with higher gender equality, investments in infrastructure may have a greater impact on improving health security.
This panel will highlight the linkages between gender-sensitive infrastructure, health security and how this can support a more equal recovery post-pandemic.
Speakers:
- Erik Berglof, Chief Economist, AIIB
- Michaela Bergman, Principal Social Development Specialist, AIIB
- Samantha Hung, Chief of Gender Equality, Asian Development Bank
- Elena Nikolova, Associate Professor, Zayed University X Minerva
- Yana Rodgers, Professor, Rutgers University
- Wencai Zhang, Executive Vice President, Agricultural Development Bank of China
- Weimin Zhou, Investment Operations Specialist – Transport, Infrastructure Investment Department (Region 1), AIIB
AIIB believes that investing in early-stage development of innovations in the infrastructure and allied sectors would contribute toward the Bank’s mandate and thematic priorities. This session provides a stage for venture capital funds to present their investment opportunities and receive feedback from AIIB senior investment professionals and other industry leaders.
To participate you can submit an application here.
20 The 2021 edition of AIIB’s publication Asian Infrastructure Finance Report focuses on global value chains (GVCs) and argues that reports on the demise of GVCs are greatly exaggerated. Accounting for close to half of total exports, GVCs continue to be an important lever for developing countries to transition from investment-led to innovation-led growth. Despite recent slowdown in growth, GVCs continue to expand and transform economies. When COVID-19 struck, existing logistics systems quickly sprung back to action, minimizing the damage and bringing deliveries back to pre-pandemic levels.
The report emphasizes the critical nature of infrastructure quality and capacity to the agility and resilience of GVCs. Case studies of China and India demonstrate the importance of infrastructure-intensive location-based policies to complement sector-oriented horizontal industrial policies in the quest for spatially balanced development.
The report also points to serious challenges. In the wake of the pandemic and faced with trade and geopolitical tensions, multinationals are examining existing networks for vulnerabilities and the effects are still being played out. More importantly, as the world moves toward Net Zero Carbon, firms will increasingly be responsible for the carbon footprint of their networks. This will imply enforcing decarbonization throughout the chains they control for GVCs to remain viable.
Multilateral development banks have a particular responsibility in facilitating investments to help countries join GVCs, assisting in preparing sustainable projects, helping build capacity to manage these projects and protecting global commons.
Speakers:
- Ludger Schuknecht, Vice President and Corporate Secretary, AIIB
- Erik Berglof, Chief Economist, AIIB
- Alicia García-Herrero, Senior Fellow, Bruegel & Chief Economist APAC, Natixis
- Chang-Tai Hsieh, Winkelreid Professor of Economics, University of Chicago
- Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog
This session is for civil society organizations and is by invitation only. Please contact xiaobo.wu@aiib.org if you would like to receive an invitation to this session.
No comments:
Post a Comment