By RACHNA LAL
The Fijian delegation, led by the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) governor, Barry Whiteside met with the newly-appointed Asian Development Bank (ADB) president, Takehiko Nakao.
This was during the 46th Annual Meeting of the ADB board of Governors held in Delhi, India, from May 2 to 5.
Mr Whiteside was accompanied by the Ministry of Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics Permanent Secretary, Pita Wise, and officials from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics and RBF.
During the bilateral meeting, the Fijian delegation congratulated Mr Nakao on his recent appointment and expressed Fiji’s gratitude to the bank for the technical assistance for state owned enterprise reforms.
He also thanked the ADB for its timely assistance towards relief and rehabilitation following the floods of 2012.
Mr Nakao was updated on the country’s socio-economic development, in particular the challenges faced over the last year in dealing with the rehabilitation and relief work associated with three natural disasters.
He was assured of Government’s commitment towards holding democratic elections by September 2014 and an update was provided on the progress made on various related processes, such as the registration of voters and the finalisation of the new Constitution.
Re-engagement
The Fijian delegation raised the ADB’s position on Fiji’s re-engagement.
Mr Nakao acknowledged the progress Fiji has made and expressed the bank’s support for re-engagement.
He said further discussions, both within the bank and with Fiji, were necessary to agree on the processes and timelines to facilitate full access to the various forms of assistance available to member countries once re-engagement is formalised.
Mr Whiteside underscored Fiji’s commitment to the work of the ADB in fighting poverty in the Asia Pacific region.