News
Fiji Enacts Landmark Forestry Act 2025
On 1 December 2025, Fiji’s Parliament enacted the new Forestry Act 2025, a transformative reform that replaces the 1992 Forest Decree and shifts the focus of Fijian forestry legislation from timber extraction to sustainable forest management. The act introduces an innovative operating model that modernizes the management of forest resources and supports economic growth. At the same time, its more efficient enforcement mechanisms will safeguard forest ecosystems and the rights of communities living in them.
ADB Strengthens the Fijian Justice System’s Response to Gender-Based Violence
From 23 October to 7 November, ADB delivered a series of four workshops in Nadi, Fiji, focused on selected issues concerning gender-based violence (GBV) offenses.
ADB Partners with UNCITRAL, Korea Ministry of Justice, and ADBI to Promote Harmonization of ADR Across Asia and the Pacific
On 28 October 2025 in Seoul, South Korea, the ADR Special Session of the 11th annual Seoul ADR Festival gathered policymakers, legal professionals, and academics to explore ways of harmonizing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms and practices across Asia and the Pacific.
ADB, ADBI, and ASEAN Secretariat Promote ADR as a Solution for Trade Disputes
On 8 October 2025 in Langkawi, Malaysia, ADB and the ADB Institute (ADBI) organized a workshop on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who are involved in trade, investment, and dispute settlement.
ADB Highlights Legal Reforms to Unlock Agrifinance for Smallholders at APEC Workshop
On 8 October 2025 in Tokyo, ADB General Counsel Thomas Clark spoke at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Workshop on Secured Finance to Facilitate Sustainable Economic Growth and Improve Food Security, organized by the Economic Committee.
ADB Empowers Uzbekistan’s Digital Future Through E-Commerce Training
On 7–8 October 2025, ADB’s Law and Policy Reform (LPR) Program, in partnership with Uzbekistan’s Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship (GSBE), hosted a two-day training seminar titled Empowering Uzbekistan’s Digital Future: E-Commerce Trends, Legal Frameworks, and Global Opportunities.
ADB, ADBI, and UNEP Convene Policy Dialogue on Model Forest Act Initiative Ahead of COP30 in November
On 25 September 2025 in Tokyo, ADB, ADB Institute, and the UN Environmental Programme held consultations on a legal blueprint for modernizing national forest laws being developed under the Model Forest Act Initiative, supported by the ADB Law and Policy Reform Program and other partners.
ADB Strengthens Mongolia’s FinTech and Supervisory Technology (SupTech) Ecosystem Through Regulatory Reform and Capacity Building
On 16-17 September 2025, ADB’s Law and Policy Reform Program partnered with leading experts to conduct the FinTech Innovation Forum and Capacity Building Workshop, a two-day workshop to build the capacity of more than 60 regulators to enable a conducive environment for FinTech development and maximize the applications of SupTech.
ADB Joins Cambodia’s Second Digital Trade Forum
ADB’s Law and Policy Reform (LPR) Program collaborated with the Digital Sector office (DIG) to support Cambodia’s 2nd Digital Trade Forum and Online Expo held on 12–13 September 2025 in Phnom Penh. Titled Advancing Cambodia’s Future through Digital Trade, the forum convened policymakers, private sector leaders, digital innovators, and youth representatives to explore opportunities and challenges in the digital sector.
ADB Law and Policy Reform Program and ADB Institute Form Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Cross-Border Dispute Resolution
On 9–12 September 2025 in Tokyo, ADB Institute and ADB’s Law and Policy Reform Program conducted a skills-based training focused on international mediation and the Singapore Convention for government officials across Asia and the Pacific, as well as representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, as part of the ADBI–ADB Alternative Dispute Resolution Education Program.