News
Equipping the Frontlines: ADB Training Enhances Timorese Police Investigations of Violence against Women and Girls
In partnership with Timorese police, ADB trained 119 police officers to improve the treatment of women and children participating in police investigations. ADB experts taught the proper use ADB-donated digital recorders, trauma-sensitive questioning, and applicable legal and socio-cultural protocols to the police officers, enabling them to obtain admissible testimony with the least amount of distress to survivors and witnesses. A key part of ADB’s broader support to justice-sector reform in Timor-Leste, this initiative aims to improve access to justice and safeguard vulnerable voices.
ADB Equips Timorese Judges, Prosecutors, and Police Officers with Tools to Facilitate Access to Justice for Victim-Survivors of Violence against Women and Girls
ADB has been working with the Timor-Leste government to make justice more accessible for victim-survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) since 2021. On 25 April 2025, ADB supplied audio recorders and privacy dividers to prosecutors, and judicial and police officers, enabling them to interview victims-survivors and witnesses of GBV—especially women and girls—in a manner that better respects their privacy, reducing the emotional trauma caused by questioning. ADB also provided judges with a knowledge resource on adjudicating GBV cases and on reducing the difficulties faced by women and girls in the formal justice system.
Luxembourg Lauds ADB’s Impactful Islamic Finance for the Philippines Technical Assistance
The Luxembourg government commended the Islamic Finance for the Philippines Technical Assistance (TA) as a model initiative in a meeting with representatives of ADB and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on 10 April 2025. This USD 1.1 million TA, implemented from 2017 to 2024, has achieved significant milestones. Key accomplishments include the enactment of Republic Act No. 11439 (the Islamic Banking Law), the issuance of a USD 1 billion sovereign sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai, training of over 1,700 professionals, and licensing of Islamic banking and insurance providers.
ADB Partners with Uzbekistan Supreme Court Towards Investor-Friendly Commercial Dispute Resolution Ecosystem
On 28 March 2025, ADB and the Uzbekistan Supreme Court held a ceremony to mark the successful conclusion of a two-year judicial capacity-building program and the handover of 295 copies of the International Commercial Arbitration Handbook for Judges to be distributed to all economic court judges nationwide.
ADB Principal Counsel Nicholas Moller Speaks About His Career in Insolvency, on the INSOL Talks Podcast
On this episode of INSOL talks, Nicholas shares his perspectives on the insolvency systems in Asia - with its diverse legal, economic, and cultural landscapes - and his reflections on the career path that led him to ADB and law and policy reform work. Check out the podcast now!
ADB Trains Fijian Public Defenders on the Fiji Bench Book on Children
On 3–16 March 2025, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) conducted a series of workshops based on Parts A and B of the Fiji Bench Book on Children for 108 Legal Aid Commission (LAC) lawyers. Parts A and B of the Fiji Bench Book on Children serve as a guide for dealing with children coming before the courts in criminal proceedings, including child complainants and witnesses.
ADB’s Law and Policy Reform Program Collaborates with Partners to Strengthen Alternative Dispute Resolution in Asia and the Pacific
On 18-19 February 2025, ADB’s Law and Policy Reform Program, in conjunction with the ADB Institute, UNCITRAL and Japan Ministry of Justice convened the Policy Dialogue on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and brought together policymakers, ADR institutions, private sector, lawyers, judges and academia to discuss the current landscape of ADR development in Asia and the Pacific.
ADBs Convenes Knowledge-Sharing Seminar on International Investment Agreements in the Renewable Energy Sector
On 7 February 2025, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Law and Policy Reform Program—in cooperation with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade (MIIT)—held a knowledge-sharing seminar entitled "A Primer on International Investment Agreements: Energy Investments" in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
ADB-UNCTAD Executive Training Strengthens Cambodia’s Capacity for LDC Graduation
On 13–15 January 2025, in Phnom Penh, ADB and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in collaboration with the Cambodia Trade Training and Research Institute, co-organized an executive training on Negotiating and Drafting Rules of Origin for Cambodia.
ADB Trains Fijian Prosecutors on the Bench Book on Children
On 12–18 December 2024, ADB conducted a comprehensive training program on the Fiji Bench Book on Children (Parts A and B) for Fiji's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).