News
ADB and ADBI Hold Third and Final Workshop in the Carbon Markets Webinar Series, on Legal and Regulatory Frameworks for Attracting Financing
On 1 August 2025, the ADB Office of the General Counsel and the ADB Institute hosted the final webinar in the Carbon Markets Series, which focused on developing legal and regulatory frameworks. Attended by 35 participants, the session explored key elements for building effective carbon markets, managing risks and opportunities, and attracting financing. In particular, presentations highlighted private sector considerations for investing—for instance, market feasibility and safeguards against greenwashing—and the importance of integrity in climate-related disclosures.
ADB Launches Legal Blueprint to Guide Law and Policymakers on Carbon Markets
In July 2025, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) published the seminal Legal Blueprint for Developing and Regulating Carbon Markets to serve as a valuable and timely knowledge resource for law and policymakers in designing national carbon market laws and regulations. Developed under ADB’s Law and Policy Reform (LPR) Program, the legal blueprint focuses on the supply side—what countries hosting carbon crediting projects need to regulate to provide legal clarity to market participants and ensure social and environmental integrity to generate high-integrity carbon credits.
ADB and ADBI Hold Second Workshop in Carbon Markets Webinar Series, Focusing on Safeguards, Community Protection, and Benefit Sharing
On 3 July 2025, the Office of the General Counsel’s Law and Policy Reform Program and the ADB Institute hosted a webinar entitled "Strengthening Legal Frameworks for Equitable and Sustainable Carbon Credit Implementation," the second workshop in the 3-part Carbon Markets Webinar Series.
Developing Innovative Business Models with AI in Uzbekistan
On May 27-28, 2025, ADB’s Law and Policy Reform (LPR) Program organized a transformative two-day training program titled "Developing Innovative Business Models with AI in Uzbekistan" in Tashkent. Organized in collaboration with the Graduate School of Business and Entrepreneurship, the event brought together stakeholders from government, academia, industry leaders, and tech sector experts to explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in driving Uzbekistan's digital transformation.
ADB’s LPR Program Supports Tashkent Law Spring Forum with Expertise and Engagement
The Law and Policy Reform (LPR) Program at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported the Fourth International Legal Forum "Tashkent Law Spring" convened on 29-30 May 2025, organized by Uzbekistan Ministry of Justice with contributions from various partners.
ADB and ADBI launch Carbon Markets Webinar Series to Support Policymakers and Public Sector Stakeholders on Legal and Policy Carbon Markets Infrastructure Development
On 28-29 May, ADB General Counsel Thomas M. Clark and ADB Institute (ADBI) Dean Bambang Brodjonegoro welcomed participants to the launch of the Carbon Markets Webinar Series, a capacity building workshop developed by the ADB Office of the General Counsel’s Law and Policy Reform Program in collaboration with ADBI.
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 Supports Fiji’s Move to Modernize Forestry Legislation to Address 21st Century Challenges
Fiji is drafting a new forestry bill to replace its 1992 Forest Act—modernizing the law to provide more holistic protection to forests. With ADB’s Law and Policy Reform Program, Fijian officials are working to align the draft with domestic and international commitments, including the Climate Change Act 2021 and the Paris Agreement, and with stakeholders’ needs. In May 2025, the Ministry of Forestry and ADB held stakeholders' consultations, allowing affected communities, traditional landowners, and others to inform the final version before it reaches Parliament.
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.