Finance Ministers, senior government officials, leaders, academics, and representatives of international organizations will gather in Kyoto, Japan to discuss these and other issues during ADB’s 40th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in May.

The event, to be held from May 4 to 7, will take place at the Kyoto International Conference Center. Online registration for journalists has been extended until April 20 and will be required for access to the sessions, seminars and meeting venues. Online registration is encouraged in order to avoid delays in obtaining media credentials on-site.

A fully equipped Media Center will be set up at the Prince Hall of the Grand Prince Hotel, which is adjacent to the conference center. The center will be staffed by ADB’s Department of External Relations and will have desk space for more than 100 journalists, and booths for news agencies.

Other topics addressed during the meeting include clean energy and the environment, private capital flows, financing for small and medium enterprises, efforts to advance Asia’s bond market, new investment opportunities in emerging markets across Asia, disaster risk management, and the ageing population of Asia.

ADB’s Annual Meeting brings together senior government officials from across Asia and the Pacific to discuss ways to effectively address poverty and ensure sustainable economic growth in the region.

The meeting will also include country presentations from Viet Nam, Pakistan, and the Philippines, an open forum on ADB-civil society organization cooperation, and a special Governors’ seminar on Asia’s future.

The meeting will have its formal opening session on the morning of May 6 and will close late afternoon of May 7 with a press conference.

ADB’s highest policy-making body is its Board of Governors, which meets annually and comprises one representative from each member country. The annual meetings are statutory occasions for the Governors of ADB members to provide guidance on ADB administrative, financial and operational directions.