Asian Think Tank Forum 2013

(Beijing)

30–31 October 2013


About the forum

The ADB–Asian Think Tank Development Forum 2013, which was the first forum of the ADB–Asian Think Tanks Network, was held in Beijing on 30-31 October 2013. The forum was organized by ADB in partnership with the Beijing office of the Asia–Pacific Finance and Development Center, a think tank of the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China.

The discussions covered latest global and regional policy developments and country-specific experiences and policy issues on innovation and inclusion. The forum provided an excellent opportunity for all participants to reflect on and share innovative knowledge and experiences through fruitful discussions, resulting in a successful forum.

Participants

The forum gathered 130 participants, comprised mostly of representatives of 47 think tanks from 26 countries in Asia and the Pacific. They are senior officials/staff of think tanks closely associated with their respective countries’ central ministries of finance, economy, and planning; and closely involved in supporting governments in preparing medium- or long-term development plans and in responding to emerging policy issues.

Output

The forum resulted in the following:

  • Establishment of the ADB–Asian Think Tanks Network to give ADB and member think tanks access to regional and country-specific knowledge that will enrich their respective research work and capacity to provide policy advice. The participating think tanks also agreed to hold a second forum in 2014, toward the objective of having the ADB–Asian Think Tank Development Forum as an annual event. The Korea Development Institute agreed to co-host the 2nd ADB–Asian Think Tank Development Forum, scheduled on 20-21 November 2014 in Seoul, Korea.
  • Two publications: a) 1st issue of the ADB–Asian Think Tanks Network eNewsletter, which provides snapshots of the forum discussions; and b) forum proceedings, which provides the highlights of the entire forum.
  • Forum Materials, which comprise materials discussed during the forum, e.g., regional overviews and selected countries’ perspectives on innovation and inclusive growth.

Agenda

The two-day forum was organized into four sessions discussing innovation and inclusive growth, which are both timely and critical to ADB’s developing member countries. The practices and approaches adopted by selected countries on these two areas were highlighted. To ensure the active engagement of the think tanks, the sessions were structured into regional overviews and selected country presentations. Each session comprised of expert presentations, commentaries from discussants and plenary discussions.

9 September 2016 — Day 2