Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been proven to catalyze both investments, for bridging investment gaps and improving efficiencies in delivery of services.

This edition of Learning Lessons illustrates how lessons from evaluation can augment ongoing efforts for mitigating risks in the urban water supply sector at the institutional, organizational, operational, and project levels. It also aims to enhance development effectiveness of ADB assistance in the sector.

An additional 3 billion Asians could enjoy higher living standards, and the region could account for over half of global output by the middle of this century, says a ADB commissioned report.

This report summarizes the findings of the Asian Development Bank's technical assistance project TA-7250: Cross- Sectoral Implications of Biofuel Production and Use in India. Implementation of its national biofuel policy will help offset the effects of oil price increases on the economy of India in the next 2 decades.

Slums, informal settlements, and dilapidated inner-city tenements are problems that many cities in Asia and the Pacific struggle with while their economies try to modernize and develop.

Asian Development Outlook 2011, forecasts developing Asia to expand solidly over the next two years, even as inflation, geopolitical uncertainties and the need to develop new sources of growth present looming challenges to policy makers.

Sustained economic growth can contribute significantly to poverty reduc-
tion, as evidenced by marked declines in poverty incidence for economies
that have enjoyed long periods of economic growth. But a financial crisis
could disrupt growth and frustrate such development. While crisis-hit

This report provides information to relevant stakeholders on the importance of developing the solar energy sector in Asia and the Pacific, investment opportunities and challenges in the sector, and the approach adopted by the Asia Solar Energy Initiative to facilitate the rapid deployment of solar energy applications in the region

Climate change and the resulting rise in sea level would affect water sector infrastructure, such as surface water supply and urban drainage systems. The climate resilience of such infrastructure should then be made more climate-resilient to optimize its expected benefits.

The specter of high commodity prices has recently reemerged, with global food prices registering a new peak in February 2011, triggered mainly by production shortfalls due to bad weather. The 30% hike in international food prices has translated to an average domestic food price inflation in developing Asia of about 10%.