Manila,
Philippines, January 2007 – Cities
Alliance has signed an MOU with the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) that enables ADB's continued
membership in the Alliance. The MOU is the outcome
of a series of negotiations to iron out differences
in the procurement rules of the World Bank, which
administers CA funds, and the ADB, which which had
hindered ADB's access to CA grant funds. All
obstacles have now been removed, and the two
organisations are now free to collaborate on
increasing their support to Asian cities.
According to William Cobbett, CA Programme Manager
who led a CA team to visit Manila in December, the
MOU "clears the way for the Cities Alliance and the
Asian Development Bank to formalize their
partnership, and focus on operationalizing a work
programme that can materially benefit cities and
slum dwellers alike".
Under the MOU, CA is expected to provide grant funds
for use in ADB member countries totaling at least
$1.2 million per year. ADB will use the grant
contributions from CA to provide policy advice,
training and capacity development, institutional
support and other assistance that will all be linked
to investment opportunities.
Activities already approved for a total of $2
million include a citywide slum upgrading programme
in Philippines, development strategies for
Azerbaijan, and an urban upgrading strategy for
Yangzhou, People's Republic of China.
The first of these initiatives, the Metro Manila
"Cities Without Slums" Strategy, backed by a CA
grant of $500,000 which was approved in February
2006, will help develop a strategy and an
institutional framework linking the Housing and
Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC),
local government units, financing institutions and
nongovernment organizations. “The initiative will
help in achieving the Government's 15-year strategy
for a Slum Free Manila,” says Florian Steinberg, an
ADB Urban Development Specialist.
The Asian Development Bank joined in CA in 2002 and
is contributing $250,000 for annual membership over
the next three years. ADB's membership contribution
is made through a technical assistance grant of
$750,000 approved in August 2005.
