ADB VP due in city tomorrow

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FE Report
Vice-president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Liqun Jin, will arrive in the capital tomorrow (Wednesday) on a three-day visit to review Bangladesh's on-going reform works and ADB's operations in the country, according to a senior official of the local ADB office.
During the official talks with Liqun Jin, the government will brief him on the consequences of the recent flood and seek funding support from the Manila-based donor to recover from the losses, sources in the Finance Ministry said.
The sources added some government policy makers would hold talks with the ADB's senior executive and explain the country's reform works undertaken to improve governance, voting rights and political stability in the country.
The government might request Jin to extend ADB's support for the post-flood rehabilitation works and also to assist in some priority projects including construction of the Padma Bridge, power generation and reforms in different public sectors.
"Since the flood waters have receded from the affected areas in the country, the government is considering the post-flood rehabilitation work as the first priority that will require a large amount of funds. Therefore, it will seek support from the ADB," he said adding, no fund has yet been confirmed by the largest multilateral donor for the flood rehabilitation works.
Meanwhile, sources in the ADB local office said that the high-official might extend ADB's support to the ongoing reform works undertaken by the present interim administration in Bangladesh.
The ADB official said although Liqun Jin would participate in the silver jubilee celebration ceremony of the ADB Resident Mission in Dhaka on October 11, he would also meet different high-level policy makers in the government including Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, the sources said.
On the first day of his visit Wednesday, the ADB vice-president would call on the Finance and Planning Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam. In the following day (Thursday), he will meet Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed followed by meetings with Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Adviser Anwarul Iqbal, Communications Adviser MA Matin, and Information and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Barrister Mainul Hussain.
Liqun Jin, a Chinese national, will participate in the 25-year anniversary of the ADB resident mission in Dhaka on Thursday evening at a city hotel, the ADB sources said adding the resident mission was set up in 1982 as the first field-level office out of the ADB's headquarters in Manila.
Before departing Dhaka on October 12, the Vice-President will also meet the executives of all donor agencies and countries working in Bangladesh to plan a common strategy for helping Bangladesh, sources in the ADB said.