Annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Frankfurt
At the beginning of May Frankfurt am Main is hosting the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). An interview with Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, ADB Governor for Germany.
Mr Fuchtel, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was established 50 years ago. For the first time Germany will be hosting the ADB Annual Meeting, which will take place from 2 to 5 May 2016. What were the arguments in favour of holding the meeting in Germany, or rather in Frankfurt?
I am pleased that it has been possible for us after 49 years of membership to bring the Annual Meeting to Germany for the first time – a unique opportunity to put the focus once again on the subject of sustainability after the world conferences in New York and Paris and to present our vision. It is certainly worth discussing our experiences with more than 3,000 high-level representatives from Asia’s economic and financial world. We can only overcome the major challenges facing this planet in the future by working with Asia. Germany has much to offer: we have a strong economy, we are the land of energy transition and many ideas. In Frankfurt there will be at least 35 finance ministers and Asian central bank governors, including too those from the major emerging markets of China, India and Indonesia. Frankfurt provides top-class speakers. The headquarters of the European Central Bank and the Deutsche Bundesbank are located here, along with the major German commercial banks. Federal Chancellor Merkel, ECB President Draghi, Bundesbank President Weidmann, former Federal President Köhler, Federal Development Minister Müller and many other distinguished people will take part in the Annual Meeting.
In your invitation to the Annual Meeting, you say that, while 2015 was the year of historic commitments, 2016 must become the starting point for implementation. What is the objective of the Annual Meeting?
The key finance policy decision-makers from Asia, Europe, the USA and Canada will all gather for this Annual Meeting at the Frankfurt exhibition grounds. We need to take advantage of this unique opportunity for a new development push! We will start a strategic partnership with the ADB in the area of climate change and cooperate more closely on the subject of vocational training. In addition, we wish to promote innovative financial products, so as to involve the private sector more for sustainable development. We all know that public funds are far from sufficient to win the battle against climate change and poverty. In terms of content, we will focus on climate change and energy, sustainable production and supply chains, vocational training and sustainable urban development. Germany has internationally recognised expertise in these areas and is able to show that economic success and sustainability can go hand in hand.
The Annual Meeting is one of Germany’s most important international events of 2016 as a result of its many top-level participants and more than 3,000 guests. What does Germany have to offer on the subject of sustainability?
We became even more aware of the scale of what is on offer during preparations: German energy transition technologies are very sought-after abroad. In 2015 alone, the export earnings from this sector were between 8 and 9 billion euros. Our system of dual vocational training is an export success and of great interest to Asian countries that want to provide training for more young people, and practical vocational training in particular. A further important beacon of sustainability is the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles. Initiated by Minister Müller, it promotes fair and sustainable production standards and now has over 180 members, including major companies in Bangladesh.
At the Frankfurt exhibition grounds, participants will exchange ideas and views on the topic of sustainability and be exposed to new ideas during excursions to leading companies and research institutes. What specifically is planned?
We have developed a new format – the City of Sustainability. This is a large exhibition, in which not only several ministries, but also companies, banks, research institutes and non-governmental organisations will be able to present their solutions for sustainability. Discussion groups, interviews and live presentations should encourage as many guests and actors as possible to meet and to network. As host of the Annual Meeting, we want to demonstrate how sustainable initiatives work in Germany. Participants will be able to learn about vocational training in Germany during a visit to a German business located not far from Frankfurt, which will include presentations by trainees. Participants will be able to find out about the latest developments in resource-friendly and energy-efficient products at the Fraunhofer Institute in Oberhausen.
The travelling exhibition “Germany’s Energy Transition” will also be on show in Frankfurt during the ADB Annual Meeting. The exhibition, which was commissioned by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), is presenting the key stages in the energy transition process. The exhibition is also scheduled to be on show in the following places during 2016: 20.5.–9.6. Cape Town (African Energy Transition Conference), 1.6.–3.6. San Francisco (Clean Energy Ministerial); from 5.6. Mexico City (Opening of the Year of Germany in Mexico).
