The African Development Bank's Quality Assurance and Results Department has launched the first issue of its new Safeguards and Sustainability Series (3S), focusing on the Bank's Integrated Safeguards System, which promotes greater accountability and transparency in Bank projects and operations.
In each issue, the periodic 3S publication will highlight effective and sustainable solutions promoted by the Bank for dealing with challenges of environmental safeguards, social development and climate changes issues facing the African continent. The series will offer a wide range of technical and policy studies, research, knowledge and opinion pieces produced within the mandate of the Quality Assurance and Results Department and other collaborating units of the Bank.
The Bank believes that Africa's longer-term growth trajectory is closely tied to the sustainable management of its natural resources. In the foreword to the 2012 report "The preferred partner?: A client assessment of the African Development Bank", which surveyed the Bank's regional stakeholders, AfDB President Donald Kaberuka stated that "the African Development Bank must adapt to a rapidly changing African context and the new global challenges" to become a preferred partner in Africa's sustainable development. With this in mind, the Bank aims to develop a large network of development practitioners to share their knowledge and expertise to promote Africa's inclusive growth and environmentally sustainable development.
The Bank and its regional member countries have placed considerable emphasis on sustainable development, notably the protection of the environment and livelihoods during the development process. In December 2013, the African Development Bank Board of Governors and Board of Directors unanimously adopted the Integrated Safeguards System (ISS) - the cornerstone of the Bank's strategy to promote growth that is both socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable, in line with the Ten Year Strategy (2013-2022).
With the ISS, the African Development Bank has gone beyond the traditional risk-management approach and sees its interventions in African countries as opportunities to improve the lives of Africans. The Safeguards and Sustainability Series aims to serve as a platform for the Bank to share knowledge and best practices with its partners and stakeholders for achieving sustainable development results on the continent.
