MINISTER OF FINANCE
OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
The 42nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors
Closing Address
Chair, Board of Governors and Governor for Indonesia
H.E Dr. Sri Mulyani Indrawati
Distinguished Governors, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen,
The 42nd Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank now draws to a close. On behalf of the Government and people of Indonesia, I would like to register formally that it has been an honor and pleasure to host this momentous event.
This year’s ADB Annuals in Bali brought together a true cross-section of the society. An incredible 4,622 people registered and over 3,000 people took part in one forum or another. I understand that this is a new attendance record for the ADB Annual meetings. These people all made a positive contribution to the direction of the annuals.
This collaborative gathering has been an occasion for detailed consideration of current and future national, regional and global developments and the effect they may have on our ability to fulfill the ADB’s mandate — to bring an end to poverty and to improve the overall prosperity of the Asian and Pacific region.
We understand that in this pursuit much remains to be done. But we are moving in the right direction. We are seeing that an increasing number of our citizens are able to pursue to the fullest extent possible their hopes, dreams and aspirations.
With the strong support of its members, the ADB is helping to make this happen. The ADB has the experience and the expertise to continue making a significant contribution to making Asia and the Pacific a model for other regions of the world.
Let us take this opportunity to renew our promise to continue our efforts to making Asia and the Pacific a flourishing, successful, and just region.
Let us also resolve to be innovative and bold as we tackle the challenges of the future.
And let us reaffirm our commitment to energetically and attentively listen to and address the changing needs of the people who live in the Asia-Pacific region.
Looking ahead, it will be more important than ever to ensure that growth is equitable, socially and environmentally sustainable, and inclusive.
I call on all of us — the ADB’s members and partner organizations — to continue working together to support the ADB, including through contributions to the Asian Development Fund. By doing so, we can all make a lasting contribution to development that improves the living standards of Asia-Pacific’s poorest citizens.
As Indonesia’s hosting draws to a close and we prepare to hand the baton over to the next hosts, I would like to take this opportunity to wish Uzbekistan well with their hosting of the 43rd Annuals. Indonesia stands ready to extend the hand of friendship and would willingly pass on the lessons we have learnt from the experience of hosting this year’s annuals.
Finally, I extend the appreciation and best wishes of the Board of Governors to President Kuroda, the Management team and ADB staff as they seek to implement Strategy 2020.
I would also like to applaud the meeting Secretariat, both my staff from the Indonesian Ministry of Finance and staff of the ADB, for their hard work in making this year’s annual meeting a great success.
Thank you all very much for your participation in, and contributions to, the 42nd Annual Meeting. I hope you will take the time to stay longer in Indonesia and to enjoy the beautiful island of Bali and other areas of this great nation.
I wish you a safe and pleasant journey home.
Thank you.