Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev addresses the opening session of the Asian Development Bank's 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, May 4, 2026. Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda on Monday urged Asia and the Pacific to "act together to develop together" through stronger cross-border connections that drive resilience and inclusive growth. Kanda made it clear at the opening session of the ADB's 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, the second-largest city of Uzbekistan. (Uzbekistan Presidential Press Service/Handout via Xinhua)
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda on Monday urged Asia and the Pacific to "act together to develop together" through stronger cross-border connections that drive resilience and inclusive growth.
Kanda made it clear at the opening session of the ADB's 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, the second-largest city of Uzbekistan.
"In this fragmented world, traditional and isolated development responses will fail. To survive and thrive in this new era, we must build deeply connected and resilient systems," said Kanda, who takes the helm of the multilateral development bank supporting sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth across Asia and the Pacific.
Kanda said shocks today travel rapidly across borders, through energy markets, supply chains and digital networks. The ADB is responding to these challenges by scaling up investments and accelerating reforms that enable countries to integrate infrastructure, markets and institutions across Asia and the Pacific.
Last year, the ADB provided 29.3 billion U.S. dollars in financial support to the region, while implementing reforms to deliver assistance more quickly and at scale, he said.
In his opening remarks at the annual event gathering around 4,000 guests from public and private sectors, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed that the country is undergoing a new phase of development, and acknowledged the role of the Asian Development Bank and other international financial institutions in the current large-scale reforms in Uzbekistan.
"Since 2016, we have embarked on major reforms to liberalize the economy, create an attractive investment environment, participate proactively in global value chains," said Mirziyoyev, adding that the country has for the first time joined the ranks of states with a "moderately free" economy.
Underscoring the country's partnership with the ADB, Mirziyoyev said that a new cooperation program with the ADB worth 12 billion U.S. dollars has been signed at this year's annual meeting.
The country has also participated in the ADB's newly-proposed "Asia-Pacific Digital Highway" initiative, with its regional coordination center to be built in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, said Mirziyoyev.
The ADB annual meeting, themed "Crossroads of Progress: Advancing the Region's Connected Future" and underway from Sunday to Wednesday, focuses on ways to advance practical solutions to regional connectivity, digital innovation and development finance. ■
Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda addresses the opening session of the ADB's 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, May 4, 2026.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda on Monday urged Asia and the Pacific to "act together to develop together" through stronger cross-border connections that drive resilience and inclusive growth.
Kanda made it clear at the opening session of the ADB's 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, the second-largest city of Uzbekistan. (ADB/Handout via Xinhua)
