The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Sustainability Report has been issued every 2 years since 2007. The current Sustainability Report contains selected performance highlights of ADB's operations and corporate footprint during 2011-2012. The Sustainability Report is accompanied by its expanded online version that provides a more detailed review of ADB's sustainability performance and includes an extensive response to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. Throughout the expanded online version, hyperlinks provide access to further information on the ADB website www.adb.org and elsewhere.

In the context of Strategy 2020 and in the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), ADB prepared the report Environment Operational Directions, 2013–2020. The report aims to provide a coherent overview of its environment operations and to articulate how it will step up efforts to help the region achieve a transition to environmentally sustainable growth or green growth. Building on ADB sector and thematic plans, this paper provides a brief review of recent ADB experience in environment operations, and identifies effective approaches for the development of “greener” country partnership strategies, investment projects, and associated knowledge and technical assistance activities. The paper is aligned with key elements of relevant ADB sector and thematic operational plans, particularly for sectors where environmental sustainability is a priority. These include the Sustainable Transport Initiative Operational Plan, the Urban Operational Plan, the Water Operational Plan, the Energy Policy, and the Sustainable Food Security Plan, as well as the Climate Change Strategic Priorities.

The widespread loss of natural ecosystems and biodiversity is much more than a conservation issue. Natural ecosystems provide socially and economically valuable services--such as food and fiber resources, clean water and climate regulation--that are fundamental to human welfare, but are often overlooked in decision-making processes. Produced through a partnership between ADB and WWF International, this report provides examples of promising approaches for sustainably managing natural capital in the region. These are based on experiences from four important regional cooperation initiatives, which demonstrate the commitment of the participating governments to protecting the integrity of natural ecosystems while improving livelihoods and reducing poverty.

The third Sustainability Report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provides, in a readily available format, information about our continued work on promoting environmentally sustainable and inclusive growth, and on reducing our corporate footprint. To facilitate comparability, the structure of this third reports is similar to that of the first two, which were issued in 2007 and 2009. The contents are presented in three main sections: Part 1 provides the background of the organization||- its mandate and structures in line with Strategy 2020, ADB's long-term strategic framework. Part 2 features ADB's work on important aspects of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific, including the environment, social development and governance. Part 3 provides updates on ADB's work to reduce its corporate footprint. The report responds to and presents information in accordance to the Global Reporting Initiative's G3 indicators. The appendix links the G3 indicators with the text of the report and other pertinent sources.