The International Studies students, under the Global Development and Gender Studies track, went to the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank in Mandaluyong City for a study tour last March 9, 2023.

Mr. Oscar Amiel Badiola, of the ADB Philippines Country Office gave a presentation on ADB’s financing of climate change-related projects. He also discussed the challenges in providing support to its member countries. The lecture was followed by a tour of the ADB headquarters, allowing the students to see some of the bank’s state-of-the-art facilities and a glimpse of its day-to-day operations. The tour concluded with a visit to ADB’s History Gallery which provided the students a brief background of how the bank was established and some of the milestones it has reached.

As a multilateral development bank, ADB’s operation provides a rich insight into the problems of developing countries and the challenges faced both by donor institutions and recipient countries in ensuring the effectiveness of the development support being provided. The ADB Study Tour is one of the activities included in the new course, The Politics of Financing Development, which looks at the salient issues in the field of international aid and development.

This study tour is part of the Politics of Financing Development subject handled by Mr. Noel Del Castillo. Joining the students in the tour was another IS faculty, Mr. James Catudan.