On May 5, 2025, during the 58th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Milan, Fair Finance Asia (FFA), Coalition for Human Rights in Development (CHRD), NGO Forum on ADB, and International Accountability Project will host a session titled “Building a People-Centred, Green, and Gender-Transformative Just Energy Transition in Asia.” This event aims to foster meaningful dialogue between civil society organizations (CSOs) and ADB representatives, focusing on the critical need for a just energy transition (JET) that prioritizes community leadership, environmental sustainability, and gender equality. 

Background 

Asia is at the forefront of the climate crisis. Many countries in the region disproportionately burden the devastating impacts of climate change. They also remain some of the most dependent on highly polluting dirty fossil fuels like coal, while being severely under-resourced and under-equipped to catalyse and sustain a just energy transition (JET) to renewable energy that is not only fast and aligns with greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target, but is people-centred, community-led, and upholds the rights and well-being of local communities and the environment. 

In 2021, the ADB launched its Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), with the aim of helping key Asian countries meet GHG reduction targets by incentivizing the swift retirement of existing coal-fired power plants (CFPPs). According to the ADB, its ETM would be a “key delivery mechanism to ensure implementation of [Indonesia’s] Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).” 

Local communities and CSOs, however, continue to raise critical concerns about gaps in the ETM’s design and implementation. These include loopholes for continued coal financing; lack of meaningful consultation with communities, CSOs, and women’s rights organizations (WROs); insufficient considerations of gendered impacts on women, girls, and other marginalized groups; promotion of resource-intensive and environmentally destructive energy alternatives or “false solutions”; lack of clarity on the extent to which ADB’s safeguards and accountability mechanism will apply; and reports of reprisals on communities and rights defenders. If unaddressed, gaps in ADB’s approach to JET risk inflaming structural social, economic, and gendered inequalities.  

The 58th ADB Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy, will be a strategic platform for CSOs and ADB to engage in productive dialogue on how to strengthen ADB’s approach to JET, in lieu of the ADB’s upcoming review of its 2021 Energy Policy. At the annual meeting, ADB is also set to launch its policy approach on Sustainable Critical Minerals & Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing (CM2CET) Value Chains, and its Board-approved Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). 

Objectives 

• Advance a vision of JET in Asia that is people-centered (community-led, inclusive, participatory, equitable, responsive to grievances, and respects the rights and well-being of all), green (clean, not incentivizing false solutions), and gender-transformative (promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment). 

• Facilitate a dialogue on the critical gaps in ADB’s approach to JET and recommendations on how the ADB can better align with climate science imperatives, international standards in human rights, environment, and gender equality, and principles of transparent, inclusive, and meaningful stakeholder participation. 

• Submit key CSO recommendations to ADB on how ADB can strengthen its approach to JET in lieu of the upcoming review of its 2021 Energy Policy, and launch at the annual meeting of its CM2CET approach and ESF. 

Modality 

To promote interactive dialogue among CSOs and ADB representatives, this session will be conducted as a hybrid World Café-Elevator Pitch. CSOs advocating for improvements in ADB’s approach to JET in key areas will set up booths that showcase their insights and calls to action. ADB representatives and audience members will be invited to visit each booth altogether in a group, where CSOs will share their concerns followed by pitching their vision of how ADB can better finance and support Asia’s JET. After each pitch, ADB representatives and audience members will have an opportunity to share their reflection.