Asian Development Bank

Overview

The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) supports, on a grant basis, innovative projects that directly and positively impact the poor in Asia and the Pacific.

In 1999 ADB made a radical shift in the way it operates. With the adoption of the new Poverty Reduction Strategy, ADB refocused its work to the single, overarching goal of eliminating poverty from the region. ADB's JFPR Board Paper states that the overall objective is to support innovative poverty reduction and related social development activities that can add substantive value to ADB financed projects.

JFPR will finance small investment projects aimed directly at poverty reduction with a conceptual link to ADB financed loan projects. JFPR gives priority to innovative activities that demonstrate ADB's efforts in fighting poverty. Collaboration with civil society is essential for the effective implementation of this program.

To support ADB's effort to fight poverty in ADB's developing member countries (DMCs), the Government of Japan contributed initially ¥10 Billion - approx. US$90 Million to establish JFPR.

In May 2001, the Government of Japan added ¥ 7.9 Billion - approx. US$ 65 million - for JFPR. This was further followed by another ¥10 Billion - approx. US$90 Million - in March 2002, with a special focus on Afghanistan and its neighboring countries.

In May 2002 during the ADB Annual Meeting in Shanghai, another ¥ 7.1 billion - approx. US$ 50 million was further committed to the Fund, giving it a total of US$295 million.

Read the JFPR brochure. English | [ PDF ]