Takehiko Nakao

We need more women as political leaders because the participation and leadership of women in public life and decision-making is critical for inclusive growth and development of the Asia Pacific region. As part of our corporate Strategy 2030, the Asian Development Bank is reaffirming its commitment to investing in women’s leadership across our operations to ensure that all women, at all levels of decision-making in the private and public sectors, have a strong voice and role. For ADB, it is also our responsibility to lead by example. Since I joined ADB in 2013, ADB has been pursuing an action plan to improve institutional workplace gender equality with a focus on women in senior management. Since 2013, the share of women in international staff positions has increased from 35% to 37% and that of senior management from 17% to 29% today.