Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa Monday expressed his intention to stand for re-election as president for the 5-year term after his current term ends on 23 November 2021. Asakawa said, “ADB has worked closely with our developing member countries (DMCs) throughout the global pandemic to design and implement effective solutions for Asia and the Pacific in a timely and tailored manner. We have also continued efforts to address critical long-term development agendas such as gender, climate change, and private sector development, as directed by our Strategy 2030.” Asakawa said, “If re-elected, I commit to strengthening ADB’s focus on supporting DMCs’ recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, to deepening our partnerships with all ADB members and peer organisations, and to ensuring staff well-being.” he said that ADB will make every effort to ensure DMCs can sustain the impressive gains they have achieved and continue their progress towards a resilient, green, and inclusive future. The ADB president is nominated from ADB’s regional members for a 5-year term and elected by the ADB board of governors. Asakawa was elected as president by the board of governors on 30 November 2019 and assumed office on 17 January 2020 to serve the remaining term of his predecessor, Takehiko Nakao. Under his leadership, ADB has made significant contributions to the region’s response to the coronavirus disease pandemic and recovery planning. In April 2020, ADB announced a $20 billion comprehensive response package, covering both sovereign and nonsovereign assistance, to help its DMCs mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. In December, ADB launched the $9 billion Asia Pacific vaccine access facility to provide rapid and equitable support to its DMCs as they procure and deliver effective and safe Covid-19 vaccines.