As the curtains were drawn on the 52 nd Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors Annual
Meeting, Fiji’s hosting as the Pacific Island nation has been hailed as one “exceeding expectations”.
ADB president Takehiko Nakao, in a press conference held in Westin Hotel in Denarau, said the
arrangements, logistically, and the issues such as climate change and sustainable tourism were done
had exceeded what his expectations were before he arrived into the country.
The Chair of the Board of Governors and Fijian Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said Fiji’s
hosting of the meeting will be the first of many and that any such multilateral gatherings held in the
country must be seen as an achievement for the Pacific.
“As the Prime Minister mentioned during the opening, we do not see this as just Fiji hosting but one
hosted by the Pacific,” said.
More than 2000 delegates and 140 journalists from the Asia Pacific region and beyond converged to
Denarau island for a series of meetings held at multiple locations to discuss a plethora of issues that
will affect the ADB member countries.