Rayyan Hassan on the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank

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Rayyan Hassan is a Bangladeshi development expert based in the Philippines, who is the executive director of the NGO Forum at the Manila-based multilateral financial institution, Asian Development Bank. The NGO Forum comprises over 250 civil society organisations, grassroots organisations, and social movements across Asia. He has advocated civil society concerns to the ADB and its major shareholders, underscoring the importance of human rights, environment, use of natural resources, and political participation.

In this phone conversation with IHRB's Salil Tripathi, Hassan expressses his concerns over the new, China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Being set up to addressed the power imbalance at international financial institutions like the World Bank, the AIIB has received the support of most Asian countries and many European countries, although the United States has held out.

If the bank makes proper investments, it can lead to significant improvements in Asia's infrastructure, building much needed roads and ports. But there are concerns over safeguards for environment and human rights, and as Hassan points out in the conversation, it is important that the architecture of existing safeguards should not be undermined.

We apologise for the poor sound quality in portions of this podcast.