Odilbek Manabov provides a comprehensive overview of the key discussions, institutional decisions and strategic priorities presented during the ADB Annual Meeting held in Samarkand from 3 to 6 May 2026. The report situates the meeting within a broader context of geopolitical fragmentation, supply-chain instability and growing demand for regional resilience, highlighting how connectivity, digital infrastructure, energy security and resource mobilisation are becoming central pillars of development policy in Asia and the Pacific.

A major focus of the report is the transformation of ADB’s agenda in response to emerging global and regional challenges. Particular attention is given to the expansion of the bank’s lending capacity, the updated energy policy allowing nuclear energy financing, the launch of the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative and the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway Initiative, as well as new approaches to private capital mobilisation. The report shows that ADB is increasingly moving beyond traditional development financing towards a broader role as a facilitator of regional integration, infrastructure connectivity and crisis resilience.

The report also gives significant attention to Uzbekistan and Central Asia. It highlights Uzbekistan’s promotion of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, the country’s growing role in regional energy connectivity, the development of critical minerals and circular economy policies, and the importance of transport corridors linking Central Asia with South Asia. In this regard, the report frames Uzbekistan not only as the host of the annual meeting, but also as an increasingly active participant in shaping regional infrastructure, energy and logistics agendas.

Overall, Manabov’s report presents the 59th ADB Annual Meeting as an important platform where development finance, geopolitics and regional connectivity converged. It demonstrates that issues such as energy transition, critical minerals, digital infrastructure, food security, private investment and transport corridors are no longer purely economic matters, but increasingly strategic components of regional stability and long-term competitiveness.

* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.