Description

Asia’s policy makers must pursue inclusive and green growth simultaneously if they wish their people to enjoy the fruits of sustainable growth. There is no trade off. Widening inequality within countries and between countries threatens the progress the region has made in fighting poverty. Much more needs to be done to ensure all segments of societies benefit from growth – as the region is still home to the world’s largest concentration of poor. Environmental degradation is another looming threat. The combined effects of both can strain social cohesion and destabilize gains made and in turn have spin-off effect on rest of the world.

Mr. Rajat M. Nag is the Managing Director General of the Asian Development Bank. He has been with the institution for more than two decades and assumed his current position in December 2006. Mr. Nag’s work has given him wide-ranging insight into several issues and challenges relevant to Asia, including infrastructure financing, public-private partnerships and regional economic integration. His particular interest is in working to enhance regional cooperation and integration in Asia and bridge the gap between the region’s thriving economies and the millions of poor people being left behind. He has held several top positions in ADB. Prior to his current post, he was head of ADB’s Southeast Asia Department and Special Adviser to the President on Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration.

Mr. Nag began his professional career at the Bank of Canada and held senior positions in a leading international consulting firm before joining ADB. He holds engineering degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and the University of Saskatchewan (Canada). He also obtained Masters degrees in Business Administration from the University of Saskatchewan and in Economics from The London School of Economics