Australia’s Asian Development Fund pledge delivers for the region

To help respond to the needs of the region and deliver transformative development projects across the Indo-Pacific, Australia has pledged AUD $492 million for the Asian Development Fund's (ADF14) 2025-28 pledging round.

The Fund is administered by the Asian Development Bank and provides grants to lower-income developing countries for initiatives that reduce poverty and improve quality of life.

The pledge from Australia will help countries in our region meet their most pressing needs, including construction of climate resilient hospitals and education facilities as well as supporting the health and education systems to run those facilities.

Australia worked closely with Pacific Island representatives from Cook Islands and Kiribati to ensure that the Pacific will receive over AUD500 million more than the previous Asian Development Fund replenishment (ADF13).

We also sought further support for climate action and gender equality, in line with Australia's International Development Policy.

Australia advocated for a new mechanism to ensure funding reaches the people of Afghanistan, Myanmar and displaced Rohingya populations in Bangladesh, with a strong focus on women and girls.

Australia is also working closely with the Asian Development Bank as it implements reforms to respond to global demands, including improving infrastructure quality for Pacific partners, and enhancing the capacity and economic benefits of projects through more local jobs and procurement.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong:

'Australia's contributions to the Asian Development Fund will assist countries in our region to meet their most pressing needs.

'Australia has been working closely with the Fund and the Asian Development Bank to ensure it delivers for our region, and addresses Pacific priorities, including climate change.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Pat Conroy MP:

'We continue to work with the ADB on critical reforms to deliver on the interests of our region. Our ongoing investment reflects the ADB's essential role in meeting the region's sustainable development needs.

'We welcome the ADB's strong alignment with Australia's International Development Policy and we support its efforts to position itself as the region's 'climate bank', including its ambition to deliver USD100 billion to climate financing from 2019 to 2030."