13.1. Invitations to the Annual Meeting

1.  "[t]he President shall notify all members, by the most rapid possible means, of the date and place of each meeting of the Board."
   Invitations to the Annual Meeting are sent by the Secretary of ADB on behalf of the ADB President and the Chair of the Board of Governors.
2. Governors. Section 2(c) of the Rules of Procedure of the Board of Governors states that "[t]he President shall notify all members, by the most rapid possible means, of the date and place of each meeting of the Board." Accordingly, a notice of the meeting is sent from the Secretary in January to Governors and Alternate Governors, and to official member government channels of communication.
3. No invitations are issued by the Chair of the Board of Governors, and no formal invitation to attend the meeting is sent directly to the Governors. The procedure for sending the invitations follows.
   1. Governors.
      • ADB sends each member a notice of the Annual Meeting and draft agenda by December.
      • At the start of registration (usually in January), ADB sends an online invitation to the contact person nominated by each member. The contact person is responsible for disseminating the invitation letter to member delegates who will participate in the Annual Meeting, including the Governor and Alternate Governor.
      • Each contact person is responsible for ensuring that all delegation members register individually online using the group code in the online invitation letter sent by ADB.
      • Online registration is available throughout the entire meeting, and registration center is open for those who fail to register on-line prior to the event.
   2. Other invitations.
      • ​ADB accredits organizations to attend the Annual Meeting according to the procedures described below.
        • Observers. A draft list of observers to be invited to the Annual Meeting is approved by the Board of Directors, which is then also submitted to the Chair for approval and posted online.
        • Civil society organizations (CSOs) and other non-government organizations (NGOs). The NGO and the Civil Society Center manage the accreditation process, which requires screening of each CSO seeking accreditation. The NGOC will forward a recommendation for accreditation to the Director General of SDCC for approval. Once it is approved, NGOC sends a letter of invitation to the CSO. If the CSO is found not to satisfy the accreditation criteria, NGOC shall inform the CSO, providing an explanation of which criteria it believes have not been met.
        • Private sector and banker guests. The Treasury Department accredits the organizations, consulting the Board of Directors as necessary.
        • Media. ADB, through its Department of Communications (DOC), accredits all journalists who wish to attend the Annual Meeting. Journalists duly accredited are entitled to attend all public events at the Annual Meeting.
        • Host country guests. The accreditation of host country guests is the responsibility of the host country, whether these be local dignitaries, private sector chief executive officers or banks, members of academe or think tanks, NGOs, or CSOs. In the case of the host country, individuals as well as organizations may be invited.
      • ADB sends an online invitation to the head of an accredited organization.
      • Once registration is complete, including submitting a photograph, the participant receives an online confirmation letter as proof that he or she has registered.
      • Organizations cannot be accredited onsite. Delegates may register onsite within the designated registration area provided that they are representing a previously accredited organization, and that they have proof of their identities, copies of their invitation letters, and proof that they are representing their organization.
4.  Organizations cannot be accredited onsite. Delegates may register onsite within the designated registration area provided that they are representing a previously accredited organization, and that they have proof of their identities, copies of their invitation letters, and proof that they are representing their organization.
5. Observers. In accordance with Section 2(h) of the Rules of Procedure of the Board of Governors, "[t]he Chairman of the Board, in consultation with the Board of Directors, may invite observers to attend any meeting of the Board." ADB informally consults the Chair of the Board of Governors on the draft list of observers before sending the list to the Board of Directors. After approval by the Board of Directors, the list is sent to the Chair for final approval. Observers are invited to attend by an online invitation from the Secretary on behalf of the Chair.
6. Guests. The criterion for accreditation of an institution is that it should have financial or operational relations with ADB. Guests include representatives from banks and other financial institutions; consulting firms; engineering, procurement, and construction firms; and corporations that have a continuing, significant working relationship with ADB. This category may also include representatives from banks and other corporations that currently have no working relationship with ADB but are either players in the market or have the potential to work closely with ADB. Representatives from private sector sponsors are included in the guest category. It also includes former ADB Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Secretaries, and former staff members who are members of the Association of Former Employees of ADB (AFE–ADB). In addition, it includes members of the diplomatic corps, academic researchers and students interested in or working in international development. Guests are invited to attend through online invitations from the Secretary to the head of the institution or company. To be invited, such institutions must be accredited by ADB in advance.
7. Media. International, regional, and host country media are invited to attend the Annual Meeting. All media invitations are issued through ADB's DOC. To facilitate local media participation, the host country is required to send ADB a list of media based in their country who could be invited to the Annual Meeting. Only journalists who are invited by ADB, and have been issued with an ADB Annual Meeting badge will be allowed to attend the ADB Annual Meeting. ADB and the host country have the right to determine whether a journalist will be given access to the Annual Meeting.
8. Non-government organizations and civil society organizations. Accredited CSOs from ADB members are welcome to attend the Annual Meeting. In September of each year, the board paper approved by the ADB President is prepared by NGOC and is sent to the Board of Directors. The paper includes a list of previously accredited CSOs for approval by the Board through no-objection arrangement. The NGOC sends invitations to previously accredited CSOs. On the other hand, new CSOs who intend to attend for the first time and have not yet been accredited in the past, will have to send a request for accreditation to NGOC through the ADB website. The application form for CSO accreditation will be posted on the ADB Annual Meeting website in January. CSOs are requested to complete the form and submit supporting papers that provide information about the organization.
   
   The NGOC screens each CSO requesting to be accredited based on the following set of criteria. The CSO (i) operates legally in an ADB member, (ii) it is independent of the state and has not been created for profit-making purposes, and (ii) it engages in activities related to development policy and practice relevant to ADB operations. If the CSO satisfies these three criteria, NGOC will forward a recommendation for accreditation to the Director General of SDCC. Once the recommendation is approved by DG SDCC, the NGOC sends a letter of invitation to the CSO. If the CSO is found not to satisfy the above criteria, NGOC shall inform the CSO, providing an explanation of which screening criteria it believes have not been met.
9. Host country guests. Up to 500 local dignitaries may be invited by the Chair to the Annual Meeting, such as (i) members of the diplomatic corps, (ii) government officials, (iii) sponsors who need to be thanked, and (iv) distinguished representatives of business and the academic community. The host country is responsible for the accreditation and invitation of these guests, using ADB's online registration system.
10. Requests for invitations. Interested parties whose names are not in the ADB database for the meeting may express their interest in attending by emailing the Secretary, or the Treasurer for guests from financial institutions, the DOC Director for the media, or the Head of the NGOC for CSO participation. ADB assesses their eligibility to attend and sends an e-mail reply. y.
11. An online accreditation form is also available for individuals who are interested in participating in the Annual Meeting but are not accredited by ADB. The request for accreditation goes directly to the appropriate inviting units for their evaluation and necessary action. After evaluation has been made and if the applicant is accredited, an online invitation from the Secretary is sent by the concerned inviting unit.