Cook Islands Adb Tender

The Asian Development Bank ADB joined the Government of the Cook Islands in an inauguration ceremony to officially open ADBs Cook Islands Pacific Country Office PCO in Rarotonga. The office has been operational since 2020 but the official opening was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.ADBs Pacific Subregional Office Regional Director Aaron Batten and ADB Executive Director Arif Baharudin joined Cook Islands Ministry of Finance and Economic Management Financial Secretary Garth Henderson for the ceremony.For almost 50 years ADB has been assisting Cook Islands to achieve its development goals said Mr. Batten. ADB will continue to support the Cook Islands recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic including private sector investment to create jobs and livelihood opportunities. The bank will explore future support to the countrys transport particularly aviation water and sanitation sectors. ADBs Cook Islands PCO will play a critical role in this work.ADB finance and technical assistance has helped Cook Islands achieve our development results said Mr. Henderson. The Cook Islands PCO deepens our partnership with ADB and allows us to be more responsive to the needs of the people of the Cook Islands.ADBs work with the Cook Islands is focusing on building resilience against economic shocks and supporting the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic while promoting private sector investment.The Cook Islands has been working with ADB since 1976 and to date ADB has committed 59 public sector loans grants and technical assistance totaling almost 222 million. ADBs ongoing sovereign portfolio in the Cook Islands includes four loans worth almost 100 million.The Cook Islands PCO is headed by Lavinia Tama and joins other ADB PCOs in the Pacific including in the Federated States of Micronesia Kiribati the Marshall Islands Nauru Palau Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu and Vanuatu. It also joins ADBs country offices in Australia Fiji and Papua New Guinea in boosting ADBs field presence to facilitate aid coordination and aid effectiveness in the Pacific region.ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous inclusive resilient and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966 it is owned by 68 members49 from the region.