In international development terms, Asia-Pacific is arguably a complicated case. Despite stellar economic growth, the region is still home to 60 percent of the world’s population who live on less than $2 a day.
Progress is therefore good but still lacking, and maybe the key to truly achieving sustainable development in this part of the world is getting rid of business-as-usual approaches and embracing new ways of thinking.
Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao, for one, firmly believes innovation can fast-track overall development in Asia-Pacific — and not just in the kind of programs the bank implements, but also in the way the institution views and positions itself in the rapidly evolving regional development landscape.