FORUM

PROGRAM
 WEEK AT A GLANCE
24 August 25 August 26 August 27 August 28 August
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Morning Session Sustaining Road Emerging Stronger: Taking-off During
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 am Infrastructure Upstream Actions the COVID Storm:
(GMT +8/Manila time) Quality in Asia and for Environmental, Challenges in
the Pacific: Climate Change, Re-opening
Challenges and and Disaster International
Opportunities Resilience in Aviation in the Asia
Transport Pacific Region
Infrastructure

Afternoon Session Opening Session: Re-imagining the First Workshop of Enhancing the Role Closing Session:
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. High-Level Panel ‒ Future of Transport the Implementation of Big Data in Future Directions for
(GMT +8/Manila time) The New Normal for Through Futures of the Asia Pacific Promoting Transport in
Transport in and Foresight Road Safety Sustainable Developing Asia
Developing Asia Research Observatory Development of
(by invitation only) Transport Systems
(2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
OPENING SESSION
High Level Panel – The New Normal for Transport in Developing Asia
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., 24 August (Monday)
The pandemic has created unprecedented conditions for the transport sector, forcing widespread
adaptations and challenging long held beliefs and ways of operation. But the core needs of
developing countries for transport and mobility still remain, and the difficulty in meeting these needs
are being felt throughout Asia. This panel discussion brings together some of the region’s leading
thinkers to discuss transport’s future in a deeply changed world.

Special Opening Message

Masatsugu Asakawa, President
Asian Development Bank

Moderator
Sharanjit Leyl
BBC News UK

Panelists
Young Tae Kim, Secretary General, International Atty. Arthur P. Tugade, Secretary,
Transport Forum Department of Transportation, Philippines

Noni Sri Ayati Purnomo, President Director,
Bluebird PT, Indonesia
Heather Thompson, Chief Executive Officer,
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
Jamie Leather, Chief of Transport Sector Group,
Sustainable Development and Climate Change
Department, ADB
SESSION
Sustaining Road Infrastructure Quality in Asia and the Pacific: Challenges and Opportunities
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 25 August (Tuesday)
Road networks are the single largest assets in most countries; they provide a fundamental
foundation for the performance of national economies and can deliver a wide range of economic
and social benefits. Adequately investing in road network development, maintenance, and
operations is essential to preserve and enhance these benefits.
This session will highlight some of the key challenges of sustaining the quality of road infrastructure
in ADB’s Developing Member Countries; disseminate outputs from the Research for Community
Access Partnership program, discuss lessons from a global review of the implementation of
performance-based road contracts; and share technologies that can be used to monitor and
manage the performance of ageing road infrastructure while minimizing disruption to transport
services.
Moderator
David Fay, Senior Infrastructure Specialist,
Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office, Pacific Department, ADB

Panelists
Ravi Peri, Director, Transport and Communications Saqlain Haider, General Manager,
Division, South Asia Department, ADB NHA Pakistan

Nkululeko Leta, Deputy Team Leader, Research Kanenawa Tomoki, Director,

for Community Access Program (ReCAP) Transportation Group,
Infrastructure Management Department, JICA
Ian Greenwood, Principal Consultant,
Greenwood Associates Infrastructure Consultants
SESSION
Re-Imagining the Future of Transport Through Futures and Foresight Research
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., 25 August (Tuesday)
The on-going pandemic has forced drastic behavioral and lifestyle changes on a global scale,
shifting the way we work and live, consequently redefining our transportation needs and posing a
new and complex array of challenges. The disruption and associated uncertainty is likely to bring
about significant change and a new normal. These uncertain times remind us that there is not one
certain future, but many possible futures that can emerge – some with greater probability, some
more preferable than others. ADB is initiating a Foresight Study for the transport sector, utilizing
futures thinking and foresight to help to understand and navigate this complexity. This session will
share initial insights on emerging trends that could impact the future of transport to stimulate shared
dialogue on how countries in developing Asia and the Pacific can take collective action to create a
future-ready transport systems.

Moderator
Susann Roth, Principal Knowledge Sharing and Services Specialist,
Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB

Panelists
Ravi Peri, Director, Transport and Communications
Division, South Asia Department, ADB
Arndt Husar, Senior Public Management Specialist
(Digital Transformation), Sustainable Development and
Climate Change Department, ADB
Josef Hargrave, Associate Director and Global
Foresight Manager, ARUP
Paolo Spantigati, Country Director, Armenia
Resident Mission, ADB
Yanuar Nugroho, Honorary Research Fellow,
Manchester Institute of Innovation Research
Rebecca Stapleton, Transport Specialist,
East Asia Department, ADB
SESSION
Emerging Stronger: Upstream Actions for Environmental, Climate Change and Disaster Resilience
in Transport Infrastructure
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 26 August (Wednesday)
Severe damage and disruption to transport networks in recent decades has highlighted the
importance of ensuring systems are environmentally sound, and resilient to the impacts of disasters
and climate change. Beyond tackling these challenges at a project level, there is growing global
recognition that more transformative changes can be brought about through upstream actions to
build transport system resilience such as strategic planning, risk and resilience assessments, and
capacity development. This session will share international and regional examples and perspectives
on upstream actions to enhance environmental, climate change and disaster resilience of transport
infrastructure.

Moderator
Preety Bhandari, Chief of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Thematic Group, concurrently
Director, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Division, ADB

Panelists
Sujata Gupta, Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Division, Juliet Mian, Technical Director,
East Asia Department, ADB Resilience Shift

Sandeep Poundrik, Director General, Coalition Ana Bing Fonua, Project Coordinator,
for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure Nuku'alofa Port Project in Tonga

Norris Dodd, Consultant, ADB

WORKSHOP
First Workshop on the Implementation of the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory
2 p.m. – 5 p.m., 26 August (Wednesday)
The establishment of the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory was announced at the 3rd
Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm, Sweden, in February 2020, following two
preparatory workshops in Singapore (March 2019) and Bangkok (December 2019). The Asia-Pacific
Road Safety Observatory was established by a group of international development organizations –
The World Bank (WB), Fédération Internationale de l’ Automobile (FIA), the Asian Development
Bank (ADB), the International Transport Forum (ITF) and The United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), with support from the World Health Organization
(WHO) and UK Aid through the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF). ADB serves as the secretariat
for the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory. This meeting will seek country support and
endorsement on the implementation of the Asia-Pacific Road Safety Observatory.

Attendance to this workshop is by invitation only.

SESSION
Taking-off During the COVID Storm: Challenges in Re-opening International Aviation in the Asia
Pacific Region
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 27 August (Thursday)
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought international air travel to an unprecedented halt. Around the
world, we are witnessing grounded planes and empty terminals. Following the rebound of domestic
flights, international borders will gradually re-open. Countries are seeking to balance economic
recovery with the increased risk of subsequent waves of infection. This session will highlight the key
challenges faced by ADB’s Developing Member Countries and it will provide a platform to explore a
coordinated and harmonized approach among all stakeholders.

Moderator
Dong Kyu Lee, Director, Transport and Communications Division,
Pacific Department, ADB

Panelists
Arun Mishra, Regional Director, Asia-Pacific Office,
International Civil Aviation Organization
Charles Schlumberger, Lead Air Transport Specialist,
World Bank
Andre Viljoen, Managing Director/CEO,
Fiji Airways
René Hopstaken, Senior Consultant, Security &
Airport Systems, Royal HaskoningDHV

Patrick Osewe, Chief of Health Sector Group,
Sustainable Development and Climate Change
Department, ADB
Hamadh Abdul Qhanee, Deputy Minister for Transport
and Civil Aviation, Maldives Government
Danang Parikesit, Prof. Dr-tech. MSc(Eng).,
IPU, Faculty of Engineering and the Center for
Transportation and Logistics Studies,
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
SESSION
Enhancing the Role of Big Data in Promoting Sustainable Development of Transport Systems
2 p.m.– 3:30 p.m., 27 August (Thursday)
ADB is developing the Asian Transport Outlook report on transport infrastructure, operations, and
policies in Asia and the Pacific, to assess how well-aligned policies and investments are with
relevant international transport targets under the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, as well as in
areas such as quality infrastructure. Concurrently, there are opportunities for big data analytics to
play an increasingly important role in guiding DMCs in their approach to transport system
management and operations. This session will share how countries are using digital data to create
smarter transport systems that are more efficient, resilient, and environmentally sustainable.

Moderator
Ki-Joon Kim, Principal Transport Specialist,
Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB

Panelists
Rana Hasan, Director, Economic Analysis and Operational
Support Division, Economic Research and Regional
Cooperation Department, ADB
Cornie Huizenga, Consultant, ADB
Sriganesh Lokanathan, Data and Policy Lead,
Pulse Lab Jakarta
Gayang Ho, Research and Policy
Development Lead, Asia-Pacific Centre
for Transport Excellence,
International Association of Public Transport

Dongjik Jang, Associate Research Fellow,

Korea Transport Institute
CLOSING SESSION
Future Directions for Transport in Developing Asia
2 p.m.– 3:30 p.m., 28 August (Friday)
The transport sector is at a critical intersection. The uptake of technology and application of big data
can play a pivotal role in enhancing transport system resilience and efficiency gains. As the world
opens up from various lockdown measures, the future of mobility and demand for travel will
undoubtedly be different from the pre-COVID-19 pandemic travel patterns. How can we harness
opportunities in disruptive technologies to revive transport systems and services in a volatile and
uncertain environment? Will the COVID-19 experiences accelerate an uptake of new technologies
and smarter transport systems?

Moderator
Sharanjit Leyl
BBC News UK

Panelists
Jaehak Oh, President, Stephanie Sy, Founder and CEO,
Korea Transport Institute Thinking Machines

Katja Schechtner, Research Fellow, Paul Barter, Adjunct Professor,

MIT Senseable City Lab LKY School of Public Policy,
National University of Singapore

Special Closing Remarks

Bambang Susantono, Vice President,
Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, ADB