- 02.05.2025
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This briefing examines the extent to which Asian Development Bank technical assistance is prolonging reliance on fossil gas.
It is published by Recourse, with The Big Shift Global, NGO Forum on ADB, Fair Finance Asia, Trend Asia and Indus Consortium.
Fossil gas is not the future. As the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reviews its energy policy, it presents a strategic and timely opportunity to align fully with the Paris Agreement and its 1.5°C goal by phasing out all support for fossil gas, both direct and indirect, and redirecting its technical assistance toward a just, sustainable renewable energy transition.
Technical assistance (TA) is a form of ADB support that helps prepare, finance, and implement development projects and programmes. It strengthens the capacity of member countries by improving project readiness, building institutional skills, and offering policy advice.
While TA represents a small share of the ADB’s overall financial commitments, its strategic influence is significant, shaping policy directions, project design, and long-term development pathways.
This briefing outlines:
- the ADB’s climate commitments and history of funding fossil gas
- why fossil gas is a problem—for people, economies, and the environment
- technical assistance as form of indirect funding for fossil gas
- a case study of ADB technical assistance in Pakistan
- gender gaps
The key recommendations for the ADB are to:
- Clarify definitions and close policy loopholes
- Require environmental and social risk disclosure and due diligence for all TA
- Align the revised energy policy with a fossil gas phase-out
- Embed equity and accountability in TA
- Make TA transparent and trackable
Recourse and partners are taking this briefing to the ADB’s annual meeting in Milan, 4 to 7 May 2025, where we will call for a stronger accountability mechanism, an improved Energy Policy, and faster, fairer progress faster, fairer progress toward a just, sustainable renewable energy transition.
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