Making Development Fairer: Inside ADB’s New Rules to Protect Vulnerable Communities

Big development projects are meant to improve lives, but too often they end up helping some people while harming others. Roads can displace informal settlers, energy projects can bypass remote communities, and new jobs may go to those who already have skills, education, or connections. Recognizing this pattern, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), through its Office of Safeguards and with support from its staff, consultants, and environmental and social specialists, has released a new primer explaining how to better protect people who are disadvantaged or vulnerable in ADB-financed projects. Published in February 2026, the document translates ADB's Environmental and Social Framework into practical guidance that can be used throughout the life of a project.

Who Are "Disadvantaged or Vulnerable" People?

The primer challenges the idea that vulnerability is limited to fixed groups. Under ADB's framework, people are considered disadvantaged or vulnerable if they are more likely to be harmed by a project, less able to benefit from it, or excluded from consultation and decision-making. This can include people living in poverty, women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, migrants, older persons, or those without legal land rights. Importantly, vulnerability depends on context. A group that appears secure in one project may be at risk in another, depending on local laws, social norms, and power dynamics. The document stresses that inclusion begins by identifying these risks early, before project decisions become difficult to change.

Making Inclusion a Project Requirement, Not an Option

A key message of the primer is that social inclusion is not optional. Seven of ADB's ten environmental and social standards include specific requirements to address risks faced by disadvantaged or vulnerable people. Borrowers are required to identify who may be disproportionately affected, assess how project impacts interact with inequality, and design measures that prevent harm and ensure fair access to benefits. Treating everyone the same is not enough. If people face different barriers, equal treatment can actually widen gaps. This is why the framework calls for tailored measures, such as accessible infrastructure, gender-responsive safety planning, and special support for people at higher risk of displacement or job insecurity.

From Planning to Construction: What Good Practice Looks Like

The primer follows projects from early planning to completion. During scoping and assessment, project teams are encouraged to use social screening, collect data that is broken down by gender, disability, or income, and hold consultations that are accessible and culturally appropriate. The document highlights intersectionality, meaning that people often face multiple, overlapping disadvantages. Understanding this helps avoid oversimplified solutions.

During design and implementation, the focus shifts to action. Projects are expected to include practical measures such as safer working conditions for vulnerable workers, livelihood restoration for displaced households, and grievance mechanisms that people can actually use. The primer also recognizes that in some settings, publicly identifying vulnerable groups can increase risk. In these cases, it recommends careful approaches such as anonymous consultations or working through trusted local organizations.

Measuring Success by Who Benefits

Monitoring and reporting are treated as essential rather than administrative tasks. Projects are expected to track whether benefits reach disadvantaged people and whether mitigation measures work. This includes collecting disaggregated data, involving community members in monitoring, and using independent oversight for high-risk activities. Information should be shared in ways that people can understand, including visual or audio formats where literacy is a barrier. The appendices provide practical questions and examples across sectors such as transport, energy, health, education, agriculture, and finance, helping project teams ask the right questions about access, safety, livelihoods, and participation.

Development cannot be called successful if it deepens inequality. By embedding protection and inclusion into every stage of the project cycle, ADB's Environmental and Social Framework aims to ensure that development finance reduces harm, expands opportunity, and delivers benefits to those who are most often left behind.