I just want to take this moment to honor the "Father of Asian Development Bank."
Takeshi Watanabe, the first President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), passed away in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, 23 August at the age of 104. Mr. Watanabe played a pivotal role in moving ADB from an idea into a reality, and was unanimously elected as first President at ADB’s inaugural meeting in Tokyo in 1966. He served in the role for six years until 1972.