An anthology of videos, the evolving ADB Sustainable Development Timeline catalogs major sector and thematic landmarks in ADB’s operations since 1966.

1. The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian
Development Bank, or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included
in this presentation and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this presentation do not imply any
view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.
ADB Sustainable
Development Timeline
Olivier Serrat
2015

2. What Stories Are Good At
• Communicate complex messages simply
• Help connect people and ideas
• Create sense, coherence, and meaning
• Operate effectively in networks
• Develop valuable descriptions of situations in which
knowledge is applied and solutions are found
• Examine organizational values and culture
• Give breathing space and allow different perspectives
to emerge
• Inspire imagination and motivate action
• Drive change
Working with stories is one of the best ways to

3. ADB: Reflections and Beyond
In 2009, ADB interviewed senior and younger
personnel, both past and present, on their
struggles and triumphs in ADB, working for the
development of Asia and the Pacific, and ADB's
evolution as an institution. From that first step,
awareness grew that narrative techniques can
help (i) spark action, (ii) communicate who you
are, (iii) transmit ideas, (iv) communicate what an
organization is, (v) share knowledge, (vi) foster
collaboration, (vii) transmit values, and (viii) lead
people into the future.

4. Beyond: Stories and Sounds from
ADB's Region
ADB: Reflections and Beyond and its audio
companion, Beyond: Stories and Sounds
from ADB's Region, marked ADB's first
endeavor at knowledge harvesting through
storytelling. ADB took time to listen to itself
and audiences liked what they heard. Staff
developed an appetite for storytelling in
more contexts through other applications. In
late 2010, a follow-up interactive,
audiovisual project was conceptualized to
promulgate further the use of storytelling to
identify, create, store, share, and use tacit
knowledge.

5. ADB promotes sustainable
development in Asia and the
Pacific. The ADB Sustainable
Development Timeline would
be an evolving anthology of
videos cataloguing major sector
and thematic landmarks since
1966. With the ADB
Sustainable Development
Timeline brochure setting the
compass for content, the
timeline would comprise
interviews, documentaries,
montages, etc.
Genesis of the ADB Sustainable
Development Timeline Project

6. reflections.adb.org

7. reflections.adb.org

8. reflections.adb.org

9. ADB Sustainable Development
Timeline—Applications
Institutional Memory
Annual Meetings
Conferences, Seminars, & Workshops
ADB–Donor Interactions
External Relations
Staff Recruitment, Induction, & Training
Library Information Resources & Services
Education & Student Visits
Regional Public Good

10. Further Reading
• ADB. 2008. Storytelling. Manila.
www.adb.org/publications/storytelling
• ——. 2010. ADB: Reflections and Beyond. Manila.
www.adb.org/publications/adb-reflections-and-beyond
• ——. 2010. Harvesting Knowledge. Manila.
www.adb.org/publications/harvesting-knowledge
• ——. 2010. Building Narrative Capacity at ADB. Manila.
www.adb.org/publications/building-narrative-capacity-adb
• ——. 2011. ADB Sustainable Development Timeline. Manila.
www.adb.org/publications/adb-sustainable-development-
timeline

11. Further Reading
• ADB. 2011. Timeline of ADB-Hosted Communities of Practice.
Manila. www.adb.org/publications/timeline-adb-hosted-
communities-practice
• ——. 2012. World Sustainable Development Timeline. Manila.
www.adb.org/publications/world-sustainable-development-
timeline
• ——. 2012. Interactive Stories of Sustainable Development.
Manila. www.adb.org/publications/interactive-stories-
sustainable-development

12. Videos
• ADB. 2015. ADB Sustainable Development Timeline. Manila.
reflections.adb.org
• ——. 2015. ADB: Reflections and Beyond. Manila.
vimeo.com/user26371068

13. Quick Response Codes
@ADB
@ADB Sustainable
Development Timeline
@Academia.edu
@LinkedIn
@ResearchGate
@Scholar
@SlideShare
@Twitter