MANILA – Hundreds of protesters from Asian grassroots movements and civil society groups demonstrated outside the Asian Development Bank headquarters on Friday, during the second day of the ADB’s Annual Governor’s Meeting in Manila.

The demonstrators held signs and chanted slogans calling on the ADB to “Stop Funding Dirty Energy” and “halt all forms of support to dirty fossil fuel energy projects,” in particular coal plants, according to a press release by the protest organizers.

“Each year, our call against the Bank’s support for dirty energy intensifies in urgency. For every inaction towards the problem of fossil fuels, which has been established to be the main driver of climate change, Asian lives and livelihood grow all the more vulnerable as they are situated at the frontline of climate change’s adverse impacts,” Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) Coordinator Lidy Nacpil said.

The ADB is holding its annual meeting in the Philippines capital city from May 3-6, with over 4,000 participants from across Asia, North America, and Europe expected to attend.

Protesters have seized the opportunity to stage a series of demonstrations outside the ADB headquarters, denouncing the bank’s promotion of policies which they say harms the environment and the Asia-Pacific region’s most vulnerable people.

On Thursday, around 50 demonstrators attempted to storm the doors of the ADB building before being blocked by riot police.

The ABD Annual Meeting runs until Sunday.