MANILA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Andrew Jeffries as country director for the Philippines, the multilateral development bank announced on Monday.

Jeffries will lead the ADB operations in the Philippines, the bank's host country, with an active portfolio of around 13 billion U.S. dollars beginning Monday. He will oversee the implementation of the ADB's Country Partnership Strategy 2024-2029 and manage the bank's relationships with the government, private sector, and development partners.

"The (Philippine) economy is at a critical juncture, with huge infrastructure and social protection investments rolling out and starting to bear fruit," Jeffries said.

However, he added that "more needs to be done to ensure no one is left behind and risks such as those related to climate are mitigated as the country strives toward upper-middle income status."

Jeffries has more than 34 years of professional experience, including over 18 years with ADB.

Before his current appointment, he was Advisor for Energy Transition Mechanism and Partnerships. In that role, he was tasked to oversee a regionwide energy transition initiative.

He was the ADB's country director for Vietnam from 2020 to 2023, serving as the ADB's representative, and was responsible for all ADB operations in the country. ■