Early Years. The idea of establishing an association of former ADB employees was first discussed in 1983. The ADB president, Masao Fujioka, promised ADB's full support.
The Association held its first annual general meeting in Osaka, Japan, on 26 April 1987 in conjunction with ADB’s 20th Annual Meeting. The 60 participants approved the AFE–ADB constitution. It set forth AFE's objectives as to encourage and help members to keep in touch with former colleagues and arrange to keep them updated on ADB's activities; issue a directory of members at suitable intervals and undertake other appropriate activities of the Association; and liaise with ADB and extend possible support for its wellbeing, leading to good public relations. Takeshi Watanabe, ADB’s first president (1966–1972), was elected as AFE's first president. M. Ikramullah Khan, who had made AFE a viable institution, was elected its secretary. (The title was changed in August 1994 to "executive secretary.")
Formative Years. By 1990, the need to prepare by-laws to streamline AFE operations had become apparent. A first draft was sent to country coordinators before AFE's annual general meeting in May 1994 to seek their comments, and the proposed by-laws were approved by members in August 1994.
In April 1991, shortly after ADB moved into its new headquarters building in the Ortigas area of Manila, AFE was provided with an office in the special facilities block.
AFE published its first newsletter in April 1991. The newsletter’s aim was and remains to enable former employees to communicate with one another and with the entire ADB community. AFE-ADB News has since expanded the variety of subjects covered and has improved in quality. It is circulated to members twice a year.
At AFE’s annual general meeting in Manila in May 1993, upon the expiration of Takeshi Watanabe’s second term as president, Masao Fujioka, ADB president from 1981 to 1989, was elected as AFE's second president. He served for 14 years.
During the 1990s, AFE was increasingly active in making representations to ADB on behalf of members on various matters, including pensions and medical insurance. Representation to ADB in 1993 led to ADB issuing ID cards to facilitate pensioners’ access to headquarters.
In February 1996, AFE was incorporated as a charitable association in the Republic of Vanuatu.
Participants at the AFE annual general meeting in Jeju, Republic of Korea, in May 2004 agreed that the by-laws needed to be revised again. In September 2004, a new draft was circulated for comments and was examined by an ad hoc committee established by AFE. Members approved the final draft in February 2006.
Article I of the revised by-laws states AFE’s purpose as "to protect the interests of AFE–ADB members, to facilitate communication and interaction among AFE–ADB members and between these members and current staff of the Asian Development Bank (the “Bank”), to keep AFE–ADB members informed about the activities of the Association and the Bank, and to organize desirable social, educational, or similar activities for AFE–ADB members."
Recent Years. Following Masao Fujioka’s decision in May 2007 not to seek re-election as AFE president, Tadao Chino, ADB president from 1999 to 2005, was elected as the third AFE president.
For 22 years, from the inception of AFE, Ikramullah Khan dedicated much of his life to furthering AFE's growth and the interests of its members. Thus, his retirement from the position of executive secretary in May 2008 marked the end of an era.
In October 2007, the process of choosing a new executive secretary commenced. Hans-Juergen Springer was elected.
Over the years, AFE members have helped the organization in many ways. In recent years, there has been a position of treasurer, filled first by Victor The and since May 2007 by David Parker. In 2008, Jill Gale de Villa was elected as deputy executive secretary, commencing in July 2008. Committees have also been established to advise on pension, health insurance, and editorial matters.
In July 2008, Tadao Chino passed away at the age of 74, after serving as AFE president for a little over a year. The executive secretary assumed the position of acting president in accordance with the by-laws, pending the election of a new president.
In February 2009, Bong-Suh Lee, who had been vice-president (Region West) at ADB during 1993–1998, was elected as AFE’s president, to serve for 4 years from February 2009.
In 2008, the need was seen for further amendments to the by-laws. With many members preferring a positive voting system to the negative voting system specified by Article VI of the by-laws, alternative voting systems were reviewed. The review concluded that preferential voting would be the most appropriate. Members supported the review's conclusion, and in January 2009 voted to approve an amendment to Article VI to incorporate the new voting system, and changes to Article IX to spell out specific actions to be taken for amending the by-laws.
In July 2009, AFE's founder and executive secretary emeritus, Ikramullah Khan, passed away. He was 83.
Recent years. The year 2009 saw the beginning of AFE's participation in charitable work in cooperation with ADB's Staff Community Fund, with AFE members responding generously to an appeal for funds to alleviate the suffering of flood victims in Manila in the aftermath of typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana). In 2014, AFE members contributed funds for rehabilitation work after the devastating Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) destroyed vast areas of infrastructure, farmland, and fishing grounds in the central Philippines.
At the beginning of 2010, AFE adopted a new logo. It is simple and modern, with two squares—one red and the other blue, containing the letters AFE and ADB, respectively. It thus depicts AFE's link with ADB.
The practice of holding the AFE annual general meeting in conjunction with the annual meeting of ADB has continued. By 2015, AFE had held 29 such meetings, in various locations around the world.
AFE’s website was launched in 2010, open to the public. The website was updated in 2015 with a password-protected section for matters of interest to members only.
From just an idea in 1983, AFE has grown over the years into a well-run organization serving more over 3,000 members living in at least 62 countries. AFE continues to look for ways to expand its service to its growing membership.