Expert Opinions & Stories
2020: The year when crises converged
In 2020, Asia-Pacific saw the collision of climate extremes and COVID-19 transmission create cascading disasters with wide-ranging impacts on sectors, economies, and populations.
The year…
STI based solutions for a resilient future
Science Technology and Innovation (STI) has been at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. From enhancing our understanding of virus transmission pathways and the complexity of…
The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging country mortality surveillance systems in unprecedented ways, while also highlighting the necessity for accurate, timely and reliable mortality data. Prior to the…
Expanding infrastructure networks and leveraging on technology innovations to mitigate COVID-19 impacts
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented changes to the way we lead our lives and our reliance on ICT connectivity has grown even faster than before. However, the region is also one of the…
As lockdowns ease in countries across Asia and the Pacific in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear—a return to business as usual is unimaginable in a region that was already off…
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the need for reliable and timely mortality statistics into sharp focus. Knowing how many people are dying and where they are is essential to tracking the virus’…
Taxes are the primary source for government spending on public services, such as healthcare, police, unemployment benefits, education, etc, and will be very important in raising revenue to finance…
“Act decisively and early to prevent the further spread or quickly suppress the transmission of COVID-19 and save lives” is the first strategic objective of the UN framework on responding to the…
The Future of Tourism Post-COVID-19
Many estimates are being thrown around about the potential impact of COVID-19 on global and national economies. Perhaps the only thing they agree on at this stage is that it will be bad – the main…
Our lives have been upended by COVID-19. For many of us, the uncertainty is overwhelming, with countless questions and concerns.
A key question remains: how many people are dying from COVID-19?…