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Expert Opinions & Stories
Several Asia-Pacific countries are ageing fast. This transition is neither unique nor limited to the region - it is a global megatrend. However, this time it is different. Why? Because ageing…
The recent crises have erased at least one decade of development progress. Why?
The 2023 ESCAP-ADB-UNDP SDG Partnership report explores the impacts of the polycrisis of COVID-19,…
We, not me: building a fairer future
Even as Asia and the Pacific continues to be the fastest growing region in the world, economic growth has been slowing since the 2008 global financial crisis. Add the COVID-19 pandemic to the mix,…
Green recovery policies are still possible
In theory, the pandemic created an opportunity for policymakers to recalibrate existing policies and develop new, innovative strategies to mobilize financial resources and drive a green, inclusive,…
Resilient economies are possible
Economic and non-economic shocks such as financial crises, natural disasters, and pandemics leave behind permanent scars in economies and societies and result in major setbacks to development gains…
Time and tide wait for no man
“We have to learn from COVID… We can’t wish away systemic risk. It’s much much cheaper, much more effective to invest upfront in order to avoid disaster and so it is with climate change – a crisis…
“We have a rare and short window of opportunity to rebuild our world for the better”
- António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
Not undermining the challenges posed by COVID-19, there…
The current COVID-19 crisis has shown that governments can act quickly and decisively if needed and collaborate to work collectively. So, why are governments not acting as quickly and decisively in…
The destruction caused by natural disasters, which is becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change, is graphic and frightening. However, there is a significant impact on the financial…
On the frontlines of the battle to contain the public health and economic fallouts of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia-Pacific region faces crucial policy choices as it tries to balance short…
The planet is the only limit
Is the current economic growth ‘purposeful”? And how do we define ‘purposefulness’?
While this may seem a profound philosophical query, there is no questioning that growth that undermines…
SDGs for less than a dollar per person per day
Less than a dollar per person per day. That is all it will cost developing countries in Asia and the Pacific to realize their ambitions for an inclusive and sustainable future, according to a study…
Asia’s Landlocked: Tackling Development Challenges through Structural Transformation and Trade
Structural economic transformation and the expansion of international trade are among the most pressing issues to be addressed, if Asia’s landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) are to overcome the…
Thinking Big and Small
City Finance as a Cornerstone for the 2030 Agenda
Providing essential public infrastructure and services to support sustainable development is not a task for central governments alone. The…