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Getting it right on railways -- by Naoyuki Yoshino, Grant Stillman

Lining up rights-of-way for megaprojects, such as railways and highways, in crowded places is challenging but it can be done with an imaginative and respectful plan.




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Will robots take our jobs? It’s an age-old question. -- by Jayant Menon

The discussions around the impact of artificial intelligence and its impact on jobs could result in improved skills and greater adaptations by the world’s work force.




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It’s time to stand up for happier workplaces. Here’s how. -- by Haidy Ear-Dupuy

A landmark international agreement designed to eliminate violence and harassment in the workplace has been passed. Now comes the hard part.




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What is the ‘graduation approach’? -- by Palak Rawal

Countries around the world are taking an integrated approach to address the complexities of poverty. 




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More than just money: Digital technologies can help narrow the trade finance gap -- by Kijin Kim

Digital or financial technology – including mobile internet access, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and big data – can make international trade more efficient and support financing options.




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Knowledge is everywhere. Here are four ways to make it easier to share. -- by Sonia Chand Sandhu

A wealth of knowledge – knowhow and wisdom – rests with the officials, professionals, practitioners and communities. The challenge is to unleash the untapped power of this information.




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A surprising lifeline for workers, companies and communities after disasters -- by Yasuyuki Todo

Global supply chains link the welfare of disaster-hit companies and their surrounding communities to a network of corporations that have an economic incentive to help them bounce back. 




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We need to get 'climate-smart' to enhance food security in Asia -- by Akmal Siddiq, Md. Abul Basher

Climate-smart and resource-saving farming technologies could be one way to address hunger in Asia.




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For rural water systems, small and simple is a "pipe dream" -- by Neeta Pokhrel

The idea that rural water schemes are only sustainable if small, simple and locally managed is a bias that must be overcome to get more clean water to the people who need it.




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Weaving a sustainable future for indigenous students -- by Lynnette Perez

In the southern Philippines, a culture-based senior high school program is serving the Tboli community with an innovated approach to education.   




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What’s the value of a project evaluation if it is not influential? -- by Véronique Salze-Lozac’h

For quality evaluations of international development projects and programs to lead to better results, they need to be influential.




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Making infrastructure work for women and girls in Asia and the Pacific -- by Takehiko Nakao

Infrastructure has a critical role in narrowing gender gaps and accelerating the advancement of women and girls. If women are given a say in infrastructure design and investment, projects can become more effective enablers of their growth.




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Asia’s vibrant elderly are redefining what it means to be “old” -- by Cyn-Young Park (朴信永), Aiko Kikkawa Takenaka, Raymond Gaspar

The Asia and Pacific region is aging rapidly, and that is affecting the region’s workforce, but increased longevity is adding an unexpected element to the picture




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Can big data help us make better development decisions? -- by Werner E. Liepach, Guntur Sugiyarto

Data-driven decision making can be a powerful tool in the world of international development but it requires careful planning and management. 




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Helping governments improve performance -- by Woochong Um, Marcos Bonturi

Performance assessments help people in Southeast Asia determine how well their government is performing and how they can be improved.




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Four ways to help transform Ho Chi Minh City into a financial hub -- by Donald Lambert

With key financial reforms, Ho Chi Minh City has the potential to follow the model of Tokyo, Shanghai, Mumbai, and other cities which came to global financial prominence.




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In Indonesia, a new tool is being used to fight child marriage -- by Claudia Buentjen, Kate Walton

Local officials can now find information from all sectors, such as health, education, women’s empowerment, child protection, and human rights and law, to help them address child and teen marriage in their area.




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The surprising link between trade finance and gender equality -- by Steven Beck

To level the playing field in Asia and the Pacific, women-owned companies need financial backing to support their importing and exporting needs.




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Why are interest rates falling in Southeast Asia? -- by Thiam Hee Ng

Southeast Asian economies are starting to feel the pinch of trade tensions, recession fears and other global trends.




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Microfinance can be a powerful force in disaster recovery -- by Mayumi Ozaki

The cost of disasters far outweighs the resources available for recovery. Microfinance could be one way to fill the funding gap.  




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Estimating the value of women’s unpaid work in Asia’s homes -- by Valerie Mercer-Blackman

Work done within the home, including caring for children, is extremely important to society but undervalued and poorly tracked. 




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How governments can halt the rise of unfriendly, unstoppable super-artificial intelligence -- by Wim Naudé

Artificial intelligence could be enormously beneficial to society, and it could also lead to catastrophe. Governments can play a role determining the outcome of AI’s development.




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Looking for a fix for Asia's traffic woes -- by Yi Jiang

With no single cause, and no magic solution, the congestion of Asia’s cities requires government resolve and know-how to fix.




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How to strengthen Asia’s financial safety net -- by Cyn-Young Park (朴信永), Peter Rosenkranz, James Villafuerte

Past financial crises have demonstrated how adequate financial safety net arrangements—globally, regionally, and nationally—are vital to safeguarding financial stability.




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Cracking the secret code of international development work -- by Floyd Whaley

The over-use of acronyms turns the joy of reading into a tedious process of decoding. It also muddles the message of development communications.




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Worsening climate emergency and tepid COP25 underscore need for urgent global action -- by Preety Bhandari

After a disappointing 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, there is a need to restore confidence that the intergovernmental process can deliver on mitigation, adaptation, and finance.




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How can we help the millions displaced each year by disasters? -- by Steven Goldfinch, Rebekah Beatrice Ramsay

Governments in the region need to invest more in prevention and response to the long-term impacts of disaster displacement.




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How Asia can ride the digital wave to spur financial development -- by Bambang Susantono

The ‘app economy’ provides potential risks and benefits for developing countries. The right policies are needed to bring out the best in these emerging economic trends.




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It’s time to stem the tide of women’s under-employment -- by Uzma Hoque

In Sri Lanka, efforts need to be made to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for girls to support their employment potential.




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Think services, not only manufacturing -- by Matthias Helble, Sameer Khatiwada, Ben Shepherd

To offset the declining benefits of manufacturing, governments must increase the productivity of the services sector. This will boost growth and offer employment opportunities.




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Three ways to improve the communication of development research -- by Cahyadi Indrananto

Practical approaches can improve how we promote development research, and increase uptake by policymakers




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Enhancing road safety with intelligent transport system technology -- by Pawan Karki

In recent years, particularly in many developing countries, road developers have failed to give sufficient consideration to road safety features in the design and construction of highways. As a result, these roads have become more deadly.




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Why infrastructure governance matters -- by Bruno Carrasco, Edwin Lau

The delivery of services – such as clean water, reliable public transport, schools and hospitals – through economic and social infrastructure is among the most important functions of government. Resources must be well spent to ensure quality.




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Data and the artificial intelligence gold rush: Who will win? -- by Ozzeir Khan

The exponential growth of data and artificial intelligence is creating a tug-of-war between data for profit and data for the common good. In this struggle, it is fundamental that we protect our basic human data rights.




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Here's how we can give a boost to the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific -- by Bart Édes

Asia and the Pacific is not where it needs to be to meet the Sustainable Development Goals but there remains a decade to make up for lost time.




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The world has lost a pioneer in the global effort to help the poor -- by Bart Édes

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed dedicated his life to social development, establishing practices that will continue to help the poor for decades to come.




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Here are three ways to help small countries get the energy they need -- by Yoji Morishita

Complex, carefully managed financing structures can provide the funding needed for island states and others seeking to develop energy projects.




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Can the Pacific become the world’s first fossil-fuel-free zone? -- by Rafael Abbasov

With key reforms, Pacific states could move toward cleaner, more affordable sources of energy that eventually eliminate fossil fuels completely.




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Asia’s growth engines need a tune up -- by Glenita Amoranto, Liming Chen, Eugenia Co Go

Asian cities act as engines of economic growth, providing jobs, expertise, and the sharing of resources. But in some cases, these powerful engines are sputtering due to insufficient infrastructure, inadequate planning, and poor governance.




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Building Viet Nam’s bridge to greater economic growth and development -- by Donald Lambert

There are three key strategies that can help Viet Nam achieve its ambitious development targets in the coming years.




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Asia needs to get cooking when it comes to solar energy -- by Yongping Zhai (翟永平)

Solar power is helping Asia get electricity to people, particularly in rural and remote areas, but it has fallen behind in its use as a clean energy cooking source.




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Getting out of a jam in Dhaka -- by Graham Dwyer

Bangladesh’s capital has some of the worst traffic in the world but a new rail system that will be able to carry an estimated 60,000 people an hour is providing hope.

 




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How do we capture the digital economy in statistics? -- by Clara Delos Santos, Angelo Jose Lumba

By some estimates, the digital economy now accounts for trillions of dollars. But policymakers and companies still lack the data needed to fully understand it.




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A new day for women and girls in Asia and the Pacific -- by Sonomi Tanaka, Zonibel Woods

Girls and women today have far more opportunities and role models than their mothers and grandmothers, but there is much more to be done.




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Three ways to enhance student assessments -- by Sungsup Ra, Unika Shrestha

Developing a holistic national student assessment system can be a colossal undertaking but strategic measures can produce results.




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Proper disposal of medical waste can help us cope with pandemics -- by Stephen Peters, Christine P. Chan

Medical waste disposal is a key part of pandemic planning and recovery that we must get right during the COVID-19 outbreak.




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How can Asia avoid fallout if COVID-19 triggers a debt crunch? -- by Cyn-Young Park (朴信永)

Asia’s economies have generally maintained sound macroeconomic policies that can help the region withstand this latest challenge and emerge even stronger.




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We need better social protection to safeguard the poor from COVID-19 -- by Amir Jilani

Millions of families who were already poor and vulnerable before the COVID-19 outbreak face impossible decisions about food, healthcare, and survival. We have a responsibility to act immediately and protect those most in need.




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Asia and the Pacific can overcome COVID-19 by working together -- by Arjun Goswami

The Asia Pacific region is standing together to cooperate regionally to address the transnational threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.




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Even with borders closing, we need to keep trade flowing -- by Steven Beck

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need to support trade to not only move medical supplies but also to bolster economies