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

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

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.

Bhutan is using an innovative financing system to ensure its citizens have access to quality affordable health care.

Simmering trade disputes are decreasing the beneficial effects of free trade and could in the long-term damage the rules-based order upon which global commerce is based.

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

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

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

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.

For sustainable development, universal wellbeing should be the goal, rather than endless growth. Minimizing further growth in human populations is only part of the solution, but an essential part. 

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

A rules-based approach to monetary policy needs to be part of any discussion involving central bank policy.

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.

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.

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.

To be resilient, urban poor and informal households need secure tenure, which is a household’s right to reside on the land on which they are living.

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.

Singapore’s carbon tax is designed to maximize green investments while minimizing negative effects on the overall economy.

Throughout Asia and the world, digital solutions are being found for urban problems. Policymakers and city leaders should ensure that the poor do not get left behind in this digital transformation of cities.

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

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.

These charts illustrate how Sri Lanka’s elderly population is increasing while the number of working-age people to help support them is declining. Forward-thinking policies are needed to address the challenges arising from this imbalance.

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

Ba chiến lược mấu chốt để Việt Nam có thể đạt được các mục tiêu phát triển đầy tham vọng trong những năm tới.

在整个亚洲乃至全世界，许多城市难题通过数字技术得到了解决。政策制定者和城市领导者应确保贫困人口在城市数字化转型中一个都不能少。

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.

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

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

Universal health coverage must be high quality to improve patients’ health outcomes

A high level of external debt is linked with decreased economic growth but there are policy options that can help economies keep growing.

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

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

Утилизация медицинских отходов является основной частью планирования в условиях пандемии и последующего восстановления, которую мы должны иметь прямо во время вспышки COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic could be an opportunity to take a more holistic approach to health and well-being, invest in health systems and in resilient supply chains.

COVID-19 is uncharted territory but development professionals bring a wealth of experience from past crises to rebuild lives, livelihoods, and economies. 

სამედიცინო ნარჩენების გატანა პანდემიის წინააღმდეგ ბრძოლისა და ჯანდაცვის მნიშვნელოვანი ნაწილია, რაც კოვიდ-19-ის აფეთქებისას განსაკუთრებით გასათვალისწინებელია.

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.

Пандемия COVID-19 могла бы дать возможность использовать более целостный подход к здоровью и благополучию, инвестировать в системы здравоохранения и в устойчивые цепочки поставок.

COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerability of energy value chains but solar power could be an indigenous solution to keep the lights on during a crisis.

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

Bank-held nonperforming loans in some Asian economies have risen in recent years. Policy makers should address this growing risk now.

The surge in online learning in the People’s Republic of China during the coronavirus outbreak highlights the importance of infrastructure, platforms and the preparedness of teachers, students and parents.

A new program will help provide food to thousands of poor households in the Philippines.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity to embrace the future of work-from-home and the greater adoption of walking and cycling.