ASEAN and the world

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD250 million concessional loan on May 26th 2020 to help the Government of Nepal fund its response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which includes measures to strengthen the country’s public health systems and mitigate the adverse economic and social impacts of the pandemic, particularly on the poor.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD400 million policy-based loan to support the Philippine government’s efforts to strengthen domestic capital markets and reach its development goals of high, sustained economic growth and poverty reduction.

About 55,000 garment-textile workers and 4,300 others working in the tourism sector in Cambodia, who have become jobless by the COVID-19 pandemic, each will receive monthly financial support worth 40 USD through their Wing Specialised Bank accounts next week.

Cambodia's largest commercial bank Acleda listed on the country's stock market on May 25th, making it the first lender to trade on the exchange.

Thailand is conducting tests on macaque monkeys as it races to produce a cheaper, alternative COVID-19 vaccine that it hopes will be ready by 2021, a top researcher said May 25th.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD20 million loan to support the Lao People’s Democratic Republic’s (Lao PDR) response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

At least 76 bodies have been recovered after Pakistan International Airline flight 8303 crashed in Karachi Friday, according to a statement from the Sindh Health Department.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Mongolia signed a USD2 million grant to improve the accessibility, safety, security, and quality of transport services along the Chingeltei street corridor in the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar city.

(CPV) - At least 19 million children in parts of Bangladesh and India are at imminent risk from flash flooding, storm surges and heavy rain as Cyclone Amphan makes landfall today, UNICEF has warned. The Indian state of West Bengal, home to more than 50 million people, including over 16 million children, is expected to take a direct hit from the powerful storm.

(CPV) - The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly launched today the latest edition of the Asia-Pacific SDG Partnership Report - Fast-Tracking the Sustainable Development Goals: Driving Asia-Pacific Transformations on the sidelines of the 7th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustain

Singapore’s Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat and his Malaysian counterpart Tengku Zafrul Aziz on May 19th discussed economic recovery measures via a video conference as COVID-19 restrictions are gradually eased.

The ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) at the Deputy Foreign Ministerial level was held on May 18th in the form of a teleconference, with Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, head of Vietnam ASEAN SOM, participating.

The Indonesian government is rolling out a 641.17 trillion rupiah (43 billion USD) economic recovery stimulus, bigger than previous allocations, to soften the impact of COVID-19 on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh on May 15th suggested ASEAN countries enhance their connectivity with ASEAN+3 nations and other partners to cope with outbreaks of disease.

Cambodia’s draft law of anti-money laundering bill was approved on May 15th at the Council of Ministers meeting chaired by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

(CPV) - The global economy could suffer between $5.8 trillion and $8.8 trillion in losses—equivalent to 6.4% to 9.7% of global gross domestic product (GDP)—as a result of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, says a new report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on May 15th 2020.

Labour ministers from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had a video conference on May 14th to look into impacts of COVID-19 on labour and employment.

The Cambodian government has allowed companies to resume exporting rice from next week, after banning it for more than a month to ensure the country's food security during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD100 million loan to the Government of Mongolia to mitigate the severe health and economic impacts of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Thailand’s Ministry of Education is going to test an on-air and online learning system, in case at-school teaching is not safe enough for the start of the new semester on July 1st.

The Philippines confirmed 147 COVID-19 infections and eight more fatalities on May 9th, raising the total to 10,610 and 704, respectively.

Thailand’s consumer confidence slumped to a 21-year low in April as the public remained worried about the poor economy, unemployment and future income because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(CPV) - Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa and Bhutan Finance Minister and ADB Governor Namgay Tshering discussed ADB’s support on May 7th 2020 to the country in its fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Thai economy would improve once businesses reopen and employ people, and tourism resumes, with measures in place to give visitors confidence in their safety, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on May 8th.

(CPV) - The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade on May 5th called for increased trade collaboration at all levels and across the region to accelerate the fight against COVID-19.

More regional airlines have begun to resume flights to Cambodia’s international airports this month – under strict biosecurity guidelines – as the industry attempts to desperately revive itself from the worst period in aviation history, reported the Khmer Times on May 5th.

Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Veng Sakhon has said that his country exported 300,000 tonnes of rice in the first four months of this year, up nearly 40.5 percent year-on-year.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a USD20 million loan on May 4th 2020 to support Bhutan’s efforts to stimulate the economy, protect public health, and mitigate the effects of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on its people.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided several targeted interventions to support its developing member countries (DMCs) in combating the effects of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic from its early stages.

Japan will launch a subsidy programme to encourage domestic manufacturers to transfer their overseas production bases to Southeast Asia, as the coronavirus pandemic has greatly disrupted their supply chains heavily dependent on China.