ASEAN and the world

All ttemples across Cambodia will cancel festivals and activities to celebrate the Chol Chnam Thmey of Khmer ethnic group to avoid the risk of COVID-19 infection.

Foreign Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on April 9th agreed to form a COVID-19 response fund to collectively fight against the disease, according to a statement released after the 25th ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting on COVID-19 via video conference.

The ASEAN Special Summit and the ASEAN+3 Special Summit on COVID-19 Response will be held online on April 14th.

The Consul Office at the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos announced on April 9 that all foreigners living in Laos, including Vietnamese, do not have to request a visa extension if their Lao visa expires. The decision is effective until April 20th.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is promoting innovation and efficiency to enhance its anticorruption efforts by streamlining case management and expediting the assessment of complaints and completion of investigations, according to the Office of Anticorruption and Integrity (OAI) 2019 Annual Report released on early April.

The Singaporean Government on April 8th announced new measures to accelerate local food production as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will allocate 100 billion IDR (some 6.1 million USD) from its 2020 budget for the protection of Indonesian citizens living abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced a USD470,000 grant from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund on April 7th 2020 to help finance the response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Tonga. A state of emergency was declared in Tonga on March 20th.

(CPV) - The Kyrgyz Republic’s economy is projected to decelerate in 2020 along with a slowdown in the country’s main trade partners amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, but is seen to recover in 2021 as gold exports are expected to rise, according to the Asian Development Bank's annual flagship economic publication, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2020.

Indonesia and the Republic of Korea on April 6th agreed to hold a signing ceremony of their bilateral free trade deal in the near future to quickly implement it in a way that helps minimise the economic fallout from the new coronavirus pandemic.

Singapore’s retail sales in February fell by 8.6 percent year-on-year, compared to the 5.3 percent reduction in the previous month, according to the country’s Department of Statistics.

(CPV) - Georgia will experience a substantial slowdown in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lower oil prices. A recovery is expected in 2021 as a result of higher domestic demand, increased foreign direct investment, and a rebound in workers’ remittances, according to a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report.

(CPV) - The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF announced an agreement on March 3rd 2020 to work together on COVID-19 response, through the historic COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund powered by the United Nations Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.

(CPV) - Regional economic growth in developing Asia will decline sharply in 2020 due to the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, before recovering in 2021, according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2020, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) annual flagship economic publication.

(CPV) - Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa and Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade, and ADB Governor Sardor Umurzakov discussed how ADB can support Uzbekistan in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic on April 1st 2020.

(CPV) - The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and deepening global economic uncertainty are weighing heavily on local currency bond markets of emerging East Asian economies, according to the latest issue of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Asia Bond Monitor on March 25th 2020.

The Indonesian Health Ministry on March 21st confirmed 81 new cases positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and six more deaths, bringing the total number of infection cases to 450 and deaths to 38.

Governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan on March 20th declared a state of emergency in the Indonesian capital city for the next two week in a bid to curb the spread of the acute respiratory disease caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

Cambodia has recorded two more cases positive for the SARS-CoV-2, raising the total to 35, spokesperson of the country’s Ministry of Health Or Vandine said on March 18th.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced a USD6.5 billion initial package on March 18th 2020 to address the immediate needs of its developing member countries (DMCs) as they respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

(CPV) - The Government of the Republic of Indonesia continues to follow closely WHO situation report on the spread of Covid-19.

The Thai Government is making preparations to cope with a third-stage outbreak of COVID-19 which would include a countrywide lockdown, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The Indonesian government is expanding a stimulus package worth 27.17 trillion rupiah (1.8 billion USD) in a bid to further prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on March 18th.

The Lao Government has suspended the issuance of visas for foreign tourists for 30 days and closed schools at all levels to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith announced on March 18th.

Vietnam and Senegal will complete the necessary legal steps to ink a number of agreements to boost bilateral trade and investment.

Malaysia on March 17th announced the first death from the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak.

The Philippine Department of Transportation announced on March 17th that it will close all airports on Luzon island, starting from March 20th.

The Cambodian Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction said the construction industry in the country remains stable despite a serious downturn facing many sectors globally due to impact of COVID-19.

Many Southeast Asian countries on March 16th said that they are continuously implementing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A scheduled visit by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Australia will be replaced by a video conference in view of Australia's COVID-19 restrictions, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on March 16th.