ASEAN and the world

(CPV) - Business has a prime role to play in building an ASEAN that works for all Asians, says the Oxfam Report “The Future of Business: Shaping inclusive growth in South-East Asia,” launched as the World Economic Forum (WEF) ASEAN meeting kicks off in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, on September 11th - 13th 2018.

The UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on September 10th said a total of 42 countries have endorsed a UN peace-keeping declaration as part of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ effort to renew political support for the world body’s peace-keeping operations.

The 39th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) opened in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 10th, attended by representatives of 47 member countries, more than 100 observer states and international and non-governmental organisations.

President Donald Trump attended the solemn ceremony marking the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11th.

President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo discussed measures to enhance the two countries’ special strategic partnership during their meeting in Seoul on September 10th.

India and the United States (US) have held the first edition of the 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi.

Dr. Arif Alvi on September 9th was sworn in as the 13th President of Pakistan at a ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad capital.

A new World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) report finds that ASEAN’s biggest banks are increasingly aware of the impact their businesses have on the environment and society, but are slow to act on the huge potential they hold in addressing climate change and financing sustainable food, energy and infrastructure systems in the region.

(CPV) - ADB and the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) signed an agreement on September 6th 2018 for a USD40.5 million grant for the Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project that will help farmers and agribusinesses develop sustainable and climate-smart agriculture value chains in the country.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on September 9th staged a huge military parade to mark its 70th National Day.

The Republic of Korea (RoK)'s overseas direct investment rose sharply in the second quarter from a year earlier as investors focus on offshore investment in the manufacturing and financial sectors, the RoK government’s data shows.

The new Royal Government of Cambodia held its first meeting in Phnom Penh under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on September 7th.

At least 20 are dead and 70 injured due to a suicide attack at a sports center in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul.

President of Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on September 5th re-appointed Mr. Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga as Prime Minister and ordered the formation of a new government.

The 3rd inter-Korean summit between the Republic of Korea (RoK)'s President and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s leader Kim Jong-un will take place in Pyongyang on September 18th - 20th.

The 39th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly in Singapore wrapped up on September 6th after four working days.

The Ministry of Commerce of Thailand has cooperated with the private sector to launch a programme to provide small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with opportunities to participate in international trade fairs abroad.

US President Donald Trump on September 4th had a phone call with the Republic of Korea (RoK) President Moon Jae-in to reaffirm common efforts to complete the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

French President Emmanuel Macron on September 4th appointed former Green lawmaker Francois de Rugy as his new Environment Minister and Romanian-born swimmer Roxana Maracineanu as Sports Minister.

The Union Home Ministry’s National Emergency Response Centre said on September 3rd said that 1,400 people have died from rain and floods across 10 states in India.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular press conference in Tokyo on September 3rd that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would attend a regional economic forum to be held in the Russian Far East port city of Vladivostok next week and have a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Indonesia will bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, President Joko Widodo announced on September 1st following its successful organisation of the 2018 Asian Games (ASIAD).

The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s President Moon Jae-in has replaced his Defence Minister and four other ministers in a cabinet reshuffle.

(CPV) - The Board of Directors of ADB has approved USD145 million in loans to develop new applied science and technology programs in four Sri Lankan universities.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in Senegal on a three-nation West African visit including Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria.

(CPV) - ADB and the Government of India today signed a USD346 million loan to finance improvement of over 400 kilometers (km) of state highways that will enhance connectivity and access to economic centers across 12 districts in Karnataka.

(CPV) - On August 30th 2018, ADB Vice-President Mr. Wencai Zhang in meetings with Sri Lanka’s leadership reaffirmed ADB’s strong commitment to support the country’s continued development drive, in line with ADB’s new long-term corporate blueprint, Strategy 2030.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) will organise the first regional stakeholder forum on the Pak Lay hydropower project in Vientiane, Laos, on September 20th-21st, according to the MRC’s press release on August 30th.

(CPV) - The Board of Directors of ADB has approved a financing package totaling USD245 million to provide safe, sustainable, and inclusive drinking water service to about 1.65 million people in three districts of West Bengal state, India, affected by arsenic, fluoride, and salinity.

New Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s cabinet has been sworn in at Government House in Canberra.