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ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility 2021: Financing for a Green Recovery in Southeast Asia
Publication
22 March 2022

ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility 2021: Financing for a Green Recovery in Southeast Asia

This report documents ACGF's progress and achievements from January to December 2021.
ASEAN has been trying to make tourism more sustainable noting that poorly planned and managed tourism has proven to have negative impacts on the host communities and their environment. Photo credit: iStock/last19.
Article
17 March 2022

What Southeast Asian Countries Need to Do to Shift to Sustainable Tourism

While the pandemic has upended tourism in Southeast Asia, it also offers a unique opportunity for the industry to build back greener.
Southeast Asia Rising from the Pandemic
Publication
16 March 2022

Southeast Asia Rising from the Pandemic

This publication examines how eight Southeast Asian countries dealt with and are now beginning to recover from COVID-19.
Solutions in Southeast Asia are closing the plastic loop and creating value from plastic waste. ​​​Photo credit: ADB.
Article
9 February 2022

No Time to Waste: Diving into Plastics Circularity

Circular solutions can help stem the rising tide of plastic waste in Southeast Asia and enable the region to build back bluer.
An UNCTAD study estimates that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will increase intraregional exports by $42 billion. Photo credit: ADB.
News
4 January 2022

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Takes Effect on 1 January

Uneven benefits from tariff concessions seen for member states but still advantageous overall.
The assistance will increase actionable knowledge and greater understanding between ASEAN member countries on the transboundary implications of disasters. Photo credit: ADB.
News
22 December 2021

ADB Strengthens Cooperation with ASEAN on Disaster Risk Management

ADB to support a program to strengthen regional cooperation on understanding, reducing, and managing transboundary risks.
Financing the Ocean Back to Health in Southeast Asia: Approaches for Mainstreaming Blue Finance
Publication
20 December 2021

Financing the Ocean Back to Health in Southeast Asia: Approaches for Mainstreaming Blue Finance

This report from the Asian Development Bank gives an overview of Southeast Asia's blue economy with a particular focus on the investment approaches, opportunities, and finance mechanisms that are available to promote and catalyze funds for a sustainable ocean economy.
International visitor arrivals dropped 82% in 2020 from 2019 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo credit: ADB.
News
20 December 2021

New ADB Facility to Help Southeast Asia Revive Tourism and Boost Sustainable, Inclusive Investments

The Southeast Asia Sustainable Tourism Facility will help countries identify and prepare environmentally sustainable tourism projects and catalyze private financing to support them.
Social Enterprises and Disability: Promoting Inclusion, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in ASEAN
Publication
15 December 2021

Social Enterprises and Disability: Promoting Inclusion, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in ASEAN

This policy brief highlights the role of social enterprises in promoting social impact and inclusion for people with disabilities in ASEAN.
ASEAN Green Future Phase 1 Reports—Further, Faster, Together
Publication
3 December 2021

ASEAN Green Future Phase 1 Reports—Further, Faster, Together

This series of reports looks at the decarbonization pathways for ASEAN member countries.
Thanks to the fund's support, ADB’s Southeast Asia Department has been able to publish a compendium of policy briefs to help countries recover from the pandemic. Photo credit: ADB.
Article
23 November 2021

How the Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund Is Helping Southeast Asian Countries amid COVID-19

An ADB-backed program sharing cutting-edge knowledge and best practices with senior government officials has helped countries accelerate recovery from COVID-19.
More consumers and businesses have adopted digital payment systems, such as e-wallets, which enable contactless transactions during the pandemic. Photo credit: ADB.
News
19 November 2021

Google-Led Study Sees a $1-Trillion Digital Economy in Southeast Asia by 2030

Research by Google, Temasek, and Bain shows the digital economy in Southeast Asia could grow beyond the pandemic to $1 trillion by 2030. The largest economy, Indonesia, could become twice the size of the regional market today.
E-Conomy SEA 2021—Roaring 20s: the SEA Digital Decade
Publication
11 November 2021

E-Conomy SEA 2021—Roaring 20s: the SEA Digital Decade

This report from Google, Temasek, and Bain and Company looks at Southeast Asia's digital economy, focusing on Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. 
The RCEP covers a market of 2.2 billion people with a combined size of $26.2 trillion or 30% of the world’s gross domestic product. Photo credit: ADB.
News
11 November 2021

RCEP Agreement to Enter into Force on 1 January 2022

So far, six member states and four non-ASEAN signatory states have ratified the agreement.
Renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, can help countries recover from the pandemic by creating jobs and opportunities as well as support their climate goals. Photo credit: ADB.
News
4 November 2021

More than $600M Pledged for Green Infrastructure in Southeast Asia at COP26

The new funding will go to the ASEAN Green Recovery Platform, which backs low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure projects.