As countries navigate a new development landscape in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is holding its third Southeast Asian Development Symposium (SEADS) on 16–17 March to explore innovative measures that can jumpstart countries' economies in ways that can better ensure the region’s recovery is inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.
#SEADS2022, “Sustainable Solutions for Southeast Asia’s Recovery,” builds on the momentum that ADB and its partners have achieved over the past 2 years in sharing insights and expertise to address the pandemic’s unprecedented challenges. Packed with insightful panel discussions and deep-dive workshops featuring an inspiring cross-section of government, industry, and development experts, the agenda highlights the imperative to build back better at this critical juncture. ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa will deliver the opening keynote.
SEADS 2022 Speakers
Keynote speakers include Indranee Thurai Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for National Development, Singapore; Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Secretary of Tourism, Philippines; Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo, Japan; Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlements Programme; Hooi Ling Tan, Cofounder, Grab; Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer, Google; and Andrea Mattea, President, Microsoft Asia Pacific.
Other speakers include Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Cambodia; Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Indonesia; Benjamin Diokno, Governor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations and Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore; Ahmed M. Saeed, Vice-President for East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, ADB; Ramesh Subramaniam, Director General, Southeast Asia Department, ADB; Albert F. Park, Chief Economist and Director General, Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, ADB; Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro, Secretary General, CARE International; Shamina Singh, Executive Vice-President for Sustainability, Mastercard and Founder and President, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth; F. Cleo Kawawaki, Head, Office of Public–Private Partnership, ADB; Winfried F. Wicklein, Deputy Director General, Southeast Asia Department, ADB; Liz Ortiguera, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association; Lauren Sorkin, Executive Director, Resilient Cities Network; Caecilia Chu, Cofounder and CEO, YouTrip; Anh Wartel, Deputy Director General, Clinical, Assessment, Regulatory, Evaluation, International Vaccine Institute; and Sungsup Ra, Chief Sector Officer, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, ADB.
Launch of Knowledge Product: Southeast Asia: Rising from the Pandemic
ADB will launch a new in-depth report, Southeast Asia: Recovering from the Pandemic, which outlines the region’s growth forecast and data on how the pandemic has affected jobs, various economic sectors, and poverty in the region. The report sets forth several detailed proposals that countries can adopt to spur recovery, address fiscal challenges, and better ensure that the region’s revival benefits all.
SEADS 2022 Priority Areas
#SEADS2022 will focus on (i) green recovery, (ii) tourism revitalization, (iii) the advancement of innovation and technology, (iv) addressing supply chain constraints; (v) advancing gender equality; and (vi) ensuring Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) financing.
ADB established SEADS to convene leaders from government, industry, academia, and the development sector to help crystallize thinking on critical development issues, and to put forward innovative ideas that can help countries make their economies more prosperous, knowledge-based, and sustainable.
