
Asian Trade Has Rebounded Strongly, Yet Uncertainties Persist
These charts illustrate the strong momentum of Asia’s trade growth during 2021, showing its resilience amid continuing uncertainties around the pandemic and a potential slowdown in the pace of global economic recovery.

COVID-19 is Changing Financial Inclusion: Can Policymakers Keep Up?
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the importance of ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable people have access to formal financial services, given their role in supporting inclusive economic recovery and resilience.

The Pandemic Has Pushed Women Out of Work. These Policies Can Help.
In Southeast Asia, women workers were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Urgent policy action is needed to address the issue and improve the welfare of women in other areas as well.

For Pandemic Relief in South Asia, Look to the Diasporas
Millions of South Asians live outside their home countries. They could be key to region’s pandemic recovery.

Vaccinated Asia is Prospering While Other Countries Struggle
To benefit from the demand for Asian exports, rapid and widespread vaccination – particularly in light of the Omicron variant – is needed to stop the divergence in economic recovery paths among Asia’s economies.

The Pandemic has Left Millions in Asia Struggling for Food
COVID-19 has resulted in broad impacts on food security in Asia. Policymakers must respond quickly and aggressively to these challenges to avert long-term damage from this emerging crisis.

How the Pandemic Changed the Way We Think About Quality Jobs
The discourse on quality jobs and decent work has changed since the onset of the pandemic. This transition has provided key insights and policy implications.

Accrediting Online College Courses Could be the Pandemic’s Silver Lining
Online courses play an important role in accessing quality higher education, even more so during the pandemic. But most higher education systems do not have a process in place to accept credits from online courses not offered by their own institution.

Five Things You Need to Know About the New Omicron Variant
Scientists are racing to learn more about the new, possibly more transmissible strain of COVID-19. Stepping up vaccinations should be a starting point of the global response.

Can Online Learning in Nepal Outlive the COVID-19 Pandemic?
In Nepal, an online learning system introduced by the government during the pandemic should be expanded so that it enhances education for years to come.