Aid and development
Multilateral development assistance
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation could play bigger role in regional river protection, development
Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) could play a bigger role in the protection and development of the Lancang-Mekong river, Cambodian experts and officials said in recent interviews with Xinhua. Te Navuth, secretary general of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee (CNMC), said that for Cambodia, the main concerns over ...
Where is the promised money, campaigners ask at climate talks in Bangkok
Developed countries are dragging their feet on meeting their pledges of billions of dollars to help developing nations tackle climate change, leaving poor nations with mounting costs from rising temperatures, rights groups said. Rich governments have promised to mobilise $100 billion per year in climate ...
Cybercrime surges above $120-bn in Southeast Asia
THE RAPID growth of Bitcoin-related scams and other cybercrimes has prompted the United Nations to urge member countries, including Thailand, to step up their legal safeguards against potential economic losses. Cybercrime-related losses worldwide top US$600 billion (Bt19.6 trillion), said Julien Garsany, deputy regional representative of ...
Lao government, World Bank assess renewable energy development in southern river basin
The Lao government and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, are conducting a basin-wide Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) of renewable energy development in southern Laos’ Xekong River Basin. According to local online newspaper Vientiane Times on Sunday, it is the ...
ADB loan to boost highways
Thailand has gained a US$99.4 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help upgrade some of the country’s highways and improve road safety in the Northeast. []“Transport infrastructure is an important driver of growth for Thailand’s economy,” said Subramaniam. “Improving the country’s road network ...
Myanmar and UN announce deal for return of Rohingya
Myanmar’s government has announced an agreement with two UN agencies for the return of refugees who fled violence in Rakhine state, but Rohingya have expressed concerns that it does not do enough to guarantee their safety. Keep reading ...
WB Provides Loans for National Roads’ Improvement in Cambodia
World Bank has provided a low-interest loan of $60 million to the Royal Government of Cambodia to upgrade the quality of National Road No.3 and National Road No. 7 with a total length of 218 kilometer. Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol signed ...
Secure access to land critical to achieve an end to hunger
Addressing fairly the challenges of land tenure for hundreds of millions of people in Asia and the Pacific is a critical step that policy makers must take if the region is to meet the 2030 deadline for zero hunger and eradication of poverty, the Food ...
‘Alarming levels’ of methamphetamine trafficking in Asia’s Mekong, UN warns
Organized crime groups in Asia’s Mekong region have intensified the production and trafficking of highly-addictive methamphetamine, extending the illegal trade into countries such as Australia, Japan and New Zealand, senior drug policy leaders warned on Monday at a United Nations-backed regional conference. Keep reading ...
ADB allots $339.4M for grants, assistance
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will set aside $339.4 million for grants and technical assistance to low-income and developing member countries as approved during the just-concluded annual meeting of its board of governors. In a statement, the Manila-based lender said the board had approved $690.1 million ...