Aid and development

Developing Asia’s economy will rebound faster this year than previously estimated, as nations tread diverging recovery paths, according to the Asian Development Bank. Southeast Asia’s forecast was lowered to 4.4% growth this year amid reduced projections for Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. The region’s gross domestic product ...

Aerial view of the Ru Cha mangrove forest in Thua Thien-Hue Province. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh. USAID has launched two new conservation and forest management projects to help Vietnam’s fight against the climate crisis, the U.S. Embassy said Tuesday. The Sustainable Forest Management project, implemented by U.S.-based ...

Following its launch in Banteay Meanchey last month, USAID’s “Pidor, the Smart Villager” project that provides information on public services, is now accessible in Kampong Chhnang province since yesterday. Pidor, the Smart Villager is an Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Facebook-based chatbot tool by USAID’s One Window ...

The Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) system implemented at national scale under an USAID project now generates approximately 120 million USD annually to finance the management of approximately 6 million hectares of Vietnam’s forests. The figures were released at an Earth Day event held in the Central ...

A new Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)-For-Trade project, in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) Programme’s initiative for the Lower Mekong, will promote trade and sustainable forest management (SFM) and at ...

Thailand and Japan have agreed to strengthen economic cooperation and reaffirmed their close cooperation in the development in the Mekong sub-region, particularly through the Mekong – Japan cooperation and Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS). Prime Minister and Defense Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had a telephone ...

The European Union has imposed sanctions on 10 of Myanmar’s military leaders, as well as two giant military conglomerates, in its toughest measures yet against the February 1 coup and the bloody crackdown on protesters demanding the return of the elected government. Announcing the sanctions on ...

With support from the Swedish government, the Solid Waste Management Association, Thailand (SWAT) is launching its Plastic Footprint Reduction Project to reduce ocean plastic pollution The project is under the framework of the United Nations Environment Programme’s SEA circular project and initiated by the Coordinating Body on the ...

The Swedish government and UNESCO yesterday signed an agreement on “Strengthening Media Development and Freedom of Expression” in Cambodia, with Sweden contributing around $2.5 million to UNESCO for the project. According to a joint statement released yesterday, the project is to be implemented in partnership with ...

Vietnam plans to borrow around $2 billion to develop the Mekong Delta, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. The money, to come from the World Bank, Germany and France, would be used for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in the face of climate change, ...