Social development
Myanmar stalling on end to child soldier recruitment: UN
Myanmar has not done enough to fulfil its promise to end the use of child soldiers and underage recruitment may even be on the rise, a top UN official said Tuesday. The military and a number of rebel groups have for years drafted underage soldiers to ...
U.S. raises concerns about Vietnam's proposed cybersecurity law
The United States has raised concerns with Vietnam about its proposed cybersecurity law, the U.S. Embassy said on Thursday, amid activists’ fears the new legislation will cause economic harm and crackdown on online dissent in the communist-ruled country. Keep reading ...
Myanmar Military Targets Other Ethnic Groups After Driving Rohingya Out
Myanmar’s military, fresh off a bloody campaign that drove most of the country’s Muslim Rohingya minority into neighboring Bangladesh, has launched a new offensive against the armed forces of an ethnic group along the northern border with China using helicopter gunships, jet fighters and heavy ...
Revised sex education curriculum planned for secondary schools
The government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), together with civil society organisations, are discussing the inclusion of comprehensive sexuality education in the curriculum at lower and upper secondary schools. Keep reading ...
Six Mekong nations call for accelerated action to eliminate malaria before 2030
The governments of Cambodia, China, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam have together called for accelerated action to eliminate malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) by 2030. Signing a joint Ministerial Call for Action at the World Health Assembly in ...
Shopee announces M2030 partnership to defeat Malaria
Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform has recently announced its commitment to help defeat malaria in the region as part of a long-term partnership with M2030, a brand created by Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA), and supported by the Global Fund. M2030 brings consumers and companies ...
Mekong rethinks drug policy as syndicates pump meth from Myanmar
The production of synthetic drugs in the Mekong Region – and Myanmar in particular – has reached “alarming levels”, the United Nations said today as regional anti-drug authorities meet to negotiate a new strategy. Methamphetamine seizures in Cambodia, China, Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam have ...
China, Southeast Asian nations sign action document to eliminate malaria during World Health Assembly
Health officials from China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao, Thailand and Vietnam along with World Health Organization representatives on Tuesday signed the Ministerial Call for Action to Eliminate Malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion before 2030. Keep reading ...
Empowering civil society in ASEAN
As a regional association, ASEAN must avoid the pitfalls of becoming a high-minded, elitist organisation, with its inner workings confined within the hallowed hallways of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. As it evolves, it must adapt to the needs and demands of its constituents – ...
‘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 ...
