Asia and the Pacific is facing its worst economic contraction at least since the 1970s due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The consequent economic weakness is likely to set back the region’s socio-economic progress and is predicted to push a significant number of people into unemployment and poverty while increasing inequality.

This brief assesses the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on migrant workers, how reduced remittances will affect households and economies in Asia and the Pacific, and what policy makers can do to soften the blow.

The ocean and its resources are the lifelines of Asia and the Pacific. As a resource for the economy, livelihoods and identity for coastal communities, the condition of the ocean is inextricably linked to the pathways of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) finances innovative projects to expand sustainable energy access as part of a joint initiative with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

This publication examines the physical, material and psychological gender-differentiated impacts of weather and climate as well as the gender-specific needs for information and services on the basis of primary data emerging from 18 case studies, including three in-depth studies (Bangladesh, Fiji and Botswana) and other empirical evidence.

Climate change is “absolutely” already causing deaths, according to a new report on the health impacts of the climate crisis, which also predicts climate-related stunting, malnutrition and lower IQ in children within the coming decades.

This Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme (CMEP) report provides a summary of climate change impacts on coasts and seas in the Pacific island region, and how Pacific islands can respond.

Pacific island countries are highly vulnerable to various natural disasters which are destructive, unpredictable and occur frequently. The frequency and scale of these shocks heightens the importance of medium-term economic and fiscal planning to minimize the adverse impact of disasters on economic development.

Sustainable Development Goal 16 (the ‘peace goal’) is a key policy opportunity to safeguard development gains in the Pacific. Fostering peaceful sustainable development in the Pacific will require a re-thinking of the development approaches taken, particularly where pervasive exclusion and inequality are linked to potential drivers of conflict.

Climate change and natural disasters can have lasting consequences on livelihoods, economies, and fiscal balances—spanning immediate reconstruction costs and fiscal shocks to long-term halts in tourism and agriculture economies. Globally, the most exposed to these impacts are the Pacific island countries.