Articles Category: Environment

Over the period 2015-2020, Southeast Asia faced its most severe droughts in decades, with devastating impacts. No country in our region has been spared. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, our news headlines would have been dominated by drought impacts a

ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), established in 1973 and currently one of ASEAN’s oldest entities, plays a key role in the ASEAN Community building process.  AIPA’s objectives are to build closer cooperation among the 10 national legislatures

In yet another first, the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings were convened virtually from 9-12 September 2020. In view of the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, major power rivalry and looming economic recession, the 53rd AMM pr

In a special virtual online meeting held on 19 August 2020, the ministers overseeing ASEAN’s cooperation on rural development and poverty eradication gathered to discuss initiatives that are being undertaken at the national level to protect the poor fr

“How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,” were the pointed words of young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg to world leaders at the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.

Bullying of children is becoming a pervasive concern in the region. Director General Luu Quang Tuan shares with The ASEAN, some of the initiatives started by ASEAN to protect children from bullying, both online and offline.

ACWC is a consultative body that supports the work of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development. ACWC Chair and Cambodian Ministry of Women’s Affairs Under Secretary Hou Nirmita talks about the role of the Commission in securing t

Minister Khattiya provides an overview of ASEAN’s goals and strategies for upholding the rights and advancing the well-being of children in the region. She talks about the progress made in terms of protecting children from violence and increasing acces

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, first woman Prime Minister of Norway, pioneered the concept of sustainable development and shaped its early agenda. She is a founding member of The Elders, the group of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reflects on his 10-year tenure as chief diplomat and development advocate, and the role that mutlilateralism plays in addressing ongoing and emerging global challenges.

Hugh Lim, Executive Director of Centre for Liveable Cities, weighs in on what it takes to build pandemic-proof and resilient cities based on the practices that worked and deficiencies that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses the benefits

No other country in the Asia- Pacific region has more volcanoes than Indonesia. The country is home to at least 127 active volcanoes; thus, volcanic eruptions are a major threat to the archipelago.

Nestled along the Philippines’ typhoon-prone corridor, Naga City faces heightened vulnerability to torrential rains, landslides, and heavy flooding. Just this past April, the city felt the impact of Tropical Depression Amang. Though a relatively weak s

On Instagram @earthtodorcas, Dorcas Tang Wen Yu creates stories and advocates for a better world through her illustrations and poems. Her activism brought her to Egypt to attend the United Nations Conference of Youth (COY) 17, which was held on the sid

Children relate their experiences and feelings in the most fascinating and amusing ways. But their stories are often insightful and profound, giving us a glimpse of how they view the world. During the pandemic, the view for Hannah and Callum Goh and Za

One hundred fifty-two million students in the region were forced to shift to remote and online learning when the COVID-19 pandemic led to prolonged school closures. Eight children share how they coped with this abrupt transition and what they liked or