Articles Category: Social Protection

Officials from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) walked into the headquarters of the Viet Nam Competition Commission (VCC) on 28 August 2025 with a clear mission: to strengthen consumer protection s

Inclusion as a buzzword has grown louder in recent years. While inclusive progress has already been made in some sectors, such as public service or transportation, attention should also be paid to inclusion in the private sector. Businesses have to pro

From the moment we wake up until we fall asleep, we spend much of our time staring at screens. The line between our digital and physical lives has all but blurred, shaping how we work, study, communicate with loved ones, shop, and even commute each day

In September 2024, Typhoon Yagi tore through Southeast Asia, leaving devastation in its wake—claiming lives, displacing communities, and destroying livelihoods. At the same time, over 10,000 kilometres away, in the south of Europe, Portugal was battlin

The increasing frequency, scale, and complexity of disasters in Southeast Asia underscore the need for strengthened regional cooperation in humanitarian action. The ASEAN region—one of the most disaster-prone in the world—faces a convergence of risks t

Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, ASEAN is the most disaster-prone region in the world. In just mid-2025, ASEAN has faced close to 2,000 disasters, which have affected 45.6 million persons and displaced 2.1 million persons. Some 6,000 lives were los

Minister Zulkifli highlights ASEAN’s achievements in poverty reduction and emphasises the need for continued cooperation to ensure a stable and prosperous region. He says that Singapore has focused on the role of families and communities in tackling po

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.

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

Tourism has been one of the hardest- hit sectors by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Secretary Romulo-Puyat talks to The ASEAN about the pandemic’s impact on the Philippines’ tourism industry, on jobs and businesses, and how the country is working towa

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala talks to The ASEAN about COVAX, one of three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which focuses on ensuring the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to both higher income and lower-income countries.

Suharso Monoarfa has been actively participating in numerous development projects in the country. Those experiences have shaped his career as well as equipped him with various essential soft skills.

A group of mothers and grandmothers from Wates village, Majalengka, West Java, who bear the financial responsibility of keeping their households afloat, have banded together to form Mother Bank. Co-created by the artist Bunga Siagian, 37, Mother Bank i

At 76, Ngai Hin Kwok knows every turn of the trail at Singapore’s MacRitchie Reservoir. On even-numbered days, he laces up his running shoes and moves along the familiar path beneath a canopy of green. On odd-numbered days, he trades his running shoes

Sixty-eight-year-old Vanda Ou leads the Cambodian Ageing Network (CAN), a platform uniting organisations and stakeholders to improve the lives of older people in Cambodia.

It was a sweltering day in Brunei Darussalam in early May 2025. The “feels like” temperature in areas such as Bangar and Pekan Tutong reaches as high as 44 degrees Celsius. The Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department posted social media warnings an

Since its inception in 2007, Maya Dance Theatre (MDT) has been faithful to its philosophy: bridging the space between audience and artist to provoke thought and dialogue about pressing social issues. In 2018, MDT’s artistic director and co-founder, Kav

Nguyễn Văn Cử is the Deputy Director of Disability Research and Capacity Development Center (DRD) and Director of Doi Rat Dep Social Enterprise. Doi Rat Dep, or “Life is Beautiful” in Vietnamese, is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to promoting