Essay: Australian generosity to global neighbours ignored in new government budget
PETER KEEGAN, director of advocacy at Baptist World Aid Australia, says Australia’s Federal Budget, handed down on Tuesday night, contains nothing new to celebrate in terms of foreign aid…
Record climate disasters in Asia-Pacific push millions to “breaking point”
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Asia-Pacific has faced a record number of climate-related disasters in 2020, affecting tens of millions of vulnerable people already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Cross said on Wednesday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it had responded to 24 climate-linked crises this […]
Fears world’s biggest trade deal could spark conflicts, hurt farmers
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation An Asia-Pacific trade deal backed by China could hurt small scale farmers, cause more land conflicts, and leave workers in poorer nations without protection as they struggle to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, human rights groups said on Friday. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – that also includes Japan, South […]
Investors pressure Australian firms to tackle slavery in Asia-Pacific
Phnom Penh, CambodiaThomson Reuters Foundation Leading investors urged big businesses in Australia this week to eradicate modern slavery from their Asia-Pacific supply chains, as thousands of companies prepare to present their first reports under the country’s new anti-slavery law. A group of 24 investment firms, with $US4.22 trillion under management, sent letters to 100 Australian […]
Asia-Pacific countries begin to ease pandemic-related travel bans, but hurdles remain
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Asia-Pacific countries including Singapore, Australia and Japan are gradually easing some international travel restrictions as coronavirus cases slow, in hopes of helping to revive their economies. International travel in Asia has collapsed during the pandemic due to border closures, with passenger numbers down 97 per cent in August, according to the Association of […]
Pacific islands urged to retune post-pandemic for new economic age
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Pacific islands that rely on tourism should reset their economies and invest in sustainable industries and migrant workers to better weather the impact of disease and disaster, according to a senior United Nations official. Kanni Wignaraja, head of the UN Development Programme for Asia-Pacific, urged small Pacific economies that were […]
Backlash against migrant workers in Asia-Pacific sparks slavery concerns
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Public support for migrant workers in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand is decreasing, a United Nations poll found on Wednesday that campaigners said raised concerns about the risk of slavery. Most people in the three nations have limited knowledge about and increasingly negative attitudes towards migrant workers, and do not think they […]
Asia-Pacific meth drug trade worth up to $US61 billion, UN says
Bangkok, ThailandReuters Transnational crime groups are trafficking vast quantities of methamphetamine made in South-East Asia, the United Nations said on Thursday, putting the value of the Asia-Pacific market for the drug between $US30.3 billion and $US61.4 billion. The explosion in the meth trade, from an estimated $US15 billion in 2013, comes as powerful syndicates exploit […]
Hunger stalks Asia’s booming cities – UN agencies
Thomson Reuters Foundation Hundreds of millions of children and adults in Asia’s rapidly expanding cities are undernourished, and will remain so without “inclusive, sustainable and nutrition-sensitive” urban planning, United Nations officials said on Friday. The Asia-Pacific region has the world’s highest rate of urbanisation, while also being home to more than half the world’s 821 […]
Rising disaster risk but little insurance interest in Pacific islands
Thomson Reuters Foundation Pacific island nations are some of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, yet only a handful have signed up to an insurance scheme that dispenses rapid payouts in a crisis – a situation experts hope to change. The United Nations says only about eight per cent of disaster losses are covered in the […]