Decent Work & Economic Growth

Image: Cover of the 'Social Outlook for Asia and the Pacific: The Workforce We Need'. Credit: UNESCAP

Protecting the Asia-Pacific Workforce by Ensuring Its Rights

Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

BANGKOK (IDN) — Most of the 2.1 billion strong workforce in Asia and the Pacific are denied access to decent jobs, health care and social protection, but there is an array of policies and tools that governments can use to remedy these deficiencies and ensure that the rights and aspirations of these workers and their families are upheld and that they remain the engine of economic growth for the region.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 08 September 2022

Photo: Young people attend a youth summit in Jamaica. Credit: UN Jamaica

UN Chief Underlines "the Power of Partnerships Across Generations"

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) — Celebrated every year on August 12, the theme of this year's International Youth Day is "Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages", which UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted, reminds us of "a basic truth" that "we need people of all ages, young and old alike, to join forces to build a better world for all".

: Radwan Jakeem; UN INSIDER; 12 August 2022

New UN Report Calls on African Countries to Rethink Export Diversification

By Jaya Ramachandran with UNCTAD Report

GENEVA (IDN) — African countries must diversify their exports to survive economic shocks from global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, says the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

In its Economic Development in Africa Report 2022, published on July 14, UNCTAD says African countries can diversify their economies through boosting exports of high-value services, expanding private businesses’ access to financial services, tapping into new financial technologies and implementing effective policies.

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Decent Work & Economic Growth; 16 July 2022

There’s No Game Like Football

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) — Until she asked, I didn't know it was a problem. Her problem, I mean. When people say whatever gets your time and attention gets you, it’s often true.

For as long as I can remember, 36 weeks every year, this thing gets my time and attention.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 01 July 2022

Image Credit: RepublicWorld.comImage Credit: RepublicWorld.com

A Staged Default: Sri Lanka’s Sovereign Bond Debt Trap and IMF’s Spring Meetings Amid Hybrid Cold War – Part 3

This is the second in a series of three articles. Please click here for Part 2.

Viewpoint by Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake *

An Unsinkable Aircraft carrier? Asset stripping a strategic island

COLOMBO (IDN) — Former US Under Secretary for South and Central Asia, Alice G. Well, a few years ago called Sri Lanka a "valuable piece of real estate" in the Indian Ocean, and the country not long ago turned down a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact and a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 25 April 2022

Photo: Handful of tourists in a deserted Khaosan which was before the pandemic filled with street stalls and tourists. Credit: Pattama Vilailert.

Street Vending: Covid Seems to Have Killed a Bangkok Icon

By Pattama Vilailert

BANGKOK (IDN) — Street vendors have been an iconic attraction for millions of tourists that visited Bangkok each year before the COVID-19 pandemic. In perfect tune with the Thais' approach to enjoying life to its fullest, including eating and shopping, street vendors have set their carts in the heart of Thai people and Bangkok for a century, serving both Thais and foreigners.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 20 April 2022

Photo: Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka on April 13, 2022 in front of the Presidential Secretariat. CC BY-SA 4.0

Sri Lanka: The Story of the Situation Going from Bad to Worse

Viewpoint by Alan Keenan

This article was issued by the International Crisis Group and is being republished with their permission. Alan Keenan is Senior Consultant at the Crisis Group.

BRUSSELS (IDN) — Protests, which had been building from late February in response to Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in nearly 75 years of independence, have now morphed into a nationwide uprising. Protesters are demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the removal of the Rajapaksa family from politics.

The protest wave gained momentum as the results of the government’s financial and economic mismanagement became increasingly visible amid rapidly disappearing hard currency reserves and widespread shortages.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 19 April 2022

Image: Migrant farmworkers in the Italian region of Calabria | Credit: ANSA/Quotidiano Del Sud

COVID-Recovery: Fault Lines Expose Migrant Workers to Higher Health and Safety Risks

Viewpoint by Mahinda Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — Disruptions from war, impacts of climate, and the growing inequities in wealth distribution are some main factors that drive over 160 million international migrant workers to seek work for a living in overseas countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the 3-D jobs (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) that migrant workers face in their host country while exposed to precarious work.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 06 March 2022

Photo: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

UN Urges Action as COVID Leaves Millions Vulnerable

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — The COVID pandemic has pushed no less than 124 million more people into extreme poverty. "Many millions" have been left vulnerable to the scourge. Half of victims in low-income countries are children, noted UN Secretary General António Guterres noted just ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. adding that Most are trafficked for forced labour, added the UN Chief.

: Caroline Mwanga; UN INSIDER; 29 July 2021

COVID-19 Exposes Fault Lines on Protecting Vulnerable Workers

By Mahinda Seneviratne*

SYDNEY (IDN) — As twilight approaches, Rakesh (not his real name) mounts his bicycle with a large thermal backpack over his narrow shoulders. He lost his regular job at a small suburban restaurant when the family business could not sustain itself during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. With the recent shocking road deaths of three food delivery riders heavily on his mind, Rakesh pedals cautiously into the growing traffic lanes to commence his first home delivery gig.