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COP26 President Alok Sharma welcomed efforts to scale up financing for developing Asia’s clean energy transition needed to achieve a 1.5-degree Celsius reduction in global temperatures and fight climate change in remarks at the conclusion of the virtual 2021 ADBI Annual Conference. He said progress by the region’s governments and institutions, such as the Asian Development Bank, to mobilize project financing is vital for advancing carbon net-zero targets while meeting growing energy demand. Experts described policy solutions for boosting green finance and climate change mitigation during the three-day event. View the keynote speeches.

Register for the fast-approaching public virtual 2021 Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) Annual Conference, to explore developing Asia and the Pacific’s next steps for meeting more ambitious climate commitments after COP26 and feature the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Jim Skea, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa, and leading policy researchers. View the agenda and preview video.

On the heels of COP26, the 2021 ADBI Annual Conference on 1-3 December will explore the next steps for climate change mitigation and green finance policy in Asia and the Pacific. It will feature new research on climate imperatives across key sectors and discuss the outlook for carbon pricing and regional cooperation. Register

ADBI Series on Asian and Pacific Sustainable Development Coeditors ADBI Dean Tetsushi Sonobe and Yale University’s Rohini Pande launched its inaugural book, COVID-19 Impacts and Policy Options: An Asian Perspective, by opening an authors’ discussion of the region’s onward economic policy priorities. View the webinar recording and download the book for free.

Researchers detailed ways to improve basic education quality in Southeast Asia during an ADBI-ADB-ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute conference. They urged aligning education delivery, investment, and policy with local contexts and examined COVID-19-driven education system changes and reform opportunities. View the webinar recording. Read more.

Federal Minister of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety of the Government of Pakistan Sania Nishtar and an expert panel discussed keys to successful COVID-19 social protection program expansion and lessons for designing innovative and viable post-pandemic safety nets in Asia during an ADBI policy dialogue. Read more.

New Zealand Infrastructure Commission Board Chair Alan Bollard led an expert discussion on infrastructure’s COVID-19 recovery role in Asia and the Pacific during an ADBI Featured Speaker Webinar, drawing upon his experience as former Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat head. Read more.

Viet Nam Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tran Hong Ha and other senior policy makers and experts examined strategies for transitioning from a linear to a circular economy to drive a sustainable COVID-19 recovery in developing Asia during a virtual conference cohosted by ADBI. Read more.

An ADBI-Stanford University virtual workshop explored ways to integrate high shares of solar and wind power in electricity supply systems to mitigate climate change, with policy makers from developing Asia participating in a web-based roll playing game to build their understanding of electricity market dynamics and test renewable energy and climate policy scenarios. Read more.

A webinar featuring the authors of the new ADBI Press book Enhancing SME Participation in Global Value Chains: Determinants, Challenges, and Policy Recommendations evaluated small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) trade in 10 Asian countries and onward growth solutions. Read more.