Knowledge Products

Violent conflict often exacerbates the spread of infectious diseases, as seen in the recent resurgence of polio in Syria, cholera outbreaks in the conflict zones in Yemen, and the persistence of Ebola in insecure eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Between 2009 and 2017, in fact, there were 364 disease outbreaks in [...]

While the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have reached the entire planet, failure to support the response to the virus in fragile and conflict affected states could have catastrophic and far-reaching consequences. The virus is likely to exacerbate tensions that contribute to conflict, including joblessness, food insecurity, competition for resources, marginalization, displacement and opportunistic actions [...]

Countries in Southeast Asia are highly vulnerable to climate change as is evident from the rise in disaster events. The member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are on the pathway to rapid economic and social development, but their prospects are at risk if threats posed by climate change and associated disaster [...]

The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the importance of preparedness and the coordination capacities of national and regional disaster risk management agencies. The notes from the publication includes good practices and lessons learned from Central America and the Dominican Republic. The promotion of regional and cross-border cooperation mechanisms is essential for effective, multisectoral and coordinated management of the pandemic [...]

The ocean and its resources are the lifelines of Asia and the Pacific. As a resource for the economy, livelihoods and identity for coastal communities, the condition of the ocean is inextricably linked to the pathways of sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. Produced in line with the 76th Session of the Economic and [...]

African countries are using technology in many new ways to fight the coronavirus pandemic. This report highlights some of the best digital solutions and estimates the investments required to implement the technology on a wider scale. This paper is intended to contribute to the European Union’s response to the coronavirus. This joint EU response includes [...]

This Trade and Development Report Update by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) discusses how developing countries can build solidarity to weather the interconnected economic and public health crises. The report titled, ‘South-South Cooperation at the Time of COVID-19,’ highlights “North-South divergence” in combating the pandemic. UNCTAD points to developing countries as being [...]

By Brendan Vickers & Salamat Ali, Commonwealth Secretariat The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented health, economic and humanitarian crisis for the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs), including 14 Commonwealth member countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. This issue of Trade Hot Topics analyses the trade flows in medical goods that matter for the [...]

COVID-19 has affected men and women differently. Although more men have died from the pandemic, women’s mental health is taking a bigger toll, their workload at home has multiplied and their economic resources are dwindling. These effects are hard to capture, as social distancing measures have rendered traditional data collection methods impossible. In response to [...]

The latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, published today, estimates that almost 690 million people went hungry in 2019 – up by 10 million from 2018, and by nearly 60 million in five years. High costs and low affordability also mean billions cannot eat healthily or nutritiously. The [...]