World leaders came together in Glasgow last November to map out a path to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. But while the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) was undoubtedly a historic moment, most countries are just beginning their work to meet new goals to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.That is why the announcement by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Indonesian and Philippine governments at COP26 stood out.

In 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic and the myriad crises it spawned may finally start to recede. But even in that best-case scenario, a tsunami of new challenges – from the failure of climate action to the erosion of social cohesion – is within sight. Addressing them will require leaders to adopt a different governance model. When our institutions are well governed, we pay little attention to them.

Filipino citizens were once again let down with disheartening news. On 30 December 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the funding of a Human Rights Institute in the Philippines.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, the Philippines was perceived as the next Asian Tiger economy and one of the most robust and dynamic economies in ASEAN and the wider East Asian region. Based on the World Bank's (WB) data and statistics, the country's average annual growth rate increased from 4.5 percent between 2000-2009 to 6.4 percent between 2010-2019.

The Indo-Pacific, which has multiple meanings from a country’s international strategic outlook to a wide area stretched from Indian to the Pacific Ocean, still retains its popularity among foreign policy practitioners and analysts to this date. Countries, such as the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, as well as a regional institution like European Union (EU), have declared the Indo-Pacific as one of their primary priorities in foreign policy.

As the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) aims to create a single market integration in Southeast Asia, rising energy demand arising from rapid economic growth will need to be addressed. According to the 6th ASEAN Energy Outlook, ASEAN’s energy demand will increase substantially by 146 percent by 2040. Aside from energy security issues, the aftermath of this rising energy demand is the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, potentially reaching 4,171 Mt CO2-eq in 2040.

With cities facing disastrous climate stresses and shocks in the coming years, one would think they would be rushing to implement mitigation and adaptation strategies.

As the pandemic enters its third year, questions about COVID-19’s origins appear increasingly distant. But if we are to forestall another coronavirus pandemic in the 21st century, understanding the causes of the current one is imperative.

The protests that erupted across Kazakhstan on 2 January quickly turned into riots in all of the country’s major cities. What do the protesters want, and what will be the outcome of the country’s most severe civil unrest since independence in 1991? Although the initial trigger was a doubling of fuel prices, the protesters soon demanded the dissolution of parliament and new elections.

On 1 January 2022, the world's largest trade deal, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), came into force. RCEP is a trade agreement involving the 10- member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their largest free trade agreement (FTA) partners, namely China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.