tudents in Southeast Asia may soon have education better tailored to the marketplace under a new training model piloted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with Google, Inc. It puts businesses in the driver’s seat with university partners in shaping practical education that will enable job-ready graduates to communicate well in a team and meet the needs of industry.
With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA), the Mekong Partnership for the Environment and Private Financing Advisory Network (USAID PFAN-Asia) brought together over 40 non-government organizations, civil society and private sector representatives in the Mekong region to learn about emerging international trends in sustainable investment and environmental, social and governance integration. They met to strategize about making investments more sustainable, which reduces risk, saves money and improves their reputations.
Vietnam's Lam Dong provincial government has made a significant commitment for action on climate change by launching the Lam Dong Provincial Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) Action Plan (PRAP). The PRAP is one of the first of its kind in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, and is the result of a three-year collaborative process with the United States Agency for International Development Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) program and its partners, including non-governmental organizations, forest owners, private companies, international organizations and universities.
Today, more than 40 women entrepreneurs from an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Bangkok announced a regional product brand and marking platform called the GREAT Women (Gender Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women) – ASEAN Collection. From its base in the Philippines, this innovative approach and brand is being scaled up to a regional level to enable women entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia to be able to work collectively to foster fair-employment and fair-trade conditions, market their products beyond their own countries’ borders and protect their product designs from being illegally copied and sold. This week’s meeting is supported by ASEAN, the US-ASEAN Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs (Business Alliance), the US-ASEAN Business Council, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the Office of SME Promotion (OSMEP) among many other local and regional partners. Baker & McKenzie, Procter & Gamble and other businesses and entrepreneurs are also taking part and providing advice alongside the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) and the Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Associations of Thailand.
A landmark regional dialogue convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok this week provided a unique platform for advancing rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.
The embassies of Sweden and the United States to Thailand, along with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), launched a $8 million regional project to help safeguard the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Southeast and East Asia in Bangkok today.
Future economic impacts of climate change in the Lower Mekong Basin are likely to be wide-ranging and could top $30 billion annually, according to a new report by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Of most concern are potentially significant reductions in the yield of crops, fish and non-timber forest products critical for livelihoods, damage to infrastructure associated with floods and sea level rise, and an increase in the incidence and severity of heat-related illnesses for workers.
The United States today announced plans to launch activities in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) to help reduce malnutrition rates and growth stunting in vulnerable communities through nutritional supplements, improved methods of feeding infants and young children, and better community sanitation.
More than 125 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs attended a one-day workshop in Phnom Penh today to enhance their knowledge and skills on good business practices presented by U.S. multi-national companies.
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