Showing 1 - 10 of 1,114
Getting sustainable debt right
News, Published on 19/05/2025
» A slowing global economy, rising trade tensions, and increased risks of recession could mean a perfect storm for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) burdened by high sovereign debt. Faced with exorbitant borrowing costs and an increasingly jittery international environment, these countries' potential for economic growth and development will be severely curtailed.
Empowering middle-income states
News, Published on 28/04/2025
» Spanning across all regions of the world -- from Latin America to Africa, from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia and the Pacific -- middle-income countries (MICs) constitute over 100 countries, hosting 75% of the world's population and producing 35% of global GDP. Many MICs are in Asia.
Can COP30 close the funding gap?
News, Published on 31/03/2025
» Last year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku ended with developed countries agreeing to mobilise $300 billion (about 10.2 trillion baht) annually for climate finance in developing countries. But while this figure is three times higher than the previous $100 billion target, it falls far short of what's needed to close the climate funding gap.
Regional shares sink as trade war worries mount
Business, Published on 29/03/2025
» RECAP: Asian stocks slid yesterday with heavy selling in South Korea and Japan, while safe-haven gold traded at a record high as the latest tariff salvo from US President Donald Trump stoked investor worries of an all-out trade war.
Bank of Thailand wary of falling asset quality for some borrowers
Business, Somruedi Banchongduang, Published on 20/03/2025
» The Bank of Thailand has expressed concerns over declining asset quality among higher-income borrowers, following a similar trend observed for middle- to lower-income groups, aligning with the softening of economic growth.
The key to universal energy access
Oped, Published on 18/03/2025
» Our planet and its inhabitants are in trouble. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that to meet the targets of the 2015 Paris agreement and keep global warming below 2° Celsius (relative to preindustrial levels), renewable energy must supply 70-85% of the world's electricity by 2050. In other words, renewable capacity must triple by 2030 to avert a climate catastrophe.
Making the case for foreign aid
Oped, Published on 07/03/2025
» Foreign aid is being slashed across the Global North, nowhere more so than in the United States. Within his first month back in the White House, President Donald Trump dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and froze foreign aid, calling it wasteful and fraudulent. The United Kingdom recently followed suit, trading off its international-aid budget for higher defence spending.
Time to boost green investments
Oped, Published on 04/03/2025
» The United Nations Conferences on Financing for Development have been great occasions for building consensus on global financing issues. The next meeting, set for mid-2025 in Spain, will continue the progress made previously in Monterrey (2002), Doha (2008), and Addis Ababa (2015), and preparations are already underway with the launch of two major background documents.
Lacking legal protection
Postbag, Published on 02/03/2025
» Re: "Thailand deports 40 Uyghurs to China", (BP, Feb 27).
How to counter Trump's tariffs
Oped, Published on 19/02/2025
» After months of threats and speculation, US President Donald Trump has officially launched his long-anticipated trade war. He has just imposed 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports. His new 10% tariff on Chinese imports will further strain the world's second-largest economy, which is already grappling with slowing growth and unfavourable demographics. And his postponed -- but not cancelled -- 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, together with threats to impose new tariffs on the European Union, India, and many more countries, put greater pressure on key US allies.