SERD Policy Talk (SPOT) Series 1 December 2020 to 30 November 2022 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT) Series, organized by ADB's Southeast Asia Department, features conversations on new ideas and development beyond office walls. SPOT aims to inspire people to explore issues outside their normal area of work. SPOT encourages active interaction among the participants and ignites debate from varied perspective and approaches. Listen to the previous sessions by clicking to the links below. Program and Learning Materials 01 December 2020 Session / Activity Title Speaker(s) 01 December 2020 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and How It Can Transform the Economies in the Region The members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and five regional partners (Australia, Japan, New Zealand, PRC, and Republic of… Jayant Menon, Cuong Minh Nguyen 28 January 2021 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Transforming Education This policy talk discussed how education is reshaping in response to COVID-19 and how students and teachers are responding in the transition… Jian Jeffrey Xu, Yumiko Yamakawa 26 February 2021 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Small Economy Challenges Small economies face unique development challenges due to the small size of their domestic economy, limited economic base and high cost of connecting… David Freedman, Kanya Sasradipoera, Kavita Iyengar 25 March 2021 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Building Dynamic SMEs Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have generally lagged behind, being less productive and profitable than bigger companies. Now, SMEs face the… Sameer Khatiwada, Emma Allen 29 April 2021 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Reinvigorating the Agro-processing Industry SEER's Takeshi Ueda, SDTC-AR's Michiko Katagami, and OPSD's Carine Donges on 29 April discussed the role of public and private sectors in… Takeshi Ueda, Michiko Katagami, Carine Donges 24 June 2021 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Focusing on Debt Sustainability The COVID-19 pandemic has raised debt sustainability issues in Asia with the debt-to-GDP ratio rising from 47% in 2019 to 52% in 2020 for ASEAN… Lei Lei Song, Jhelum Tini Thomas, Peter Rosenkranz 29 July 2021 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Reshaping Cities in Post-COVID-19 World The 7th SPOT on Reshaping Cities in the Post-COVID-19 World discussed these issues: a) the challenges of the urban cities in battling the impact… Sanjay Grover, Thuy Trang Dang, Yi Jiang, Arghya Sinha Roy 26 August 2021 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Promoting Inclusive Finance In the 8th SPOT series, Director Christine Engstrom from PSOD, Shigehiro Shinozaki from ERCD, Poornima G.W. Jayawardana from SERD, and Yoonee Jeong… Christine Engstrom, Shigehiro Shinozaki, Yoonee Jeong, Poornima Jayawardana 25 November 2021 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT) Series: SPOT on the Prospects and Building Resilience of Remittances in AsiaIn the 9th SPOT series, Aiko Kikkawa, Guntur Sugiyarto, and James Villafuerte from the ADB... James Villafuerte, Jonathan Capal, Aiko Kikkawa, Guntur Sugiyarto 10 June 2022 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Strengthening the Agri-food System In the 10th SPOT webinar, Omer Zafar, Takashi Yamano, and Noorullah from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Dil Rahut from the ADB Institute, and… Dil Rahut, Jennifer Kim Rosenzweig, Noor Ullah, Omer A. Zafar, Takashi Yamano 15 July 2022 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Transitioning to a Low-Carbon Economy As Southeast Asia slowly bounces back from the impact of COVID-19, a return to business as usual will not only be environmentally damaging but also… Shu Tian, David Dovan, Naeeda Crishna Morgado, Lorraine Elliot, Marlon Apanada 04 November 2022 SERD Policy Talk (SPOT): Changing Workforce in the Post-COVID-19 World In the 12th SPOT webinar, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Keiko Nowacka and Fook Yen Chong, EIEE’s Johannes Emmerling, ILO’s Christian Viegelahn,… Emma Allen, Keiko Nowacka, Fook Yen Chong, Johannes Emmerling, Christian Viegelahn, Callista Ng Disclaimer The views expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term “country” in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Event Coordinator/s Dulce Zara ADB Organizer/s Southeast Asia Department Topics Knowledge Management Poverty Governance and Public Sector Management