Day 1: 2 March 2022: 10:00-13:50 Tokyo time
Day 2: 3 March 2022: 14:00-17:40 Tokyo time
Day 3: 4 March 2022: 10:00-13:50 Tokyo time

This ADBI-Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra webinar, a World Circular Economy Forum side event, highlighted key takeaways from the new report Prospects for Transitioning from a Linear to Circular Economy in Developing Asia.

The editors and a panel of contributors discussed circular economy principles, opportunities and challenges, and policy recommendations for promoting circularity and greater sustainable development in the region.

This webinar introduced the new ADB-ADBI Innovation and Structural Transformation Database, a valuable, one-stop platform providing data on cross-border trade, production, and supply chains, capital, and their impacts on the economic development of Asia and the Pacific.

The webinar was led by senior researchers from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI).

Objectives

In 2022, the Think20 (T20), the Group of 20s (G20) think tank engagement group, is being led by top Indonesian research institutions as part of the country’s G20 presidency. T20 Indonesia highlighted innovative policy solutions for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts and other shared challenges under the theme Recover Together, Recover Stronger.

Public procurement is commonly used by governments in developed countries to promote innovation and socio-economic policy objectives, including small and medium-sized enterprise development and green growth. However, the strategic use of public procurement as a public policy instrument for innovation is still uncommon in Asia and requires a strong enabling environment to overcome associated challenges.

For nearly two years, governments have provided fiscal support to safeguard firms, households, and vulnerable populations from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, many countries face a difficult trade-off between protecting livelihoods and rebuilding fiscal buffers to reduce their economic vulnerability.

Rising sea levels and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather due to climate change are resulting in more regular and severe infrastructure damage and forcing a growing number of people to relocate. These trends are especially pronounced in vulnerable coastal areas of countries in Asia and the Pacific.

This webinar highlighted key takeaways from the new ADBI Press book Demographic Transition and Its Impacts in Asia and Europe, as discussed by a panel of contributors to the book. The focuses included the sectoral and social effects of the regions’ accelerating population aging and approaches for addressing related policy challenges in advanced and developing economies.