How can Viet Nam build a new growth model driven by science, technology and innovation? This question was at the centre of the national scientific seminar “Reforming Viet Nam’s development model based on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation,” held on 26 May 2026 in Hai Phong city. The seminar was organized by the Ce...
DOWNLOAD PICTUREThe Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has invested USD61 million in Project Chamonix, supporting the debut infrastructure collateralized loan obligation (CLO) issuance sponsored by Chamonix Partners Capital Management. The investment aims to expand the infrastructure securitization market and mobilize private capital for infr...
The IMF Executive Board concluded the 2026 Article IV consultation and approved the review of Costa Rica’s qualification under the Flexible Credit Line arrangement with an access level of about US$1.5 billion (equivalent to 300 percent of quota).GDP growth reached 4.6 percent in 2025, driven by robust goods exports. Inflation has been persistently low and...
PRMIS Leadership Training Session, Police Headquarters in Roseau, Dominica, April 2026UNDP Barbados & Eastern CaribbeanAcross the Eastern Caribbean, people in judicial custody often wait two to four years on average for a trial. This reality is reflected in Barbados and Saint Lucia, where more than 50 percent of the prison population is incarcerated aw...
The Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology met on 28 May to discuss how to continue advancing work on increasing flows of technology to developing economies following the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé in March. The newly elected Chair, Ambassador Sumathi Balakrishnan of Malaysia, told the Working Group that she will wo...
Add to CalendarKey IssuesBodyThe release of the final report and indicator dashboard of the United Nations Secretary General’s High Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP on 7 May 2026 marks an important milestone in global discussions on how progress, wellbeing and sustainability are measured. This webinar, hosted by the International Statistical Institute Aca...
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping higher education worldwide, creating new opportunities for teaching, learning, research, and institutional management.UNESCO28 May 2026In South Asia, this transformation brings significant promise, but also raises urgent questions about policy readiness, faculty capacities, digital inclusion, ethical governance,...
IntroductionPublic finances in OECD countries are facing significant challenges such as slow economic growth, ageing populations, high debt from recent crises, and new spending pressures, including in defence. This report provides an overview of countries’ savings initiatives implemented in 2025-2026. While savings measures are widespread, they appear mod...
At the first meeting of the Committee on Agriculture since the 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in March, WTO members covered a wide range of issues on 27-28 May, with particular attention paid to farm support, including questions arising from members' notifications to the Committee. They also shared perspectives on determining the st...
Download in PDF (data tables included)Despite disruptions to trade related to the current crisis in the Middle East, G20 merchandise trade expanded strongly in Q1 2026. Measured in current US dollars, both exports and imports increased by 5.3% quarter-on-quarter compared with Q4 2025, driven partly by trade of semiconductors and other high-tech products in...
