Trade data is emerging as a critical tool in the global response to plastic pollution, offering new insights into plastics across their full life cycle.© UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)/Maria Durleva | A worker handles shredded plastic on a processing line at a recycling plant in Nairobi, Kenya.By the time plastic reaches landfills, and pollutes ri...
A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit or mission. Missions are undertaken as part of regular consultations under Article IV of the IMF's Articles of Agreement. The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed are those of the IM...
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subje...
JAKARTA, 12 FEBRUARY 2026 – The First Meeting of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) of the European Union (EU)-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package-Investment Facility (SCOPE-IF) project took place today at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat.The Chair of the ASEAN Committee on Sustainable Infrastructure (ACSI), Joseph J Capuno, Undersecreta...
Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community, H.E. Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, today received a courtesy call by the Head of Southeast Asia and ASEAN Division at EEAS, Ms. Leila Fernández-Stembridge at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on ways to further strengthen the ASEAN...
Interconnections between EU banks and the non-bank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector can give rise to systemic risksSystemic risks stem from concentrated short-term funding from NBFI entities to banks and bank lending to leveraged NBFI entitiesGranular data are crucial to assess bank-NBFI linkages, but data gaps constrain analysisThe European Central ...
As Indonesia’s digital economy surges, a new UN assessment sets out how e-commerce growth can stay inclusive – and go green.© Shutterstock/Ahmad Saifulloh | A customer uses digital payments at a bookstore in Gramedia Kediri, Indonesia.The eTrade readiness assessment for Indonesia, released on 12 February, offers a roadmap to bolster e-com...
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) expanding portfolio of policy- and results-based operations reflects our commitment to supporting our members to meet their climate and development goals through diversified financing instruments. The Bank’s sovereign-backed financing suite comprises three principal modalities: Climate-focused Policy...
WASHINGTON, February 12, 2026—Current deficits in health, education, and skill development at work are costing low- and middle-income countries 51% of their future labor earnings, according to a new World Bank Group report released today. Over the past 15 years, even as incomes have risen and poverty has declined, two-thirds of low- and middle-income coun...
The Philippines has been one of the world’s fastest-growing economies over the past 15 years. Ambitious pro-competition reforms to boost productivity and improvements in social protection to support formal job creation, along with fiscal prudence and climate action, would maintain this growth momentum, according to a new OECD report.The first OECD Ec...
