By Rahul Anand, Diaa Noureldin, Zexi Sun and Xin Cindy Xu
WASHINGTON DC, Apr 10 2025 – Strong economic fundamentals and sound macroeconomic policies have helped the Korean economy through multiple shocks in recent years. However, potential growth has slowed more quickly than in other major advanced economies, and the economic expansion is likely to moderate this year.

The country also is aging more rapidly than almost all others. That’s likely to reduce the labor supply and weigh on investment demand, further lowering growth and diminishing living standards.

Aging could shrink the labor force by more than a quarter by 2050, leading to an average annual decline of 0.67 percentage point in potential growth, according to our latest Article IV report.

The good news is that reforms would help address this adverse impact of aging in Korea:
Increasing labor force participation rates, especially among female and older workers, would help limit the decline in the supply of available workers.

Drawing on experiences in other advanced economies, in a typical labor market reform scenario, the participation rate for older workers is assumed to increase by 3 percentage points and the gender gap for female participation is expected to decrease by half. Such improvements would offset about one-fifth of the aging impact by 2050.

Furthermore, improving the efficiency of resource allocation across firms within sectors could increase aggregate productivity growth. This could be achieved through reforms that help channel labor and capital toward fast growing firms with higher productivity.

Such reforms include reducing barriers to opening or closing a business, enhancing access to finance, and removing distortive subsidies. In a reform scenario assuming a smaller productivity gap between the top and bottom performing firms, average annual potential growth could increase by 0.22 percentage points. That would be equal to about one-third of the aging impact.

Finally, better and broader use of artificial intelligence (AI) would help support potential growth. AI could impact the economy through three channels:

• Labor displacement, in which AI replaces people in some jobs, increasing productivity but reducing labor demand.
• Labor complementarity, where AI complements people in some roles, increasing productivity without eliminating their jobs.
• Overall productivity increase, or AI boosting productivity across all jobs, in turn raising overall labor demand.

Our new paper, published alongside the Article IV report, shows that AI adoption across all three of these channels could significantly increase average annual potential growth by as much as 0.44 percentage point.

Ultimately, the combined effects from a higher labor force participation rate, more efficient allocation of resources, and expanded AI adoption can more than fully offset the economic drag from aging.

Accelerating reforms would deliver growth gains early, earn more support from the public, help defend against potential shocks, and increase room in the government budget for adapting to an aging society.

Rahul Anand is the IMF mission chief for Korea; Diaa Noureldin is an economist in the Research Department; Zexi Sun and Xin Cindy Xu are economists in the IMF’s Asia-Pacific Department. This article is based on IMF’s 2024 country report on Korea, including a joint selected issues paper with the Bank of Korea, “Transforming the Future: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Korea.”

Source: IMF

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By Naureen Hossain
NAIROBI, Apr 10 2025 – Women farmers face structural issues that prevent them from realizing their full potential, from societal perceptions that dictate their limitations to poor land.

However, CGIAR’s Gender Impact Platform Director, Nicoline de Haan, argues that leaning into a “victim” narrative does not serve them, especially when women are demonstrably more involved in agriculture.

De Haan says researchers need to be bolder in examining the gender impact in the agricultural sector to assess the key concerns that women farmers face in the field. The limited tools and resources in developing countries challenge both men and women farmers.

“We have made a lot of gains on gender, and if we fall back now, it’ll take another 30 years before we get back to where we were,” De Haan told IPS. “So we also need to be bold, and we need to be proud of what we have done.”

Even though women make up 62 percent of working farmers, they face more challenges than men. Among these are the major issues: access to knowledge, farming techniques, and quality equipment. Structural barriers also need overcoming.

Among rural communities across Africa, women and girls are raised with a particular perception of what their role and responsibility is in the household, such as being delegated as the primary child caregiver. However, the Gender Impact Platform has found in their research that women are far more involved in farming duties — and they shouldn’t be blamed for taking on what is considered a traditionally male occupation.

Land ownership is vital for farmers, especially women who work on but often don’t own the land. Certain perceptions of women’s roles in farming even influence the kind of livestock that women can have, De Haan explained. Goats, sheep, and especially chickens are seen as ‘socially acceptable’ livestock, as they can be raised in the homestead, traditionally considered the ‘woman’s place.’ With cattle, even if women are more involved in their care, men are more likely to own them, given that they are considered a huge investment.

Women that are able to use farmland for themselves find the quality of the land to be much poorer, according to CGIAR. Even seeds and manure may be degraded when passed down to women. Women also cannot own property in parts of Africa and Asia, and while their farms and livestock may be their only sources of income, their access to the land could be complicated.

However, to simply challenge the norms or declare them wrong would do little to make progress, so De Haan calls for nuance when considering the best course of action. When dialogue between men and women farmers is held over a technical issue first, such as animal disease, it encourages men to recognize and respect how active women are outside the household and therefore consider the gender issue. “We are trying to change society and systems, but we’re trying to make it better for everyone. We’re not out there to burn down the patriarchy. But we are there to make sure that women can actually function better.”

She also says that more research and effort should be made to ask women farmers what they want and where they need help, whether that be financial support or equipment. More can be done to ask them directly and demand their needs. Further research into women’s participation in the sector revealed that women were far more involved in farming and perfectly capable of self-sufficiency.

“We ask the wrong questions sometimes. We ask by default that they’re victims; we ask by default that they have no agency. We don’t look past the defaults of what agency they do have and how amazing they get things done in a patriarchal society,” said De Haan. “But they have their way. I’m a sociologist; I always say people do things for a reason. We might not understand it, we might not agree, but they do it for a reason and we need to understand that reason.”

Women’s participation in agriculture is only part of a wider problem of poverty and rural areas not getting enough investment. In Kenya, men are not getting enough opportunities for stable employment, especially in agriculture. Agriculture jobs do not pay enough to make a living wage, which for young people seeking jobs, is a key factor in deciding their lives. There is not enough of a livelihood to be made in farm work at present.

“We’ve talked to a lot to youth and basically they said, ‘we’ll stay in agriculture, but make it pay,’” said De Haan.

While urbanization has drawn millions of youth to big cities to seek work opportunities, many young people are finding that jobs in urban areas require different skill sets than labor-intensive field jobs.

CGIAR’s focus is on finding technical solutions and impactful change through data-driven evidence that illustrates women’s lived experience in rural communities and in agricultural spaces. The research makes sure that people “have the mental support and frameworks” that help them.

CGIAR Gender recognizes that technology should be part of those technical solutions rather than another problem for women farmers to overcome. Time and resources need to be invested into equipping women with the technology itself, along with teaching them how to apply it to their work. Rather than the end, technology is the means to economic empowerment, De Haan said.

However, a potential pitfall of rapid digitalization is that structural barriers are reinforced even within digital technology, especially when the digital gap between men and women in East Africa is so stark. Owning a smartphone is not as ubiquitous for rural communities, especially for women. In a 2018 survey, it was shown that only 10 percent of Kenyan women used a mobile phone for information compared to 22 percent of men.

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), CGIAR Gender is also looking into its presence in the sector, especially given the limitations. The group has been working with large language models and training them to consider gender in their responses. “If we don’t do it now, we will continue putting in those structural barriers, those inequities… If [ChatGPT] gets the wrong answer, we need to train it to get the right answer,” De Haan said. De Haan believes that research must address the issue of gender-blind training in AI.

CGIAR Gender is pushing for wider research that aims to inform the decision-makers and policymakers on the best course of action to serve the farmers who will be impacted by those decisions, de Haan said. “We might not be able to directly influence that one little farmer in the field, but we can influence the model that is deciding what policies are coming to her table.”

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By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Apr 10 2025 – While the U.S. argues over tariffs, China, Japan, and South Korea are quietly reshaping their tech markets, shifting towards regional dominance – signaling a potential turning point in global tech leadership.

Since 2012, substantial progress on a trilateral free trade agreement between China, South Korea, and Japan has been at a standstill – but amidst new U.S. tariffs, the situation is beginning to evolve. April 2nd marked “Liberation Day” – a promise from the U.S. to the rest of the world that tariffs were coming, upsetting ASEAN allies and creating an opening for new players in the valley.

South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun remarks: “It is necessary to strengthen the implementation of RCEP, in which all three countries have participated, and to create a framework for expanding trade cooperation among the three countries through Korea-China-Japan FTA negotiations.”

Picking a battle with these countries means upsetting trade with the U.S’s 3rd, 6th, and 7th largest partners, accounting for a large part of U.S. global trade. But this really isn’t the problem.

The United States hosts Silicon Valley, the largest capital network of tech companies and startups on the globe. Corporations like the “Magnificent Seven”: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla dominate the tech market, attracting substantial investments. For this reason, this culture of success attracts venture capitalists who are willing to take risks due to the association with positive capital investment, but this could change.

A group of people standing on top of a hill. Credit: Ran Liwen / Unsplash

These companies stay in the U.S. because, at least for now, it’s a good deal, and their markets within the U.S. are enormous. However, with tariffs on China, South Korea, and Japan, semiconductors, microchips, automobiles, and parts are exceedingly expensive. These are all components essential in the tech industry, meaning looming rising costs can lead to a shift in balance.

This creates an opening for China, South Korea, and Japan to invest in their markets. The combination of a free trade agreement and proximity to each other could have drastic changes in market trends, as none of these countries has to go a large distance in order to import or export their supplies, potentially transforming global market trends.

Distances between regional trade ports:
Shanghai → Busan: Approx. 530 km (330 miles)
Busan → Fukuoka: Approx. 180 km (110 miles)
Shanghai → Fukuoka: Approx. 870 km (540 miles)

Distance between U.S. trade ports:
Shanghai → Seattle: Approx. 5,400 km (3,350 miles)
Busan → Seattle: Approx. 7,960 km (4,950 miles)
Fukuoka → Seattle: Approx. 8,160 km (5,070 miles)
Fukuoka → Los Angeles: Approx. 8,640 km (5,370 miles)
Shanghai → Los Angeles: Approx. 10,900 km (6,770 miles)
Busan → Los Angeles: Approx. 9,960 km (6,190 miles)

Expanded RCEP capabilities:

Regional expansion results in products becoming cheaper, shipping becoming easier, and job growth accelerating, creating a trickle-down from this regional investment in trade to their other markets.

While trade only accounts for less than 25% of the U.S. GDP, this affects a lot. With less foreign investment into U.S. tech markets, possibly Silicon Valley could relocate to East Asia, as their factories are there, and an even bigger consumer base awaits. While wealthy companies could try to set up factories within the U.S. to compete with East Asian manufacturing, this could be really difficult, and take a long time, as U.S. infrastructure is not prepared for the logistics of refining, processing, and supply chain operations on a large scale. The CHIPS Act, aiming to boost semiconductor production domestically, represents the U.S.’s largest attempt to catch up to East Asia in this sector, but it’s going to take loads of time.

Global Trade War Implications:

The U.S. has slapped tariffs on nearly every country, creating the opportunity for supply and demand shifts in many sectors, not only tech. While called “reciprocal” in nature, these tariffs are not reciprocal, instead actually accounting for a “trade deficit”, as Alan Cole from the Tax Foundation details, “The alleged tariff rate from each trading partner is fully a function of trade aggregates, specifically, the deficit divided by US imports, with a minimum of 10 percent. No factors discussed by the administration in these documents or anywhere else (like tariffs, digital services taxes, value-added taxes, or monetary policy) play any role.” – additionally, the WTO found these measures in violation of trade rules, making them not only non-reciprocal, but also incompatible with international trade law.

Since Friday, April 4th, South Korea’s KOSPI Index has fallen 4.27%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index by 4.42%, China’s Shanghai Composite Index has risen by 2.91%, with the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq all down by about 2%. While there have been some minimal rebounds, the overall trend points to a steady decline amid ongoing market sell-offs.

Trade talks with Japan and South Korea have been scheduled with the U.S., while China refuses to back down in the slightest, slapping an additional 50% tariffs totaling 84% starting Thursday, April 10th, after Trump’s 104% levy goes into effect Wednesday, April 9th.

China’s retaliatory tactics have seemed to push back, creating an unstable and unpredictable market space, with Japan and South Korea’s indexes trending downwards. These numbers, scheduled talks, and policy choices by China signal strong shifts in reprisal to U.S. tariffs, further outlining a motive for a strategic shift that could move Silicon Valley from the U.S. to East Asia.

The world now watches to see if countries will continue investing in Silicon Valley following this global trade war, with already 50 countries reaching out to the Trump Administration for negotiations. The U.S. and China are battling it out, trade war style, each vying to see who rises from the ashes, and who sits below the mound. The outcome of this war will determine which nation solidifies its position as the global hyperpower. Determining whether the U.S. can maintain its dominance in the tech industry or if East Asia will seize this opportunity to lead in the next wave of innovation. The real question remains: is the U.S. prepared for that shift?

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By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 10 2025 – On April 4, it was confirmed by Myanmar authorities that there were approximately 180,000 Rohingya refugees residing in Bangladesh that are eligible to return. Following numerous cuts in funding as a result of President Donald Trump’s reduction of USAID, as well as the increasingly volatile humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, it is uncertain if repatriation will best serve Rohingya refugee communities.

Following a series of armed attacks and human rights violations carried out by the Myanmar military in the Rakhine State, over one million Rohingya refugees fled to settlements in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, as a result of ethnic persecution. The Rohingya people have been denied citizenship by Myanmar, making them the world’s largest stateless population. Cox’s Bazar has been described as being the world’s largest refugee settlement.

Over 70,000 Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh in the past year alone. Since 2018, the Bangladeshi government has submitted the names of over 800,000 Rohingya refugees for repatriation. The Myanmar government announced that in addition to the 180,000 Rohingya refugees that are to return home, an additional 70,000 are in the process of awaiting further verification. It was also announced that the verification process for the additional 550,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will be expedited.

However, the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar has escalated considerably since the 2017 attacks and the current climate in Myanmar may not be safe for Rohingya populations. The ongoing Myanmar civil war continues to threaten the lives of thousands of civilians. Rampant political and economic instability, in addition to a compromised healthcare system as a result of the recent earthquake in Myanmar, makes it difficult for aid organizations and the government to facilitate safe returns. Additionally, many have argued that repatriation does not address the core of the issue that forced one million refugees to flee to Bangladesh.

“After all these years, they are confirming only 180,000 names. This feels like nothing more than an eyewash. We want a genuine solution,” said Shafiqur Rahman, a Rohingya refugee. “Myanmar must take all of us back — not just a selected few — and they must ensure we return with full rights, dignity, and citizenship. Without that, this process means nothing to us.”

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are currently facing living conditions as a result of overcrowding, a lack of basic services, violence, climate change, and exploitation. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), Bangladesh is currently ranked third in the world among all the states that have been hit the hardest by natural disaster. Extreme heat, cyclones, flooding, and heavy rainfall are all regular symptoms of climate change in Bangladesh which disproportionately affect the Rohingya population.

“These camps – and the communities that host them – are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Summers are scorching, and the chance of fires skyrocket. In the cyclone and monsoon seasons, floods and dangerous landslides destroy homes and lives,” said United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres.

Overcrowding has also given way to rampant insecurity within the settlements in Cox’s Bazar. According to estimates from UNHCR, over 50 percent of the displaced population in these camps are women and girls, who face higher risks of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation.

Additionally, Rohingya refugees have informed Doctors Without Borders (MSF) that high levels of violence persist in the Cox’s Bazar camps, particularly after nightfall. “When I hear loud noises, it’s like I’m back in Myanmar,” said a Rohingya refugee. “The sounds bring back all the fear—the fear that someone will come, that I’ll be taken, or worse. My heart races every time. I can’t sleep. I want to feel safe, but it’s hard.”

According to MSF estimates, over 1,000 young people were recruited into armed groups in 2024 to fight in Myanmar. Victims of violence also rarely seek justice or healthcare due to fear of reprisals.“Many patients are afraid to leave their shelters to seek medical care due to the threat of violence against their families. They fear that if they are seen going to a medical facility, their homes could be targeted, or their family members could be harmed,” says a mental health counsellor in the Jamtoli clinic.

“They fear that if they are seen going to a medical facility, their homes could be targeted, or their family members could be harmed. This fear is rooted in past incidents of violence, including the intentional burning of shelters …. The constant threat of violence has made many refugees hesitant to seek out the medical care they need.”

Humanitarian organizations and reporters have indicated that President Trump’s reduction in USAID allowances will further complicate repatriation efforts and the availability of protection services for Rohingya refugees. Guterres described Cox’s Bazar as “ground zero” for the most dire consequences of funding cuts, adding that it would become an “unmitigated disaster”.

According to Rana Flowers, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative for Bangladesh, cuts in US grants for Bangladesh will entail “services for (Rohingya) children will be significantly scaled back, putting their survival, safety and futures at risk”. Additionally, healthcare systems will be weakened significantly, which “will deteriorate, increasing the risk of deadly disease outbreaks with flow-on effects for the public health security,” Ms. Flowers warned.

It is imperative that the core issues that drove the Rohingyas out of Myanmar are addressed so a peaceful return can be facilitated and a long standing resolution can be made. According to Flowers, Rohingya refugees “cannot yet safely return home, and have no legal right to work.”

To ensure a safe return for Rohingya refugees, there must be a continuous flow of funding to Myanmar to allow for increased protection services. The issue of Rohingyas being persecuted in Myanmar must be addressed. A change in legislation that grants the Rohingya people citizenship in Myanmar is crucial to achieve a peaceful and permanent repatriation. Additionally, there must be transparency and accountability for violations of international humanitarian law.

“Responsibility for the immense suffering of the Rohingya starts at the top. Min Aung Hlaing, who led the genocidal campaign, is now at the head of an illegal and illegitimate military junta that is attacking civilian populations throughout Myanmar. He must be brought to justice and be made to answer for his crimes,” said Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, in a statement.

“The Rohingya are tired of empty promises. Their children cannot eat political rhetoric or UN resolutions that go nowhere. They need and deserve the world to end the deadly paralysis of indifference. Immediate action is needed to hold accountable those responsible for genocide and to end the suffering and save the lives of Rohingya who are within and beyond the borders of Myanmar,” Andrews adds.

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By Naureen Hossain
NAIROBI, Apr 10 2025 – Increasingly, experts in the global health and agricultural sectors are finding the One Health approach effective for identifying and addressing health concerns that can influence facets of health. Implementing this approach worldwide will require partnerships across different sectors.

On the sidelines of CGIAR Science Week, the “One Health Horizons: Catalyzing Collaborations, Innovations, and Policies for Improving Global Health and Food Security” side event brought together researchers and scientists to discuss how the One Health approach can benefit research in the agricultural sector.

According to the World Health Organization, One Health is an “integrated, unifying approach” that aims to optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems because they are interdependent. Researchers in the health sectors were finding that investing in capacity building and collaboration through the One Health approach could strengthen treatment responses for these three groups. The idea emerged in the wake of disruptions to the global supply chains brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The One Health approach also emphasized sustainable recovery, as countries faced several development challenges that would shape their relationship to the environment, such as demographic shifts, climate change, and natural resource degradation. In adopting the One Health approach to the wider agricultural sector, the impacts of one area of health on another can be assessed with a focus on environmental integration.

“When we want to transform the food land systems, we have to consider the global challenges,” said Hung Nguyen-Viet, Program Leader, Health, at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

As part of CGIAR’s Agenda for 2030, the One Health initiative was first built on protecting human health from zoonoses—diseases from wild animals or livestock—food-borne diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. The focus on animal diseases served as an entry point for the One Health approach, according to Jordon Chamberlin, principal scientist for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Nairobi. Through their research projects, they could advance their understanding of the risks for infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance in livestock.

Following the projects’ conclusions, CGIAR’s team found that there were opportunities for cross-sectoral collaborations to incorporate the One Health approach. The team also recommended there needed to be greater engagement with policymakers to translate research findings into tangible strategies and the development of adaptable, context-specific interventions.

The open, analytical nature of the One Health model can go beyond health and agriculture. The impact of the global and local economies should also be taken into consideration, Chamberlin argued, such as in how global trends or supply shocks play out in local markets and how this influences farm management. This raises the possibility for new One Health research opportunities, such as the economics of organic production in smallholder systems and the new market opportunities or the impact of soil health across the food value systems.

The need for cross-sectoral partnerships and data was addressed during a panel discussion.
“We need partnerships; we need an enabling environment through enabling policies and legislative framework,” said Lillian Wambua, Regional Programme Officer, One Health for Africa, World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). “We need data and evidence that is going to help us… navigate the environments and barriers.”

Esther Mugi, a scientist for the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), recommended that professionals from different sectors could convene in joint training programs or public dialogues to address the One Health principles. This would also ensure that there were domestic, homegrown approaches to addressing the challenges in the One Health approach, she said.

These partnerships across different sectors – the public and private sectors, academia, research groups like CGIAR, and government partners — should also be rooted in the involvement of the agricultural communities. As Wambua pointed out, “Most of these issues start and end with the community.”

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By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Apr 9 2025 – The state of food and nutrition security in the Global South masks the great strides and investments made to increase agricultural yields to feed a rapidly growing population. As discussions deepen at the ongoing CGIAR Science Week, plenary discussions on Wednesday (April 9) explored transformative strategies and innovations driving agricultural resilience across Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

UN statistics show one in five people in Africa sleep hungry. To halt and reverse the pace of rising hunger on the continent, the African Union (AU) has adopted a new agricultural development strategy that will see the continent increase its agrifood output by 45 percent by 2035 and transform its agri-food systems as part of its new plan to become food secure in a decade.

The AU earlier this year adopted the 10-year Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa, which will be implemented from 2026 to 2035.

“On aligning Kenya’s agricultural agenda with the AU’s strategy and action plan, as the national agricultural research organization that supports farmers in this part of the world, we are aligned by developing technologies, innovations, and marginal practices that support our farmers to increase productivity and improve their resilience,” said Dr. Eliud Kiplimo Kireger, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO). “Due to the effects of climate change, in the last few years, our focus has been to develop drought-resilient crops.”

“Also, with climate change, we have new emerging pests and diseases,” Kireger explained, adding that a lot of work done had become obsolete because of climatic changes. “Areas that were dry are (now) drier and areas that were of high potential are flooded.”

Putting Technology into Farmers’ Hands

In addition to these challenges, farmers also face difficulties accessing technology—although developed, the technologies are still in the hands of scientists and institutions and haven’t been shared with the farmers.

“So, how do we get these technologies to the farmers to increase their productivity? Kireger asked, adding that where the technology exists, it has been built with the challenges of providing digital services to a remote rural community in mind.

“We have digitized most of our technologies and made them available on a mobile platform to support e-extension services, which are the weakest link between research and farmers. This is because the researchers are unable to physically reach all farmers.”

Climate, AgriFood Complexities in Latin America and the Caribbean 

Further afield, participants heard about how the Latin American and Caribbean countries are coping with the complex, multiple challenges confronting their agrifood systems. For the region, it is a unique setting of scarcity and surplus.

Nearly 74 percent of Latin American and Caribbean countries are highly exposed to extreme weather events—affecting food security. In Latin America and the Caribbean, one in 10 children under the age of five lives with stunting.

Latin America and the Caribbean region is the world’s leading net food exporter. Yet, a few countries are doing better than most. For instance, as the largest nation in the region, Brazil generates almost half of all Latin American exports, hence the substantial disparities and inequalities in agriculture, food, and nutrition security. It is these pockets of inequalities, hunger, and malnutrition that experts are finding innovative solutions for.

Potatoes, Genebanks and New Markets

Regional experts spoke about ongoing collaboration and the potential to scale solutions. In this regard, there was an extensive discussion on genebanks and the potato, a staple food in approximately 160 countries, where they are consumed by more than two-thirds of the world’s population.

“We have the world’s largest gene bank on potatoes that serves over 100 countries in the world. The International Potato Center (CIP) base in Peru is called the Center of Origin of Potato, and the communities in the Andes Mountains are the guardians of that diversity and of that global resource,” said Dr. Simon Heck, Director General and Senior Director of the Center of Origin of Potato/CGIAR.

CIP’s potato and sweet potato collections are the world’s largest, and they contain nearly all of the potatoes’ wild relatives. The in vitro genebank is the largest and one of the first to get ISO 17025 certification for safe germplasm transport.

Genebanks conserve living plant samples of the world’s important crops and their wild relatives. They ensure that the genetic resources that underpin the world’s food supply are both secure in the long term for future generations and available in the short term for use by farmers, plant breeders, and researchers.

In light of climate change and emerging pests and diseases, these collections are important to ensure that crop plants that may contain genes to resist disease, provide enhanced nutrition, or survive in changing or harsh environments do not become endangered or extinct over time.

“One question we have is how do we mobilize their capacity to help solve problems within the Latin American and Caribbean regions, but also elsewhere? And how do they receive benefits from that?” Heck posed the question, citing an example of expanding the Agri-LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) model to Asia. “We have been working in Vietnam to develop a tropically adapted potato. Potato production globally is now moving into Asia.”

Heck told participants that more than half of the world’s potatoes are grown and consumed in Asia. Within Asia, the potato is moving into subtropical and tropical environments like India and Vietnam, and the question is about determining what kind of potato is needed to make this movement successful.

“And so, the answer to that question takes us back to Peru. It takes us back not just to the CIP genebank, which is one of the largest in vitro genebanks in the world and contains the global collection of potatoes, but into the mountains of Peru. We have struck a partnership with Vietnam, with Peru, and with one of the world’s largest potato breeding companies based in the Netherlands,” Heck explained. “And together, we have developed new types of potato, tropical potato, and the first varieties have now been released in Asia. This strain is really a physical combination of genetic material from the highlands of Peru and commercial germplasm from European potato companies.”

What’s more, they demonstrated that it can work technically.

“We have excellent potato varieties now in the lowlands of Asia. (These varieties) can work in terms of market segmentation.”

The inaugural CGIAR Science Week coincides with the first G20 meeting to be hosted in Africa later this year, providing a particularly unique opportunity to leverage CGIAR commitments from the Science Week and to provide input to the G20 agenda of transforming agri-food systems for greater climate resilience, increased productivity, and addressing the drivers of food insecurity at the global level.

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By Naureen Hossain
NAIROBI, Apr 9 2025 – The ASEAN-CGIAR program “unlocks opportunities to look at commodities in the region, interest, markets, and capacity building, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Dr. Yvonne Pinto said during a plenary that focused on fostering regional integration, scaling innovation, and amplifying the impact of CGIAR’s research in addressing agricultural challenges.

The ASEAN-CGIAR Innovate for Food and Nutrition Security Regional Program was established to help ASEAN member states address complex, interrelated issues in their agricultural sectors, including climate change, food safety and nutrition, resource scarcity, and poverty. The program includes eight intervention packages (IPs), or activities relating to bolstering agricultural sustainability and food security across the region. Since the program’s launch in 2023, the interventions have been implemented in ten countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

As CGIAR Science Week proceeded onto its second day, part of the focus of the day’s plenary session was on ‘Building Bridges,’ as was illustrated in the joint program between CGIAR and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The ASEAN region is home to multiple climates and commodities, which are distributed through a single-market production base through its integration with the global economy.

Pinto points out that this was the entry point for the ASEAN-CGIAR program, for CGIAR has a “tremendous opportunity to play a significant role that is about delivering against the needs.”

“It unlocks opportunities to look at commodities in the region, interest, markets, and capacity building, and it is really built and co-created by the countries in question. So it is central to the CGIAR regional plan,” said Pinto.

While the program has the backing of global research alliances like CGIAR and its partners and funders, including Australia, the Netherlands, and Japan, it has been built and co-created by the countries where the programs were implemented. This would indicate an emphasis on relying on expert local knowledge on the issues and on empowering local agricultural communities to have a hand in the solution.

As an ASEAN member state and one of the countries where the ASEAN-CGIAR regional program has been implemented, Vietnam, through To Viet Chau, the Deputy Director General, International Cooperation Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, shared that the Vietnamese government recognizes the impact of climate on their agricultural sector. He proposed that adopting integrative strategies that link local stakeholders with the private sector would help to increase access to sustainable farming technologies and build the capacity for farmers.

The panel discussion highlighted the significance of South-South collaboration and the need for countries in the Global South to actively share resources and knowledge to address their issues. In the agricultural sector, ASEAN’s model for development follows a bottom-up approach that takes initiative at the community level and centers their needs when formulating policies and programs.

For the African continent, there is an opportunity to learn from the ASEAN-CGIAR program, observed Bongiwe Njobe, Board Chairperson, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). The regions face similar challenges, including human capital constraints, rapid urbanization, climate change, production system challenges, and nutritional issues.

Recently, increasing political will towards sustainable development has opened up the countries towards joint cooperation. “Working through the African Union, I think the continent is increasingly finding a structure that is multilayered that allows for continental conversations and initiatives, regional—we call them subregional organizations and linkages—and country participation through the AU. And then an organization like FARA, which is positioned as a technical arm recognized by the AU as a technical arm, coordinates the scientific arms across the same structures in the regions,” said Niobe.

While the tenets for programs similar to ASEAN-CGIAR are present in the African continent, Niobe remarked that challenges remain, such as strengthening the effectiveness of the systems, the strength of relational capital between countries, and ensuring that the goals set out can be achieved.

The need for collaboration is evident through the multiple stakeholders in this sector. Government support is critical in facilitating agricultural and food production projects and in identifying areas that would benefit from the intervention. The private sector can also play its part through financial backing. It was even said that civil society has a part to play in advancing development in agriculture and food production at the local level.

Groups such as the Philippine Rice Research Institute are in a position to connect organizations and people together. “We broker, and we see that the work becomes faster and we don’t have to be the center of everything,” said Executive Director John de Leon.

“I think the time is now for the South to exert its leadership in how it wishes to address its own problems, and I say that from the perspective of another girl from the South.”

In a video message, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community, Satvinder Singh, shared that collaboration was at the root of the success for the region. For ASEAN, it was important for all stakeholders in this sector, including government, public, and private partners, to come together and have a stake in “shaping a more sustainable future.”

“We recognize that no single country can address these challenges alone,” said Singh. “We know that by leveraging regional cooperation, we can definitely accelerate and adopt climate-smart agricultural technologies, we can come together to explore strengthening our value chains, and also we can come together to build a much more resilient and sustainable food system. This is why the ASEAN-CGIAR regional program is very significant for us. It serves as a platform to unite global experience and cutting-edge research and the practical solutions tailored to our region’s needs.”

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By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 9 2025 – The 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, marked the strongest earthquake the nation has experienced in over a century and the second deadliest in it’s history. The earthquake caused extensive damage in Myanmar and Thailand, with infrastructures in southern China and Vietnam also having been affected.

According to a recent humanitarian report released by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are currently over 3,600 recorded deaths as a result of the earthquake in Myanmar. Over 5,000 people have been injured and approximately 60 remain missing. Roughly 10.4 million people live in areas that have been ravaged by the earthquake.

These estimates are expected to increase as recovery efforts continue. Additionally, many areas in Myanmar have been cut off from electricity and telephone connections, which, compounded with damaged roads and extensive rubble has made recovery efforts increasingly difficult in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, has been hit the hardest. According to testimonies from residents, bodies continue to be pulled out of the rubble to be “cremated in stacks”. Crematoriums in Mandalay have been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of bodies that have been recovered, with some facing shortages of body bags and other essential supplies.

As a result of the recent earthquake and Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, the humanitarian crisis in the nation has significantly escalated, with displacement, violence, extreme heat, and a lack of basic services affecting over 17.2 million people. “One thing that I have been struck by here is that you would think earthquakes hit everyone equally, but they hit the poorest hardest because they do not have the resources to respond, to move house, to live elsewhere, to start to rebuild,” said Tom Fletcher, the United Nations (UN) Emergency Relief Coordinator.

In December 2024, a UN assessment declared that Myanmar’s healthcare system was in a state of collapse as a result of damage to medical infrastructures sustained in the war. With the recent earthquake, Myanmar’s healthcare system has deteriorated even further and is largely unable to assist the influx of injured persons.

According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), over 65 healthcare facilities in Myanmar have been damaged and medical supplies are in short supply. Additionally, over 40 percent of the healthcare facilities in the nation are located in areas that are entrenched in warfare, making them inaccessible to the vast majority of civilians.

“The needs are beyond words,” said Nadia Khoury, Head of the The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) delegation in Myanmar. “Our response must match the sheer scale of the disaster – now and for the longer term.”

Another rising concern for humanitarian organizations has been the failure of Myanmar’s water and sanitation infrastructure, which leaves millions at risk of developing waterborne illness. Extreme heat, heavy rain, and overcrowded displacement shelters are also projected to worsen the spread of disease.

“Heavy rains flooded drains, polluting the environment and increasing public health risks including diarrhoea due to flies and insects. Many camps lack proper latrines, forcing people to dispose of human waste without adequate sanitation,” said Rajan Khosla, Oxfam’s Country Director in Myanmar. “There are significant hygiene challenges for the camp population, as food is cooked outdoors, making it difficult to prepare meals after rain. This increases the risk of contamination and the spread of diseases.”

WHO reports that cholera, dengue, malaria, measles, and a re-emergence of polio are of particular concern. Additionally, WHO emphasizes that mental health challenges as a result of trauma are persistent.

The displacement crisis in Myanmar has been greatly exacerbated following the earthquake. Currently, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that approximately 4.3 million people are displaced, including roughly 3.5 million internally displaced civilians in Myanmar.

“Our lives were just getting better. Now the earthquake has made me flee again. Right now, everyone is suffering [but] among those affected, we are the worst. As displaced people, our troubles are doubled. We have nowhere to live and nothing to live on,” said U Than Win, an internally displaced resident of Myanmar.

Children have been hit especially hard by this crisis, with many suffering from the effects of trauma and a lack of education and psychosocial support services. According to figures from the UN, roughly 1,824 schools have been damaged or destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without an education. “Many children have lost their parents, their friends and they need a place where they can get psychosocial support and begin to feel a sense of normalcy,” Eliana Drakopoulos, Chief of Communications at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Myanmar.

“This earthquake is another brutal blow to children in Myanmar—many of whom were already living through conflict, displacement, and deprivation,” added UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “In minutes, they lost loved ones, homes, and access to essential services. The needs are massive and rising by the hour.”

Additionally, the Myanmar Civil War continues to endanger the lives of civilians and complicates relief efforts from humanitarian organizations. Despite the National Unity Government (NUG) and the State Administration Council (SAC) both declaring ceasefires of varying lengths after the earthquakes, a coalition of armed resistance groups, known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance, accused the military of coordinating 63 separate attacks, resulting in 68 civilian casualties.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), these attacks have made it largely impossible for humanitarian aid personnel to reach areas that have been hit the hardest by the earthquake, such as the Sagaing region and areas in Bago and Shan State. Additionally, OHCHR reports that the military has continued its conscription efforts, recruiting young civilians that have not been seriously injured.

“I urge a halt to all military operations, and for the focus to be on assisting those impacted by the quake, as well as ensuring unhindered access to humanitarian organizations that are ready to support,” said UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk. “The humanitarian and protection needs of the civilian population must be addressed without delay and without restriction…It is critical that international assistance reach the people of Myanmar through international coordination mechanisms and support the civil society and community-based networks that are playing the frontline role to provide relief on the ground.”

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By Michael Jarvis
WASHINGTON DC, Apr 9 2025 – This June, world leaders will gather in Seville for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), a milestone opportunity to reimagine how the global economy delivers for people and the planet. But the real question isn’t whether this historic convening will happen. It’s whether it will matter.

Global systems are straining under the weight of overlapping crises: a ballooning debt burden across the Global South, massive financing gaps to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and climate catastrophes that demand urgent and equitable funding.

And yet, even as needs escalate, traditional sources of foreign aid are in retreat. The U.S. and other major donors are pulling back, creating gaping holes in public budgets and threatening the survival of civil society organizations that provide essential services and accountability functions.

Michael Jarvis

We are facing a post-aid world. But that doesn’t mean we must accept a post-development world. In fact, the FfD4 conference, set for June 30 to July 3 in Seville, presents a rare and time-sensitive opportunity to reconfigure development finance – balancing funds that will come from taxes and raising sustainable debt with those to come as official development assistance or via philanthropic contributions.

And if governments are willing to be bold, they won’t be alone. Philanthropy can be a catalytic force backing systemic reforms. Funders can lead by example with commitments under the Sevilla Platform for Action that will bring together voluntary initiatives to deliver measurable progress to boost a renewed financing framework.

The current draft of the conference outcome document includes some encouraging steps: nods to progressive taxation, recognition of the need for fairer sovereign debt mechanisms, and reform of international finance institutions.

But as the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) notes, many proposals still fall short of transformative change. Key concepts like human rights, gender equality, and participation appear inconsistently and more as rhetoric than as guiding principles.

We can do more to center Global South voices in negotiations and this is one way in which philanthropy can step up – helping expand the participation of diverse voices to be at the table, ensuring the perspectives of those most affected by financing decisions are heard.

Funders can also support the technical and diplomatic engagement of Global South governments in negotiations, so their priorities are fully represented.

Beyond participation, there’s a pressing need to fill thematic gaps—particularly in underfunded areas such as debt justice, fair taxation, and protection of civic space. Philanthropic commitments that align publicly with the FfD4 goals can build credibility and create positive pressure for ambitious reforms.

Just as importantly, funders must be willing to invest beyond the conference itself, providing long-term support to translate declarations into tangible outcomes on the ground.

Consider the issue of sovereign debt. Today, over 50 countries are in crisis, with many spending more on debt service than on healthcare or education. Without systemic reform, these countries will remain trapped in cycles of austerity and underdevelopment.

Philanthropy can fund advocacy, support debtor country coalitions and research to unlock debt relief, but also invest in revising frameworks, including building in greater transparency and oversight, to ensure that when countries borrow in the future debt is more sustainable.

Tax reform is another area where funders can have a significant impact. In the face of reduced foreign assistance, countries will need to rely more on their own revenue mobilization, but in ways that don’t exacerbate inequality.

From reinforcing constructive engagement in shaping the new UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation to supporting watchdog organizations that expose illicit financial flows, philanthropy can help shift the narrative and the policy framework toward a fairer tax system and restore faith in tax as our “social superpower” that supports so many of the services that citizens rely upon.

Climate finance, too, demands a bolder philanthropic role. For example, we need to invest not just in raising new finance for climate mitigation and adaptation, but in ensuring those funds get to where they need to go.

Philanthropy can support government and civil society capacity to ensure that every climate dollar counts. None of this is about replacing governments. It’s about augmenting their ability to act in the public interest and holding them accountable when they do not.

Funders, such as the members of the Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative, have already demonstrated what’s possible when philanthropy aligns with governance reform. They’re not just writing checks, they are investing in a more trust-based, accountable and inclusive development finance system. That model must become the norm and for those funders interested to learn more there are peers ready to offer advice or join forces.

In an era when multilateralism is under strain and trust in public institutions is eroding, the role of independent, values-driven actors is more important than ever. The FfD4 conference is a moment to demonstrate that the international development community can still serve people and the planet if enough of us are willing to push in that direction.

Philanthropy has the agility, the resources, and the networks to lead that push. It must not be a silent partner at this time. The stakes are too high.

Michael Jarvis is the Executive Director of the Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion (TAI) Collaborative, a network of philanthropic funders advancing systemic reforms to build more inclusive and accountable governance globally.

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By Busani Bafana
NAIROBI, Apr 9 2025 – Two crucial partnerships were signed at the CGIAR Science Week in Nairobi today (April 9, 2025), aimed at delivering research for development at scale across Africa.

The CGIAR and the African Agricultural Research, Innovation, and Education Institutions (AARIEIs) signed a Joint Statement in support of the Kampala CAADP Declaration and the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035). In January 2025, the African Union (AU) adopted a new agricultural development strategy that will see the continent increase its agrifood output by 45 percent by 2035 and transform its agrifood systems as part of its new plan to become food secure in a decade. During the signing ceremony, the organizations pledged to forge a partnership that would harness the power of collaboration to deliver research at scale.
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