Asia Summit 2020

Will Asia Define or Be Defined by the Decade Ahead?

Optimism in Asia was high at the dawn of this new decade. Growth throughout the preceding decade brought about higher incomes, greater job and educational opportunities, and access to more information and a wider selection of goods and services. But the global health pandemic exposed structural fault lines: Many people lack access to basic necessities such as clean drinking water, social inequality is on the rise, environmental degradation is accelerating, geopolitical tensions are worsening, and corrupt practices remain common. What’s needed for Asia to define this decade, rather than be defined by it? How can countries accelerate unlocking Asia’s human and economic potential to become the driving force for global recovery and growth in the decade ahead?