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South-East Asia & Pacific

Policy Briefs

Here is a list of the latest articles

Man walking through a flooded ricefield

Advancing agricultural adaptation and mitigation

Scientists can help advance policies to promote agricultural practices that can reduce emissions and boost yields.

Source: Science

24 January 2012 | EN

Dharavi slum, India

Managing uncertainty in urban adaptation planning

City planners can find a way to use existing evidence and deal with uncertainty in designing strategies for climate change adaptation.

Source: International Institute for Environment and Development

9 December 2011 | EN

Boy getting water from community pipe, Sri Lanka

Developing solutions for sustainable water management

Rio+20 is an opportunity to focus on harnessing scientific evidence and good governance to improve the management of water resources.

Source: UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)

22 November 2011 | EN

Storing maize in metal silos

Advancing research to support smallholder farmers

Scientists can help smallholder farmers get more out of their crops in changing food markets.

Source: Science

1 September 2011 | EN

Drylands, Nicaragua

Promoting small-scale planting of trees in dryland areas

Planting trees in dryland regions can negatively impact biodiversity, and policies must promote the practice on a smaller scale.

Source: NCCR North-South

18 April 2011 | EN

Working with foreign universities to build capacity

Sending students abroad and inviting in foreign institutions are both effective methods for boosting developing world higher education.

Source: OECD

11 March 2009 | EN

Opportunities and challenges in South–South collaboration

South–South research collaboration can be a powerful strategy for boosting scientific capacity and achieving common goals. But it should not be embraced uncritically, says Athar Osama.

14 May 2008 | EN | 中文

Controlling TB requires public awareness

An assessment of national tuberculosis policies in select countries emphasises the need for more public engagement.

Source: Open Society Institute

27 June 2007 | EN

Addressing health policy in Myanmar

The challenge of setting policy priorities for infectious diseases in Myanmar's current political climate.

Source: PLoS Medicine

27 June 2007 | EN

Integrating TB and HIV control activities

Recommendations on how policymakers can decrease the joint burden of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Source: Open Society Institute

27 June 2007 | EN

two african children

People, deserts and drylands in the developing world

Growing dryland populations are depleting their natural resources, while increasingly-settled agriculture ignores the traditional knowledge needed to tackle future uncertainties, says David Thomas.

1 October 2006 | EN

wetland in Vietnam

Putting the right price on nature: environmental economics

Valuing the benefits ecosystems give us is a vital step in ensuring their sustainable use and conservation. Anantha Duraiappah shows how environmental economics offers the best way yet to tackle the job.

1 October 2006 | EN

UNCCD2

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification

Ten years since the UNCCD came into force, the problems remain. Despite some successes, varying definitions and restricted finance limit the convention's effectiveness, as Lindsay Stringer explains.

1 October 2006 | EN

cactus140x140.jpg

Conserving dryland biodiversity: Science and policy

Biodiversity in the world's drylands is fragile, easily disrupted and under threat. John Lemons sets out guidelines for tailoring policies to best protect these uniquely adapted species.

27 September 2006 | EN

Improving access to water in deserts and drylands

With water scarcity already affecting over a billion people, dryland populations should combine traditional and modern knowledge to manage water access sustainably, says Theib Oweis.

26 September 2006 | EN

The role of non-GM biotechnology in developing world agriculture

An overview of the various ways in which techniques that do not involve genetic modification can helping plant breeders to develop and propagate new crop varieties.

1 February 2006 | EN

syringe

Malaria vaccines: research problems and priorities

Despite the urgent need for a malaria vaccine, progress in developing one has been slow and scientists do not always agree on the best way forward. This policy brief outlines the current status of malaria vaccine research.

4 November 2005 | EN

Artemisinin

Treating malaria with artemisinin combinations: challenges for policymakers

An outline of the opportunities and challenges in large-scale use of artemisinin combination therapies to treat malaria.

1 November 2005 | EN

Woman and child asleep under a bednet

Insecticide-treated bednets to prevent malaria

Insecticide-treated bednets to prevent malaria

1 November 2005 | EN

Anopheles larvae

Epidemic malaria: preparing for the unexpected

Sudden epidemics of malaria need to be tackled quickly to stop them spiralling out of control; an early warning system could help predict outbreaks to mobilise a fast response.

1 November 2005 | EN

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