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Warga berjalan dengan membawa nisan keluarganya di area pemakaman khusus COVID-19 di TPU Rorotan, Cilincing, Jakarta Utara, Kamis (15/7/2021). Berdasarkan data Worldometer, Indonesia resmi masuk empat besar kasus aktif COVID-19 terbanyak di seluruh dunia, pada Kamis (15/7/2021) kasus aktif di Indonesia mencapai 480.199 kasus, melampaui Rusia yang tercatat 457.250 kasus, Indonesia juga jauh melampaui India yang tercatat 432.011 kasus. ANTARA FOTO/M Risyal Hidayat/foc.

Penanganan Corona di RI Peringkat 69 dari 180 Negara, Malaysia 160

by News

Penanganan pandemi corona di Indonesia memang masih jauh dari kata sempurna. Apalagi jika melihat polemik soal angka kematian yang dicoret sementara dari indikator penanganan corona.

Pemerintah berdalih data yang tertumpuk menimbulkan distorsi pada analisis terhadap level PPKM di daerah. Oleh sebab itu, pemerintah akan kembali memasukkan indikator kematian apabila datanya sudah rapi.

Lantas, bagaimana sebetulnya kualitas penanganan corona di Indonesia?

Berdasarkan data yang disajikan oleh Global COVID-19 Indeks (GCI), Indonesia tak masuk ke dalam peringkat 50 besar dalam urusan penanganan pandemi. Nilai indeks pemulihan Indonesia adalah 54,34 dan ada di peringkat ke-69 dari 180 negara di dunia.

Indonesia masih kalah dengan Madagaskar yang berada di peringkat ke-66. Selain itu, Indonesia juga tertinggal dari Filipina yang berada di peringkat ke-59. Penanganan corona di Tanah Air juga ada di bawah India yang berada di peringkat ke-43.

Meski demikian, penanganan corona di Indonesia jauh lebih baik dari Malaysia. Negeri jiran tersebut ada di peringkat ke-160.

Sementara itu, peringkat teratas ada Singapura dengan nilai 87,94. Diikuti oleh China dengan nilai 85,29.

CGI sendiri merupakan tools yang dibuat oleh perusahaan konsultan PEMANDU yang berbasis di Malaysia. Konsultan itu berkolaborasi dengan Kementerian Sains, Teknologi, dan Inovasi Malaysia dan WHO untuk menyajikan data seberapa baik performa satu negara dalam menghadapi pandemi COVID-19. Pemeringkatan tersebut pun bersifat real time.

Lantas bagaimana metodologinya?

Tujuan GCI menyajikan data-data ini adalah untuk memungkinkan negara-negara untuk membandingkan kinerja relatif mereka dengan negara-negara lain, sehingga kemudian memungkinkan identifikasi praktik terbaik yang sesuai dari negara-negara yang berhasil.

GCI menggunakan metode minimal-maksimum dengan menetapkan nilai indeks antara 0-100. Kemudian nilai indeks tersebut dijadikan ke dalam skor antara 1-5. Skor 5 menunjukkan peroleh terbesar sementara 1 adalah yang terkecil.

GCI sendiri membagi penilaiannya berdasarkan 2 variabel, yakni pemulihan dan keparahan. Kedua variabel ini merupakan kombinasi dari analisa GCI dan WHO serta Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (DRMKC) INFORM Risk Index Uni Eropa dengan proporsi 70 persen GCI dan 30 persen WHO dengan Uni Eropa.

Dalam konteks pemulihan, skor 5 menandakan bahwa negara tersebut punya nilai indeks yang tinggi. Indeks tersebut menggambarkan bahwa suatu negara punya kinerja yang paling baik menuju pemulihan.

Sementara dalam konteks keparahan, skor 5 menandakan bahwa negara nilai indeks tinggi yang menggambarkan bahwa suatu negara punya tengah dalam keadaan yang buruk dalam menghadapi pandemi COVID-19.

 

Source: kumparan

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Six leadership secrets

by News

KUCHING: A former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala outlined six secrets of transformational leadership in a souvenir programme book for the official launch of the Orang Ulu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OUCCI) here, today.

The secrets, according to Idris, who is executive chairman of the Global Transformation Forum (GTF), are:

  • Play the game of the impossible
  • Use key performance indicators (KPIs) as anchors
  • Discipline of actions
  • Exercise situational leadership
  • Build a winning coalition
  • Accept divine intervention

GTF is a platform for key policy makers, global opinion makers and corporate leaders to share ideas on how socioeconomic transformation can effectively take shape in a global environment.

On secret number one, Idris said it’s okay to set one’s goals high, realise how impossible they are to achieve, and accept the fact that it’s alright to fail.

“Only when people move from fear of failure can transformation happen because new ideas emerge to meet impossible challenges,” he added.

The second secret is to work backwards from KPIs to identify the outputs and activities necessary to ‘move the needle’.

This, he said, allows conversations that challenge traditional recommendations and permit the change of course when off-track, he stressed.

On the third secret, Idris said reform should be broken down into highly detailed activities with funding and executed by responsible persons.

“The work of identifying objectives is only the start. The real work occurs in defining action at three feet, not just planning at 30,000 feet.”

Touching on the fourth secret, the former CEO of Performance Management and Delivery unit (Pemandu) stressed that a good leader should read organisational signs and adapt their style to the situation.

“Normally, at the start of a reform process, a leader may need to be more directive, especially when uncertainty and anxiety is generating resistance. As fear settles and consensus emerges, a leader’s style should become more empowering,” he said.

Secret number five entails building and maintaining collaborative networks, recognising conflicting views and political polarities.

“Engagement should reach out beyond traditional stakeholders, and include strategic communication as a critical aspect to generate wider support.”

On the final secret, Idris said regardless of the amount of effort put in, humans have limited control of  the outcome of their plan and as such should accept divine intervention.

“We operate in highly complex systems and a leader must acknowledge this uncertainty,” he said.

Idris’s secrets to transformational leadership philosophy are a popular teaching material for world leaders at the World bank, World Economic Forum (WEF), Harvard and Oxford.

He is currently the president and CEO of a consultancy firm, Pemandu  Associates, which helps organisations and countries to achieve transformation and business turnaround.

Idris, who has a global reputation for rescuing ailing ventures or confronting difficult scenarios to turn around, is steadfast in his belief that all organisations can lift themselves out of even the worst situations.

Through his signature Big Fast Results (BFR) methodology, he has achieved remarkable transformation results when he was with the government, Pemandu, Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Shell Middle Distillates Bintulu (SMDS), and Shell Sri Lanka.

“People who pursue goals are transformed during the journey because they are forced to be unconventional in how they think and how they do things,” he said.

Idris, a Kelabit from Bario highlands, hoped OUCCI members will be inspired by his stories and experience to take big and bold actions.

Earlier, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg officiated at the launching ceremony of the OUCCI at Waterfront Hotel Kuching.

Source: New Sarawak Tribune

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QICCA Holds Webinar on Business Recovery and Resilience for Enterprises

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Doha, February 17 (QNA) – Qatar International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA) held, through visual communication technology, a webinar on ” Business Recovery and Resilience for Enterprises “, aimed at raising corporate awareness of companies in a way that contributes to the recovery, stability and sustainability of business.
HE Qatar International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA) Board Member for International Relations Sheikh Dr. Thani bin Ali Al-Thani said in a speech, opening the webinar, that Arab economies attach special importance to companies of the private sector as they play a pivotal role in achieving regional visions and advancing economic growth.
HE Sheikh Thani added that the speed of the economic recovery depends mainly on the ability of companies to resume their usual activities and to establish programs to enhance productivity and promote competitiveness and involve them in the development plans developed by the State.
HE noted that companies and business institutions faced during the crisis of COVID-19 pandemic a sharp decline of revenues and activities, pointing out that this governments of some countries to issue decisions that included postponing the payment of loan installments granted to companies or exempting them from electricity, water or rent consumption fees, etc., as well as activating the national guarantees program to respond to the repercussions of Corona in order to facilitate the companies’ exit from the crisis that affected it.
“In view of the interest of countries to monitor the activity of emerging companies as a key driver of sustainable economic diversification, many companies sought to survive during the crisis by providing fast e-commerce solutions or setting up quick communication platforms with their customers, but some of them stumbled as a result of changing circumstances and inability to fulfill of their obligations,” HE Sheikh Dr. Thani bin Ali Al-Thani pointed out.
HE Sheikh Thani also highlighted the legal challenges facing companies, stressing that the pandemic has caused great difficulties for companies to implement their contractual obligations as a case of force majeure or an emergency accident. To solve these legal difficulties, he said that it is necessary to establish mechanisms that allow contractors to negotiate and review contract terms or suspend the implementation of obligations for a specific period.
For his part, Executive Director of Badeal for Business Solutions Dr. Ahmed Alfaqeeh said that the webinar is an extension of the guideline that was launched in October 2020, which dealt with the most important issues related to recovery and resilience of businesses, noting that the webinar aims to raise corporate awareness of companies that may contribute to recovery, stability, and sustainability of businesses.
Alfaqeeh also noted that Badael in cooperation with QICCA would introduce the Business Resilience Index to concerned entities in the State, affirming that it would be beneficial for all institutions, especially SMEs.
The panelists included Minas Khachaturian, Legal Counsel of the Qatar International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA), who outlined avoiding commercial disputes by using alternative means, while Khalid Al-Mana, Executive Director of Business Finance of Qatar Development Bank (QDB), delivered a presentation on Current Business Models and the Future of SMEs. On his part, Associate Professor at College of Law, Kuwait University, Adviser to the World Bank Dr. Fahad Al Zumai spoke about laws resulting from the Corona regulation and its impact on Kuwaiti companies.
CEO of Gamar Leadership Group and Teacher of Adaptive Leadership at Harvard Adel Gamar explored the role of adaptive leadership and capacity building in business recovery and resilience. while Associate Professor at College of Business and Economics, Qatar University – An expert in Operations Management and supply chain Abdullah Al Suwaidi highlighted the strategic transformation for the supply chain management. Managing Directors & Partner at Pemandu Associates Larvin Rengasamy spoke about managing business during and after crisis. (QNA)

Source: Qatar News Agency

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Malaysia wins big at 2020 WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards

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They include the Global ICT Awards Winner in Sustainable Growth which was bagged by Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd for its “Smart Water Integrated Management System (SWIMS)”; and runner-up for the Covid-19 Tech Solutions for Countries & Regions, which was clinched by the Health Ministry for “Malaysia’s Pandemic Response Systems”.

Malaysia also bagged two Merit Awards for the Covid-19 Tech Solutions for Cities & Localities, which was won by the Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI)’s “PGCare Penang Contact Tracer” and Local Government Division, Penang State Secretary’s “Initiative to reduce contact via Cashless Transaction”.

Pemandu, a consulting firm focused on socio-economic transformation, business turnaround and digital marketing and design, was also nominated in the Covid-19 Tech Solutions for Countries & Regions category for its dynamic dashboard that consolidates Covid-19 data from 184 countries into a comprehensive Global Covid-19 Index which governments, businesses and communities can reference.

Pemandu joint managing director Woody Ang said they were truly honoured to have been given the accolade by the WITSA Committee.

“Through the years of helping governments and corporations around the world in transformational efforts, we learnt that the key to good decision-making is when data is distilled to simple, easy-to-understand metrics that show results are being achieved. The GCI is an amalgamation of this.

“The GCI is an innovation of our own and it is also Pemandu Associates’ contribution towards the spirit of Open Data and Open Science.”

Meanwhile, Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D) was the Global ICT Awards Winner in the Sustainable Growth category for its Smart Water Integrated Management System (SWIMS).

Commenting on the milestone achievement, TM R&D chief executive officer Dr Sharlene Thiagarajah said this was indeed a proud moment for them.

“TM R&D is optimistic that this effort will improve financial and social well-being without compromising the prosperity of future generations, while simultaneously supporting TM’s aspirations and unique role as the enabler of Digital Malaysia,” she added.

This was the first Virtual Global ICT Excellence Awards, and it included three new Covid-19 related award categories.

There were nine categories for the competition this year; Covid-19 Tech Solutions for Cities & Localities, Covid-19 Tech Solutions for Countries or Regions, Covid-19 Best Industry Solutions, Public/Private Partnership Award, Digital Opportunity/Inclusion Award, Sustainable Growth Award, Innovative eHealth Solutions Award, Digital Innovation Award and E-Education & Learning Award.

Nominees hailed from Argentina, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, the Republic of North Macedonia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, Romania, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Taiwan bagged the most awards ahead of Bangladesh (six) and the UK (five).

To date, WITSA Global ICT Excellence Award winners have positioned themselves as leaders and top innovators by fully realising the potential of ICT to grow the bottom line as well as to provide better services to citizens, improve health care, and provide trust and transparency in government.

Source: NST

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Bahamas Ranked Low On Response

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THE Bahamas is ranked 182 out of 184 countries in the COVID-19 recovery index, according to one Global COVID-19 Index (GCI).

The country has been given a score of 17.83 out of 100 indicating that it is “struggling to cope with the crisis and…may need to consider maintaining stringent non-pharmaceutical measures.”

The country received 67.23 on the index’s latest severity index, indicating it “may be overwhelmed by the crisis with a high percentage of infections and resulting deaths per population.”

GCI’s forecast for The Bahamas is that the “situation may improve”.

“The GCI Model indicates that the solution has a small probability of recovery but there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the recovery trend will improve significantly in the near future,” the researchers say.

The recovery index considers active cases per population, recoveries per confirmed case, tests conducted per confirmed case and tests conducted per population. The severity index considers confirmed cases per population and proportionate death rate due to COVID-19.

The index was developed by PEMANDU Associates in collaboration with Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Sunway Group.

This comes as Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler, head of the Consultant Physicians Staff Association, said yesterday that public health facilities are managing as best as they can under the strain of COVID-19.

“We’ve kind of been in strain mode for a little while with the hospitals being over capacity and so everything is pretty much filled up and they’re just trying to make the best with the space situation,” she said. “It’s not just COVID, and that’s what we’re trying to get everyone to understand. We already had challenges with spacing and staffing before COVID.

“With us having additional persons with COVID, that certainly adds to a system that was already trying to make best with what was there. Everything is pretty much at over capacity mode. Once someone goes in, you have someone already waiting for that space. Everyone is trying their best.”

Asked if the situation is manageable, Dr Pinder-Butler said: “Manageable is relative in terms of, if you know this is the hands you are dealt with but you’re still going to try your best, then you manage as best as you can. Things can certainly be much better, but we don’t have an ideal situation in the country.”

The Bahamas has had more than 6,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Most of these cases were recorded after July 1, when the country reopened its borders to commercial international travel.

On July 28, the GCI Index ranked The Bahamas last among 184 countries on its COVID-19 recovery index.

 

By Rashad Rolle
Source: The Tribune

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World’s First Holistic and Comprehensive Index on COVID-19

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  • Sunway University is collaborating with PEMANDU Associates and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Malaysia on the Global COVID-19 Index (GCI).
  • The GCI is the world’s first holistic and comprehensive index on COVID-19, consolidating data on the pandemic from verified sources of 184 countries into a comprehensive index to which governments, businesses, and communities can reference.

With the slew of news, data and opinions scattering around COVID-19, Sunway University joins forces with PEMANDU Associates and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (MOSTI)  to develop a dynamic dashboard that consolidates COVID-19 data from 184 countries into a comprehensive Global COVID-19 Index (GCI) to which governments, businesses and communities can reference.

Updated daily, the database ranks 184 countries based on how well they respond to the pandemic. At a glance, the GCI dashboard displays top 10 countries on the recovery index, countries with the highest increase in new cases, highest reduction in active cases, a recovery rating map with a rating guide for recovery and severity, a lockdown level map, global infection trend graph and a country comparison matrix.

World’s First Holistic and Comprehensive Index on COVID-19

The GCI pulls and analyses data from various credible sources such as the Johns Hopkins University, Our World in Data, World Bank, Oxford COVID19 Government Response Tracker and the Global Health Security Index.

The GCI allows countries to gauge one another’s performance levels to better identify best practices and efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

World’s First Holistic and Comprehensive Index on COVID-19

REFERENCE HUB FOR UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS

Researchers from Sunway University’s School of Healthcare and Medical Sciences are currently deriving data to produce insights that would help governments and societies identify emerging trends from the GCI.

“For example, we have identified that countries that have high-ambient temperatures and low latitudes appear to have low COVID-19 case fatality rates which can serve to inform policy decisions and epidemiological research,” explained Professor Peh Suat Cheng, Professor of Pathology and Dean, School of Healthcare and Medical Sciences at Sunway University

World’s First Holistic and Comprehensive Index on COVID-19

Professor Peh Suat Cheng, Professor of Pathology and Dean, School of Healthcare and Medical Sciences and Professor Serge Demidenko, Dean of the School of Science and Technology at Sunway University are working closely with Woody Ang, Executive Vice President at PEMANDU Associates to identify and derive relevant data for the index.

REPLICABLE FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE PANDEMICS

According to the researchers at Sunway University, the existing framework of the GCI is replicable for future pandemics as it records datasets that are commonly analysed when outbreak tracing is carried out. Non-dynamic data will be regularly updated on a yearly basis, making it more responsive to battle unprecedented pandemics that may arise in the future.

According to Professor Serge Demidenko, Dean of the School of Science and Technology at Sunway University, his researchers have been interested to provide specialist support in Computer Database Technologies and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Data Analytics aiming to not just analyse past data, but also forecast and model future trends.

“During this COVID-19 time, AI and Analytics will allow us to use available data to understand the impact of the pandemic better and thus to assist to propose appropriate solutions. Our academics are available to team up with collaborators both locally and internationally to explore new recovery solutions for the post-COVID-19 world”, he said.

BEST PRACTICES IN HEALTH INTERVENTIONS FOR COVID-19

Key learnings from the GCI have been compiled into a comprehensive 118-page report titled ‘Global Lessons in Tackling COVID-19 – The Global Pathfinder Initiative’, published just this month. The report focuses on five main areas; investment protocols in high scale testing, extensive contact tracing, well enforced movement controls, transparent and strong communication and finally, strong leadership from the top with the hopes of informing policy and decision-making for future global health crises.

Source: Sunway

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Thailand ranks second in the world and first in Asia for COVID-19 recovery

by News

WHETHER  it’s the tropical heat, the custom of wearing facemasks courtesy of its the air pollution, or the swift lockdown measures, on a global scale Thailand has done remarkably well in coping with the COVID-19 crisis.

As of mid-June, the country recorded 3,135 confirmed cases and 58 fatalities, ranking it second in the world, after Australia, among the countries with the highest COVID-19 recovery index and first in Asia, according to a report issued by the Global COVID-19 Index (GCI) on June 11, 2020.

Government spokesperson, Professor Narumon Pinyosinwat said Prime Minister and Defense Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha was grateful to all the Thai people for their discipline, strength, and patience in fighting COVID-19, so that everyone could get through the difficult situation together.

The GCI has been developed by PEMANDU Associates in collaboration with Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Sunway Group.

It is driven strongly by big data, and the index scores and ranks 184 countries on how well they are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the ranking of countries by recovery index, Australia receives 86.34 from 100 points. Thailand receives 83.29, followed by Denmark, 81.75; Taiwan, 79.55; South Korea, 79.25; New Zealand, 79.08; Lithuania, 77.06; Slovenia, 76.12; Iceland, 76.06; and Latvia, 75.46.

Among the 20 countries with the highest recovery index, five are in Asia. They include Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Key dynamic parameters used by the GCI include confirmed cases per population, the proportionate death rate due to COVID-19, and static scores derived from the Global Health Security Index, which was developed to assess a country’s readiness to cope with and handle any epidemic.

 

By Ellen Boonstra
Source: Business Acumen

Read the full article here.

Malaysia Launches World’s 1st Index To Track COVID-19 Pandemic Control

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On 4 June, Malaysia launched the world’s first comprehensive, data-based pandemic response tracker, Global COVID-19 Index (GCI)

It is a publicly available website that processes approximately 3,000 points of data daily from verified open-source databases, such as the the World Bank and the Global Health Security Index, to accurately rank 184 countries based on how well they are coping with the pandemic.

The GCI assesses the true severity and recovery progress of countries based on factors including a country’s healthcare system and other socio-economic factors.

At the time of writing, Malaysia ranked 15th among 184 countries in recovery rates.

Photo credit: MHTC

Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin hopes that the GCI will help governments around the world make informed decisions about how best to face the pandemic

In his keynote speech, the minister discussed the importance of the GCI in deploying an effective and globally coordinated response.

“While there are varying degrees of severity and recovery across the world, no one country has managed to get everything right,” he said.

With the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) collaborating with local and international experts from Universiti Malaya, Akademi Sains Malaysia, the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and the World Health Organization (WHO), and referring to global databases, Khairy notes how the GCI could act as a singular yet comprehensive point of reference.

The website contains graphs and lists reflecting recovery and severity rates

It also has colour-coded maps which depict whether a country can safely relax its restrictions based on the WHO’s six requirements and calculations made using the collected data.

This, Khairy says, can help guide the actions of governments, universities, and research institutes, as well as the private sector.

Khairy also spoke of the need for greater collaboration across the globe

As part of his opening speech, the minister said, “While we have been focused on saving lives within our respective borders, we now need to reach out and share what each country has learnt so that we can create an internationally crowdsource playbook of best practices in handling the pandemic.”

This, he adds, is why the GCI was created.

“The partnership [between the MOSTI and PEMUDA Associates] will aim to make the GCI a catalyst to enhance international cooperation and research against all pandemics. This is Malaysia’s humble commitment to the fight against COVID-19.”

Following the launch of the GCI, it was announced that MOSTI will also be working on an in-depth qualitative analysis of best practices(of coping with COVID-19) around the world. Khairy hopes this project, called the Global Pathfinder Initiative, will be publicly available with the approval of participating governments.

The minister ended the presentation with an urgent plea

“Apart from sharing the GCI with you tonight, the message that we would like to send is that we need to build a global alliance of international organisations, governments, cooperations, civil society organisations, and individuals, to commit to open science and push for the vaccine to be a global public good that would be made available openly and equitably.”

 

Source: MHTC

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Nepal government sets roadmap to improve investment climate reforms

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Nepal was ranked 94 out of 190 economies on the Doing Business 2020 ranking, marking a significant shift for the country into the Top 100 Economies on the Ease of Doing Business. As a part of the government’s ongoing efforts to improve the country’s investment climate reforms, the Office of the Prime Minister & Council of Ministers (OPMCM) and Ministry of Finance, with the support of the World Bank Group, organized a workshop to develop institutional arrangements for the newly formed Coordination Centre in OPMCM and put together an implementation plan for Doing Business reforms.

“A new Nepal is in the making. We are a private sector dominated economy, and the role of the public sector is to unlock bottlenecks for the private sector. Public-private partnership is the key strategy for doing business in Nepal,” stated Honorable Minister of Finance, Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada.

“The international best practices that we are learning today need to be customized based on the context of Nepal,” stated Dr. Teertha Raj Dhakal, Secretary, OPMCM. “Implementation and delivery are the areas where the country needs to improve, and we also need to change our behavior and culture to make Nepal more private-sector friendly.”

The workshop organized on 24-25 February looked at global best practices from leading delivery unit practitioners from PEMANDU Associates, Malaysia and Government Partnerships International, UK on the catalytical role of the delivery unit in supporting the Doing Business reforms.

“We need to encourage private sector participation in all sectors,” stated Dato’ Sri Idris Jala, President and CEO of PEMANDU Associates. “This can only happen if we implement radical changes in government regulations to facilitate investors and eliminate cumbersome procedures involved in doing businesses in the country.”

Nepal climbed 16 spots in the global Doing Business 2020 rankings. Four major positive reforms in a single year – construction permits, access to credit, trading across borders and contract enforcement – were a record for Nepal and accounted for a third of all reforms recorded by Doing Business in the last 10 years. At the same time, two reforms that made it difficult to do business – starting a business and property registration – were also recorded for Nepal.

The major outcomes of the workshop included the development of the Coordination Center’s institutional structure based on the global best practices of international delivery unit practitioners tailored to the Nepali context, and agreement with the core ministries and private sector on the short (until April 2020 – the closing window for Doing Business 2021 report), medium (next 15 months) and long-term (next 2 years) investment climate reforms and implementation strategies. These initiatives are intended to mobilize increased private investment in support of equitable growth and job creation.

“The Government of Nepal is playing a critical role in establishing a conducive climate in which businesses operate and is taking the needed steps to strengthen the environment for private sector businesses and investments,” stated Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Manager for Nepal. “The experience of the international experts from Malaysia and the UK provides a springboard for Nepal’s next steps. Their success stories and lessons learnt can help inform the design of appropriate institutional structures and operational framework for the Coordination Center.”

The workshop was actively attended by representatives from the government, regulatory bodies, private sector and development partners.

 

Source: The World Bank.

Read the full article here.

Forced Labour: Issues & Mitigation Conference

by News

Unethical labour practices are a risk to business viability. Consumers and governments across the world are demanding higher standards of labour protection, punishing companies who are suspected of bad labour practices. Recently, a Malaysian glove company faced an import ban by the US on allegations of labour law violation.

In light of this issue, PEMANDU Associates, in collaboration with its strategic partner Bluenumber, organised the Forced Labour: Issues & Mitigation conference to enhance the appreciation of labour protection issues in Malaysia. The event featured industry experts sharing their insights on labour protection implications for businesses, the global best practices and possible data-centric solutions for workers’ rights.

The conference, held on 14 November 2019  at Sunway Putra Hotel, was attended by corporate representatives from various industries as well as non-profits with a common interest in improving labour practices in the country.

To find out more on how the Bluenumber Digital ID can assist your organisation to effectively monitor labour protection, contact us at [email protected].

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