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Online platforms enhance entrepreneurship opportunities for vulnerable sectors—report

The government should pursue policies that reskill the workforce and enhance the digital skills of the population because online platforms can enhance livelihood and entrepreneurship opportunities, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) in a new policy note.

“Amid the ongoing pandemic brought by the coronavirus disease 2019, online platforms not only provide a supplementary income source for people but also improve the economic participation and empowerment of vulnerable sectors, such as women and homemakers,” the report, titled “Gender Perspectives in E-Livelihood and E-Entrepreneurship,” said.

The paper also found that online entrepreneurship provides a channel for unemployed individuals and those not in the labor force to find livelihood opportunities outside the formal labor market.

However, it also said only around one in 20 people, regardless of sex, engage in online selling, noting that a certain level of technical proficiency and digital skills is needed to engage in online entrepreneurship.

“Therefore, it is crucial to regularly measure and monitor the digital literacy skills of the population so that appropriate capacity development activities for the labor market can be implemented,” said report authors Aubrey D. Tabuga and Carlos C. Cabaero.

But while digital platforms facilitate e-livelihood and e-entrepreneurship by matching buyers and sellers of products and services, they cannot be harnessed effectively to address inequalities without a facilitative policy environment to narrow the digital divide, the paper added.

The socioeconomic policy think tank thus recommends that the government invest in the reskilling of older and less educated individuals, particularly those in the underserved and poorer segment of the population, on the practical applications of information and communications technology (ICT).

It is also important to enhance the general population’s knowledge and use of online platforms to improve people’s ability to reap the benefits of ICT equitably.

PIDS said data from the 2019 National ICT Household Survey (NICTHS), the country’s first household survey on ICT usage, showed that online platforms offer livelihood opportunities, especially for women who cannot participate in the economy otherwise.

“Therefore, current and future capacity development programs must focus on enhancing women’s and men’s life skills and work skills. However, gaining the proper digital skills may not be enough for women whose economic empowerment is likely not maximized because of their disproportionate share in unpaid care work.”

Apart from gender issues, various challenges—poverty, gaps in skills, and lack of access to technology, formal institutions, and infrastructure—limit a person’s ability to take advantage of online platforms for various welfare-enhancing activities. Digital platforms should promote social welfare, including access to social protection programs and livelihood opportunities, the paper said.

Moreover, apart from the lack of knowledge to effectively use online resources and ICT tools, the government must also address the challenges of access to technology and formal institutions, such as electronic banking and online government transactions.

“Finally, improving digital infrastructure, such as mobile internet connection across the country, is vital to allow greater ICT engagement among Filipinos—women and men alike—so that everyone is better equipped to benefit from the digital dividends,” the report said.

Acceleration of digital trade facilitation implementation could cut trade costs

Speeding up the implementation of digital trade schemes could reduce average trade costs in the Asia Pacific region by over 13 percent, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2021 highlights that cross-border trade digitalization has great potential to help countries in Asia and the Pacific access critical goods, especially those most vulnerable to trade uncertainty and crisis.

Based on the latest data available, its analysis presented confirms that digital trade facilitation measures can result in significant benefits to the countries in the region.

“Full digital trade facilitation implementation beyond the WTO TFA (World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement) could cut average trade cost in the region by over 13 percent, 7 percentage points more than what could be expected from implementation of the WTO TFA,” it said.

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary General and ESCAP Executive Secretary, said result suggests that the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific --a United Nations treaty that entered into force in early 2021-- “provides a dedicated, inclusive, and capacity-building-focused intergovernmental platform to pursue this agenda.”

The report said the 2021 survey shows that the WTO TFA-related measures have been well implemented throughout the region by improving transparency (81.7 percent), streamlining the formalities (75.5percent), and enhancing institutional arrangement and cooperation mechanisms (68.4 percent).

However, implementation of cross-border paperless trade remains challenging with a regional average implementation rate below 40 percent despite continued improvement of digital infrastructure to facilitate trusted and secure sharing of trade-related data and documents in electronic form, it said.

“Implementation of bilateral and subregional paperless trade systems remain mostly at the pilot stage, although the pandemic contributed to the acceleration of digital transformation,” it added.

Bambang Susantono, ADB Vice President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, said the disruptions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak have underscored the important role trade facilitation plays in economies and will play in the recovery.

“The pandemic also revealed the need for digital, paperless trade procedures to facilitate cross-border movement of critical goods during global health emergencies, while maintaining open trade regimes to maintain equitable access to essential goods,” he said.

Alisjahbana said measures are specifically needed to support small and medium-sized enterprises, women, and the agricultural sector to make the recovery more sustainable.

FDA aims to publish final food traceability rule by November 2022

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently working to develop a final rule to enhance the traceability recordkeeping for some food products necessary to protect the public health.

US FDA consumer safety officer Amelia Tetterton said the agency is receiving comments and expects to publish the final rule set forth in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) section 204 governing food traceability requirements by Nov. 7, 2022.

“If finalized, the rule would become effective 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. Compliance date for all covered entities would be two years from the effective date of the final regulation,” she said in a webinar.

Tetterton said the proposed rule requires covered persons to maintain records for food on the food traceability list (FTL) that will support more efficient and accurate traceability of potentially contaminated food.

“When a food borne illness outbreak occurs, (there is a) need to quickly identify and remove contaminated food from (the) market to avoid additional illnesses/deaths,” she said.

Tetterton said the food traceability proposed rule also limits the scope of recalls, establishes harmonized information, aligns with current industry approaches, and enhances ability to conduct root cause investigations to identify and apply lessons learned from outbreaks.

“Need accurate information on the food to trace it back through the supply chain to identify the source and also forward to determine how the food was distributed,” she added.

Tetterton said the proposed rule touches the whole supply chain from farms and facilities to retail food establishments, includes both foreign and domestic entities, only applies to certain foods, has some exemptions and partial exemptions, and co-proposal on retail food establishments.

She said proposed requirements include critical tracking events (CTEs) and key data elements (KDEs).

CTEs include growing, receiving, transforming, creating, and shipping wherein records would be required, she added.

Tetterton said required records would need to contain specific KDEs depending on the CTE being performed.

“The KDEs required would vary depending on the CTE that is being performed. The records required at each CTE would need to contain and link the traceability lot code of the food to the relevant KDEs,” she said.

Tetterton further said the record requirements would apply to all foods on the FTL which include foods that contain foods on the list as ingredients.

FTL for requirements for additional traceability records described in the proposed rule includes cheeses, shell eggs, nut butter, cucumbers (fresh), herbs (fresh), leafy greens (fresh), melons (fresh), peppers (fresh), sprouts (fresh), tomatoes (fresh), tropical tree fruits (fresh), fruits and vegetables (fresh cut), finfish, crustaceans, mollusks/bivalves, and ready-to-eat deli salads, according to FDA website.

She added violations of the recordkeeping requirements is a prohibited act under section 301(e) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, except when such violation is committed by a farm.

Study: government policies should look at pandemic lessons to rebuild economy

The government should look at the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to rebuild a better post-pandemic Philippines, one that is equipped with proper safeguards from such catastrophes to prevent the reversal of years of economic growth and progress, according to a new report. 

The discussion paper, newly released by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, said rebuilding a better Philippines will involve actions and policies that help make businesses more ethical, pursue green and inclusive recovery, and maintain a robust and healthy workforce.

For ethical businesses, companies should be enjoined to adopt universally recognized environmental, social, and corporate governance metrics to help reduce inequality and strengthen discipline in company activities, said the report, entitled Reset and Rebuild for a Better Philippines in the Post-Pandemic World. 

The country’s competition framework must also be further strengthened and an equal environment for different businesses in similar industries must be created. 

For green and inclusive recovery, authors Adoracion Navarro, Margarita Debuque-Gonzales and Kris Francisco urged the government to make space for “greening” in the stimulus packages, such as in the short-term stimulus for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). 

“Short-term stimulus packages for MSMEs have a swift turnaround and can quickly create jobs. These can be expanded from more than wage subsidies to cover also support for accelerated adoption of sustainable solutions and technologies, such as cleaner production processes, pollution prevention systems, water and energy reduction techniques, recyclable biodegradable packaging solutions, solid and liquid waste management initiatives, and efficiency enhancing digital technologies,” the paper said. 

“With the expansion of economic activities that will be supported by stimulus packages, the economy will regain old jobs lost and absorb newly created ones. This will also give the MSMEs the push to capture the value added from green growth opportunities in the medium to long term.”  

Moreover, in the rescue packages for large strategic industries, the support can either impose conditions to adopt green practices or offer rewards for their green and resilience-building initiatives, or both. 

The infrastructure program can also be turned into an opportunity for green recovery by creating a pipeline of needed climate-smart infrastructure projects and tapping climate financing and public-private partnerships for these.

The Philippines must also identify and invest in green growth areas, such as productive and regenerative agriculture, sustainable urban development and transport, clean energy transition, circular economy, and healthy and productive oceans. 

Investment opportunities must also be seized in areas where addressing the problem is a huge challenge, such as in waste management and ecosystem conservation activities. 

Finally, for a robust and healthy workforce, the country needs to invest heavily in reskilling and upskilling programs, especially in skills crucial for the future—problem-solving, self-management, working with people, and technology use and development.  
The social protection system also needs to be revamped to cover the growing employment in the gig economy and to strengthen the health support programs. 

The Philippines must also improve digital readiness and address the digital divide through government policies and public and private investments, the paper said. 

The workers of the future must also be included in government interventions, which can be through such strategies as improving teachers’ digital competencies, incorporating digital skills in student curriculums, and providing needed materials to both students and teachers. 

Resilience, adaptability drive top global consumer trends

Euromonitor International has identified the 10 emerging global consumer trends that gained traction this year and are expected to stay relevant in the year ahead. 

The “Top 10 Global Consumer Trends 2021” provides insight into changing consumer values, exploring how consumer behavior is shifting and causing disruption for businesses globally. 

The Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau recently highlighted these trends in a series of social media posts for local enterprises to take note of and incorporate into their marketing and business plans as another new year approaches.

Resilience and adaptability are the driving forces behind the top consumer trends in 2021. The pandemic created, influenced or accelerated each of these 10 trends, forever altering consumer behavior, the report by Euromonitor, a leading provider of global business intelligence and market analysis, said.

These 10 significant trends are:

•    Build back better. Consumers are now demanding that companies care beyond revenue, and they no longer perceive businesses as profit-driven entities. Protecting the health and interest of society is the new expectation, following COVID-19, in order to build back better.

•    Craving convenience. Consumers are craving the convenience of the pre-pandemic world, longing for the ease taken for granted before daily habits were upended. Businesses are under pressure to rapidly adapt their operations to develop a resilient customer experience while maintaining convenience. Companies must preserve the swift and seamless shopping journey across all channels.

•    Outdoor oasis. Health threats, indoor meetings and mobility restrictions and the rise of remote working have resulted in consumers turning to an outdoor oasis for leisure and recreation. Some are even considering moving from densely populated areas to rural areas. In response, businesses incorporated advanced health measures and moved events outside, allowing consumers to reconnect out of the home more safely. Companies should pivot their product development strategy to encompass the tranquility of rural living in urban environments to better satisfy city-scapers.

•    Phygital reality. In the new normal, physical and digital worlds have collided. Digital tools allow consumers to stay connected while at home and reenter the outside world safely as economies reopen. Phygital reality is a hybrid of physical and virtual worlds where consumers can seamlessly live, work, shop and play both in person and online. Businesses can integrate virtual processes into their physical spaces to give consumers who prefer to stay home the comfort to venture out instead. Delivering virtually enabled at-home experiences remains imperative to drive e-commerce sales and gather data.

•    Playing with time. Consumers are now both able and forced to be more creative with their time in order to get everything done. Businesses should provide solutions that address the consumer desire to maximize time, offering increased flexibility, especially with products and services that can be accessed from or near the home.

•    Restless and rebellious. Consumers are fed up. Distrust in leadership has become the norm. Bias and misinformation are causing a crisis of confidence. Having suffered, put others first and gone without, these self-care aficionados are now rebelling, placing their own needs and wants first. Companies can cater to this trend via more precise marketing on social media and gaming, where they can give consumers a voice and pressure social giants to take on misinformation.

•    Safety obsessed. The fear of infection and increased health awareness drive demand for hygiene products and push consumers towards contactless solutions to avoid exposure. Companies should implement enhanced safety measures and innovation that target these concerns to reassure consumers. 

•    Shaken and stirred. The global pandemic reconfigured daily lives, testing mental resilience, restricting experiences and provoking economic shocks. Consumers have a new understanding of themselves and their place in the world in pursuit of a more fulfilled, balanced and self-improved life. Businesses must provide products and services that support resiliency for mental wellbeing and help consumers weather adverse circumstances. 

•    Thoughtful thrifters. Discretionary spending is declining due to the uncertain economic environment as consumers prioritize value-added and health-conscious products and services. Companies should pivot towards value-for-money propositions, offering affordable options without sacrificing quality. Premium attributes should be reinforced with a new empathetic story and have a strong tie-in with health and wellness, self-care or mental wellbeing.

•    Workplaces in new spaces. Out of office took a new meaning in 2020. Consumers are searching for new ways to define the beginning and end of their workdays, as they struggle to manage their time. Businesses must support work-life balance, productivity and communication needs. Understanding the benefits and challenges of working remotely allows companies to bring the best of the office into the home. 

Women entrepreneurs urged to grow digitally

Women entrepreneurs are encouraged to adopt digital strategies to expand business especially this time of pandemic as they go global.

Mel Nava, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of 1Export Philippines, said they need to determine first the needs of their customers, have access to finance, and serve markets beyond borders.

Nava said building cash flow to cover including payroll is crucial for growing sustainably as the pandemic has brought a lot of challenges to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“Of course the pandemic also means that you don’t necessary have a funding whenever you want it so you have to make sure that you have cash flows, you have to make sure that operations are sustainable and even with the lockdowns, that everybody in your staff is safe from Covid (coronavirus disease 2019). So a lot of it is really about moving digitally but also making sure that we are able to grow but not sacrificing a lot of our margin,” she said in a webinar series.

Nava said growing digitally is not just about expanding within your local communities but worldwide.

“You have to understand that the customers are not just people in your locality like there will be other customers, say abroad, that will try and avail of your services or products and how are you able to take advantage of that and serve those customers,” she added.

1Export is the one-stop platform for cross border trade and fulfillment services. It works with distributors, retailers, and resellers abroad to deliver the highest quality Filipino products to the world.

Lishia Erza, CEO of ASYX, Indonesia, said access to technology and finance has increased during the pandemic.

“Financing beyond the pandemic has gone online as well so it is important to have all these activities moving online and having women entrepreneurs being confident to navigate these digital solutions. So its important factors --building capacity, building confidence, and building access to all these different digital tools for us to build (our) business,” she said.

Syanaz Winanto, founder of Rorokenes and member of eTrade for Women Community from Indonesia, underscored the importance of networking and collaboration in growing a business.

Winanto said access to information on what the market needs and entering digital marketing and e-commerce, among others, is also imperative.

ASEAN announces new strategic pact with Australia

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Australia and ASEAN agreed on Wednesday to establish a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, a sign of Canberra’s ambition to play a bigger role in the region.

Announced after the ASEAN-Australia Summit, the pact would further strengthen Australia’s diplomatic and security ties in a fast-growing area that has become a strategic battleground between major powers in the region.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would invest AUD$154 million in projects in Southeast Asia on health and energy security, counter-terrorism, fighting transnational crime, plus hundreds of scholarships.

“This milestone underscores Australia’s commitment to ASEAN’s central role in the Indo-Pacific and positions our partnership for the future,” he said in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Marise Payne. “Australia supports a peaceful, stable, resilient, and prosperous region, with ASEAN at its heart.”

Brunei, serving as chair of ASEAN, said the agreement “marked a new chapter in relations” and would be “meaningful, substantive and mutually beneficial”.

Date of Release: 27 October 2021

Read the full article here.

Jokowi calls for vaccinated travel lanes to restart tourism in ASEAN

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Indonesian president Joko Widodo called for immediate implementation of the ASEAN Travel Corridor, a regional plan that will help restart safe travel and accelerate Southeast Asia’s economic recovery.

Speaking at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit on Monday, the president said vaccinated travel lanes must be established, as well mutual recognition of vaccine certificates. 

“If all ASEAN countries immediately facilitate the safe mobility of people, the wheels of economy shall soon run again,” he said in his virtual keynote address.

Jokowi, as he’s popularly known, said the region has some of the strictest COVID-19 curbs in the world, and that it was time to ease restrictions.

“According to UN-WTO, the level of restrictions in Southeast Asia is the highest in the world, reaching 82 percent.

Date of Release: 26 October 2021

Read the full article here.

 
 

Brunei becomes sixth country to ratify RCEP

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Brunei has ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world’s largest free trade agreement, almost one year after signing the 15-nation pact.

In a statement issued Monday night, the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) said Brunei deposited the instrument of ratification with the ASEAN Secretary-General on October 11.

“Brunei Darussalam’s timely ratification of the RCEP agreement signals our strong commitment to support the region’s post-pandemic recovery efforts, strengthening our economic and trade linkages, creating new opportunities for our businesses as well as support for an open, inclusive, rules-based multilateral trading system,” the ministry said.

The ASEAN-led trade agreement includes all 10 members states, as well as five of its major trading partners: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and Korea.

The 15 member countries account for about 30 percent of the world’s population and 30 percent of global GDP (US$26.2 trillion), making it the biggest trade bloc in history.


Date of Release: 12 October 2021

Read the full article here.

HIRED to provide digital training to ASEAN workforce

Brunei’s ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) has initiated a regional skilling programme to increase the digital competency of ASEAN’s workforce in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harnessing Impact with Resilient Employability Digitally (HIRED) will operate as a virtual training and mentorship platform and will be a legacy project under Brunei’s ASEAN chairmanship in cooperation with the ASEAN Future Workforce Council (AWFC).

ASEAN-BAC Chair YB Siti Rozaimeriyanty DSLJ Rahman launched HIRED at the ASEAN Business and Investment Roundtables: Skills for a Digital Age on September 29.

HIRED’s human capital development aspirations target unemployment, reskilling and upskilling for the ASEAN workforce to be more competitive in the fourth industrial revolution. Graduates, employees and employers will be eligible to participate in the programme.

Date of Release: 20 October 2021

Read the full article here.

Leaders, experts deliberate economic recovery at ABIS 2021

Continued cooperation between the public and private sectors within ASEAN and its dialogue partners are needed for the region’s recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, said His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

The monarch, who is this year’s ASEAN Chair said in the opening keynote of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) last Monday that his country’s chairmanship has put forward 13 priority economic deliverables (PEDs) focusing on recovery, digitalisation and sustainability.

These deliverables are being initiated alongisde the ratification of the world’s largest free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – which includes all 10 ASEAN member states.

In the coming years, His Majesty said that the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 will be a “beacon” to further the “aspirations of our businesses and expanding their global reach”.


Date of Release: 27 October 2021

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ASEAN’s unity vital in rapidly changing world: His Majesty

ASEAN has made a good progress in advancing ASEAN community-building efforts while at the same time, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam said in a titah chairing the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits held virtually via video conference from Baitul Mesyuarah, Istana Nurul Iman yesterday.

His Majesty also emphasised on ASEAN’s unity and collective efforts being vital for the region’s future in a rapidly changing world.

“This year, Brunei Darussalam has emphasised the importance of caring for the people and preparing them for the future. At the same time, ASEAN has continued to empower its youth to be resilient and dynamic by developing their skills and knowledge.”

The monarch shared that ASEAN has established the ASEAN Junior Fellowship Programme, which Brunei Darussalam will fund for the next 10 years. At the same time, ASEAN is also making efforts to ensure the youth will inherit a region that can progress and develop in a
sustainable way.

His Majesty believes that the circular economy model that ASEAN has developed will enhance efficiency and lay the foundations for green recovery.

The monarch also welcomed ASEAN’s work to protect vulnerable groups through the ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy to ensure the recovery is inclusive.

His Majesty concluded that these initiatives will strengthen ASEAN’s preparedness and safeguard people’s welfare and development, and enable sustainable prosperity for all.


Date of Release: 4 August 2021

Read the full article here.

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