According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), COVID-19 has pushed 75 million to 80 million people into extreme poverty throughout Asia as of last year. Progress has also been negatively impacted in areas such as food security, health, and education, all of which are inextricably linked to poverty and contribute to keeping people who are the furthest behind, experiencing the most severe forms of poverty, trapped and unable to escape. In order to support more sustainable development and serve those furthest behind, we must support evidence-based interventions that enable people in extreme poverty to access the resources and develop the skills needed to create a pathway out of poverty and toward income-generating livelihoods. This Asia Dialogue brought together representatives from government, multilateral institutions, civil society, and academia to discuss ways to build more inclusive, resilient systems that promote long-lasting poverty reduction. 

Speakers: 

• Shameran Abed, Executive Director, BRAC International 
• Stephanie Levy, Guest Lecturer at the London School of Economics, Department of International Development 
• Dr. Imran Matin, Executive Director at BRAC Institute of Governance and Development 
• Dr. Karin Schelzig, Principal Social Sector Specialist, East Asia Department, Asian Development Bank 
• Palash Kanti Das, Director of BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Programme, Bangladesh 
• Swarnim Waglé, Chief Economic Advisor at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP) in New York 
• Maliki, Director for Poverty Alleviation and Community Empowerment, Ministry of National Development Planning, Government of Indonesia 
• Gregory Chen, Managing Director, Ultra Poor Graduation, BRAC International 

Moderator: Wendy Walker, Chief of the Social Development Thematic Group at Asian Development Bank