By Dr. Elsie Tsui, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Management, CUHK Business School, The Chinese University of Hong Kong SAR. Across the globe, governments are racing to harness artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technology. Singapore's National AI Strategy 2.0 committed over S$1 billion in late 2023, with a further S$1 billion under its National AI Research and Development (NAIRD) Plan in January 2026; the EU AI Act entered into force in August 2024 as the w

By Dr. Ulrike Guelich, Assistant Professor, Bangkok University School of Entrepreneurship and Management, and Research Team Leader, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Thailand We cannot improve what we do not measure, but measurement is never neutral. For rural and informal youth entrepreneurs across Asia-Pacific, visibility can be as risky as it is enabling. After a decade of ecosystem building, we have more data than ever on youth entrepreneurship. Yet our diagnostics re

By Faiz Shah, President, Yunus Thailand Foundation and Executive Director, Yunus Center, Asian Institute of Technology Youth Co:Lab’s 10th anniversary is a reminder of the financial inclusion dilemma that catalyzed its vision. For the region’s 1.2 billion young people, access to business finance remains a huge challenge. The past decade has been transformational, with seamless digital ecosystems more accessible than ever. Yet, financial inclusion remains a challenge for young

Reflections on coordination, partnerships, and impact Author: Fai Wechayachai Why Ecosystem-Building Still Matters Youth entrepreneurship in Asia and the Pacific has moved into the mainstream over the past decade. The vocabulary, the funding, and the policy attention have all expanded. However, the opportunity is not equitably available for all young people. The same country can produce radically different odds for two young people growing up at the same time. Privilege conce

Youth Co:Lab alumna Sanjida Alam, Founder of Soowgood, is on a mission to bridge the healthcare divide in Bangladesh. Sanjida’s inspiration for Soowgood stems from her own deeply personal experience. When she was a baby, her family had to take her to India for treatment due to the lack of quality medical care in Bangladesh. Years later, she witnessed the heartbreaking loss of her cousin’s three-year-old baby—born with the same heart condition she once had—because of inadequa

Youth Co:Lab alumna Tanvi Ravindra Thombre, Founder of Greenairy, a Singapore-based social enterprise, shares her reflections on the Summit.

By Youth Co:lab alumna Intan Rahmaningtyas, Co-Founder of Lestari Jamuku, Indonesia I, recently, had the honour of delivering the opening...

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) hosted its second edition of the Feminist Finance...

Youth Co:Lab alumni and Managing Director of SpedGrow, Zoe Poh, was among the panellists at the 'Moving Together: 2023 Youth Leadership...

During the 9th IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians on 14-17 September 2023 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, Beniam Gebrezghi, the...

This is what we ask ourselves every day, in our meetings, in our programme design, and in all our engagement with young social...

Youth Co:lab alumna Skye Hunter an Aboriginal Taungurung woman from the Kulin Nation, and Founder of Ganbu Country delivered the opening...

Youth Co:Lab Summit 2023, co-organized by UNDP and Citi Foundation was held at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok...

To truly achieve the goal of an inclusive society, it is important to hear the voices and include people from all backgrounds,...

Youth Co:Lab alumna Afruza Tanzi, the Co-Founder of a Social Enterprise Protibha, was a youth panellist at the 5th United Nations...

Youth Co:Lab, co-led by UNDP and Citi Foundation together with the National Youth Council (NYC) in Singapore, recently completed the...

Young women today lead the change by voicing and showing their capacity and agency to create sustainable solutions.

Young people in Indonesia have been making a splash of good changes at the grassroots level, owing to innovation that has placed...

By Marte Hellema, Youth Co:Lab Long before Robin Lewis started mymizu, he was on a path of making a difference through working on...

By Marte Hellema, Youth Co:Lab Indigenous communities are among the most marginalized and vulnerable in Asia and the Pacific. The COVID...