COVID-19 Is Forcing Millions of Girls Out of School in Asia and the Pacific

In response to reports of surging COVID-19 cases in Papua New Guinea, the Australian government will provide greater emergency support to deliver vaccines, increased testing capacity, and clinical advice to our near neighbours.

This is part of a broader program to deliver vaccines and medical support to Australia’s partners throughout Asia and the Pacific with Fiji, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines so far receiving doses.

While these are welcome efforts, more needs to be done to understand and respond to the long-term implications of this pandemic on countries in our region — particularly for girls, who have often been overlooked in crisis recovery planning.