Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia

Abstract

COVID-19 is spreading worldwide and has been declared by the United Nations a global pandemic. The author is curious about how ASEAN member states responded to different policies based on their domestic socioeconomic, security, and political circumstances. The crisis caused by COVID-19 has affected research in various ways, as SDGs are concerned. SDGs are ruined by complex and turbulent problems in three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental. This paper aims to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted SDG's achievement and investigate the role of governance for public administration in combating COVID-19 in Southeast Asia. The method used is a qualitative research method through analytical literature reviews. The pandemic has been found to severely threaten the achievement of the SDGs, while opportunities concerning selected SDGs can also be found. The results reveal that massive vaccination is needed for cooperative regional sustainable development and recovery strategies, such as the green economy. The findings provide practical guidance on policy implications to transform regional sustainability and push innovative strategies to achieve sustainable development agendas. ASEAN's government policymakers have built a sustainable strategy for combating pandemics based on the epidemiology of COVID-19.