At its core the Covid-19 pandemic is a public health crisis, but its effects have exacerbated persistent political, social and economic structural inequalities that have rendered some groups more vulnerable than others.

The Covid-19 pandemic has reshaped the functioning of societies and states around the entire world in ways few deemed possible even days before its onset.

This book focuses on the roles performed by national security sectors. Few regions saw such a differentiated and multifaceted approach as the Asia-Pacific, the world’s most populous region. This book’s contents should serve as an important source of learning for both its successes and its failures.

It combines lessons and experiences of security sector experts from countries of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia in an attempt to provide such a resource.              

The publication forms part of an initiative to promote good security sector governance in the Asia-Pacific region. DCAF maintains a network of over 20 partner institutions and SSG associates (experts working on security-sector-related issues) for South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia. The partners are brought together at both regional and sub-regional levels. Partners are invited to share and learn from each other’s experiences in promoting good SSG through SSR activities. DCAF’s partners in turn assemble a national working group of security sector representatives and experts. This book is a product of this collaborative effort to improve security sector governance further in the region.