Summary
The Fifth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development opened at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday, 28 March. Around 600 participants joined the event organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
As a regional preparatory forum for the July 2018 session of the High-Level Political Forum, the 5th APFSD engaged member States, international organizations, UN bodies, major groups and other stakeholders in highlighting regional and sub-regional perspectives on the theme of “Transformation towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies.” Discussions on the first day concentrated on:
- Regional cooperation to foster resilience and sustainability;
- Progress in the implementation of SDG17 in the Asia-Pacific region;
- In-depth review of: SDG6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG11 (sustainable cities and communities), SDG12 (responsible consumption and production), and SDG15 (life on land).
In the opening session, Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, expressed his country’s full support to APFSD as an effective platform for countries within the region to promote knowledge-exchange and called for increased South-South cooperation to build resilience.
In a keynote speech, Shamshad Akhtar, ESCAP Executive Secretary, highlighted the need for innovative options to bridge SDG gaps faster, while enhancing the region’s resilience to mega-trends, such as climate change, growing urbanization or ageing populations.
In the high-level panel on “Transformation towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies,” delegates discussed the experiences of: Samoa, India, Georgia, and Russia, with inputs from member countries and civil society.
The first day of the 5th APFSD closed with the official launch of the report “Transformation towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies in Asia and the Pacific,” a joint publication of ESCAP, the UN Development Programme, and the Asian Development Bank.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, hass provided daily digital coverage and a summary report from the 5th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development - Transformation Towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by ESCAP
Opening of the Forum
Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary, ESCAP
Outgoing APFSD Chair Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Federal Minister for Interior, Planning, Development and Reforms, Pakistan
(L-R): Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand; Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary, ESCAP; Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Federal Minister for Interior, Planning, Development and Reforms, Pakistan; and Stefanos Fotiou, ESCAP Secretariat.
(L-R): Faimalotoa Kika Iemaima Stowers, Minister for Women Affairs, Social and Community Development, Samoa; Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Georgia; Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary, ESCAP; Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog, India; Alexander Bedritsky, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, special representative of the President on climate and sustainable development