More than 150 delegates and development experts from 36 countries in Asia and the Pacific convened today in Bangkok to share expertise and ideas on how to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into national plans and budgets.
“This Knowledge Exchange is a platform for sharing experiences that will allow us to accelerate SDG implementation,” said Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director for Asia and the Pacific. “Our goal is to turn the 2030 Agenda vision into actions on the ground as soon as possible.”
Delegates will be encouraged to explore new and more integrated approaches to localize the SDGs in their planning, budgeting, and financing to achieve the 2030 Agenda. They will look at how to build commitments, strengthen partnerships and improve data monitoring and evaluation. The objective is to examine what has worked in one country and harness those ideas, to share and adopt in other countries.
“I am encouraged by the initial results. Almost every country in Asia-Pacific has begun integrating SDGs into their development plans and legislation,” said Haoliang Xu.
The National Assembly of Pakistan had passed a unanimous resolution to adopt the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs in their national development programme.
Indonesia has built on the convergence that exists between the SDGs and its development plan, and is designing national and local action plans.
“With nearly 60 percent of the world’s population and 40 percent of the world’s GDP, policy decisions in Asia-Pacific impact the whole world,” added Haoliang Xu. “I am confident this valuable exchange will lay the foundation to collect and distribute practical knowledge that countries can use to deliver results for their people.”
The Knowledge Exchange is part of a week-long Regional SDG Forum hosted by UNDP in Bangkok from 21 to 27 October. The Forum features also a conference on youth engagement in SDG implementation and a meeting on finance for development focused on how countries can mobilize the required financing for the envisioned transformation to sustainability.
