The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the world’s leaders at the 70th Session of the United Nation General Assembly in 2015 underlines the need for international commitment and cooperation in addressing the development gap, environmental crises, and economic injustice.
Sustainable development was also highlighted as a key area of cooperation in the 3rd decade of ASEM at the 11th ASEM Summit (ASEM11) in July 2016, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The ASEM Symposium on “Inter-Regional Partnership for Sustainable Development” held on 25-26 May 2017, in Bangkok, Thailand, had the following objectives:
- to promote sharing of experiences, best practices and expertise among ASEM Partners with regard to policy, practices and method for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- to provide a platform for networking and forging partnership among ASEM Partners for future collaboration in the implementation of the SDGs through various approaches
The invitation to the symposium was extended to all ASEM SOM Leaders, relevant international organisations, development organisations, interested think-tanks, as well as other academia and interested stakeholders.
The Symposium drew more than 170 participants. Panelists from Thailand, the European Union (EU), China, Germany, Viet Nam, Finland, Japan, Switzerland, and the Philippines were invited to share their experiences in sustainable development field and explore ways to promote cooperation between Asia and Europe in achieving the SDGs.
Download the post-event Press Release for more information.
