VI ASIA-PACIFIC FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BEGAN ITS WORK IN BANGKOK

On 27 March 2019, the sixth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development began its work in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. This annual Forum is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The three-day Forum, which meets annually, brought together high-ranking representatives of governments, the private sector, and civil society. The delegation of Turkmenistan also takes part in the work of this forum.

At the opening of the Forum, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed made a welcoming speech, stressing that "Asia-Pacific unites dozens of countries and territories, from developed economies to island states - a microcosm of our planet. Despite impressive economic growth and technology development, inequality slows down the pace of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the region,” she said.

Delegates will review achievements in implementing several Sustainable Development Goals: fourth (quality education), eighth (decent work and education), tenth (fighting inequality), thirteenth (climate), sixteenth (peace, justice, and effective institutions), as well as seventeenth ( partnership).

The outcome of the conference will lay the foundation for discussions at the High-level Political Forum to be held in July. The main task is to exchange experience, “check watches”, to understand which approaches are effective and which should be reconsidered.

During the Forum, a new high-tech tool was launched to track the process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: an interactive analytical map reflects success in various countries and at the subregional level.