Synergistic Practices to Addressing Environmental Challenges and Achieving the SDGs

Background

Despite progress in several areas, the Asia-Pacific region has still witnessed insufficient advancement in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular environment-related goals and targets. This situation has been further compounded by the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution: these crises are not isolated but closely interlinked and so must be the responses.

The necessity for integrated and synergistic approaches to tackle triple planetary crisis is recognized internationally. The United Nations Environment Assembly at its seventh session adopted the resolution 'Promoting Synergies, Cooperation, and Collaboration' proposed by the Governments of Japan and Panama. This resolution underscored the need to enhance synergies at national and local levels, including through cooperation with relevant stakeholders. This resolution also highlighted the role of regional and subregional cooperation bodies, including the United Nations regional economic commissions, to facilitate multilateral and multi-stakeholder cooperation for promoting synergies, cooperation or collaboration in line with nationally determined priorities.

In line with the theme of this year’s APFSD, which focused on advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind in Asia and the Pacific, this event presented and discussed insights, case studies, and policy recommendations to promote synergistic action towards achieving the SDGs, including Goals 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17, and addressing the triple planetary crisis. The event drew from the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Synergy Report to be launched at the 9th Committee on Environment and Development (CED9) of ESCAP convened at the ministerial level from 1 to 3 July 2026.

Key Objectives

The main objective of this event was to share in-depth analyses, case studies and policy recommendations on synergistic approaches to addressing the triple planetary crisis and achieving the SDGs, including Goals 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17, and engaged in dialogue with a broad array of stakeholders. Ultimately, the event sought to contribute to shaping an action-oriented synergy agenda in the Asia-Pacific region, by drawing on the Asia-Pacific Synergy Report and through discussions in each session, to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.