At the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development in Bangkok, UN-Habitat joined Member States and partners to review progress on SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

With Asia-Pacific’s urban population projected to grow by 50% by 2050, accelerating inclusive and climate-resilient urban transformation is critical.

Ms. Ishigaki emphasized the importance of the four priority areas emerging from the regional discussions on SDG11:

• multilevel governance, future-ready urban planning, and resilient infrastructure and services for all 
• Scale up urban finance
• digital transformation and people-centred urban data ecosystems
• regional and global cooperation to accelerate scalable urban solutions 

Ms. Ishigaki met with Ms. Shalini Bahuguna, UN Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea. Ms. Ishigaki briefed on the activities of UN-Habitat in Papua New Guinea and also discussed on the upcoming the 7th Pacific Urban Forum (PUF7) which will be held in Port Moresby from 24-26 March, hosted by the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Governor of the National Capital District. The Forum will bring together leaders, practitioners, and partners committed to building resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban futures.

Ms. Ishigaki also attended a meeting to discuss on the preparation of the PUF7 and its role in advancing the implementation of the NUA in the Pacific region. She provided an overview of the Forum’s strategic vision—highlighting its role as a key milestone on the road to WUF13 and COP31.

The 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) will be held in Bangkok from 24-27 February 2026; and, representing UN-Habitat, Ms. Ishigaki attended the Opening Ceremony. This year’s theme is “Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for a sustainable future for all.” During the Forum, UN-Habitat will be hosting a variety of side events and exhibitions, calling for action towards achieving SDG 11 and participation in the 13th World Urban Forum to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in May.

Ms. Ishigaki, who is attending the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD), visited the UN-Habitat exhibition booth for the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13). At the booth, staff of UN-Habitat Bangkok Programme Office promoted WUF13 to visitors and encouraged them to participate in the Forum which will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan in May.

Ms. Ishigaki attended the APFSD side event “Confronting the Silent Crisis: Addressing Land Subsidence through Regional Cooperation and City Action.” At the closing remark, Ms. Ishigaki mentioned that the session was valuable in examining how diverse cities are managing risk of land subsidence at different stages, stressed that strengthening local government capacity is central to effective action, and called for further dialogue at the upcoming World Urban Forum.

ESCAP and UN-Habitat with support of the Government of China, the Sinking Cities Community of Practice was launched as the platform to strengthen the link between city-level practice and regional policy dialogue.

Ms. Ishigaki met Ms. Michaela Friberg-Storey, Resident Coordinator of Thailand. Ms. Ishigaki briefed her on the activities undertaken by ROAP and Bangkok MCO; and, based on the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and the regional implementation Plan for Asia and the Pacific, they discussed the areas of further partnership such as SDG Localization in Thailand.

UN-Habitat sees it as an important tool to strengthen urban development, data system and urban governance of Thailand; and it is planning to carry it forward by applying the global SDG Cities Initiatives to link Sustainable city Plans to local economic development.

The Government of Japan (Ambassador Mr. Akamatsu), UN-Habitat (Ms. Ishigaki, Regional Director) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Mr. Sugawara, Senior Representative) signed an Exchange of Notes and a Grant Agreement during a signing ceremony, for the project on ’Strengthen the disaster resilience of educational infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province’. The initiative is supported through a grant of JPY 427 million, equivalent to approximately USD 2.7 million, from the Government of Japan.

This project will not only strengthen and enhance resilience of school buildings but also aim at creating hope and opportunities for children and communities, leading to enhanced human security.

Ms. Ishigaki met with Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Federal Minister of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, along with Federal Secretary Ms. Aisha Humera.  Ms. Ishigaki briefed on UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 and emphasized the importance of aligning national urban development approaches with climate-responsive planning frameworks. The Minister shared his views on the magnitude of the challenges facing informal settlements in Pakistan and the role of the national government under decentralization

Ms. Ishigaki met with Mr. Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Federal Minister for Housing and Works, Government of Pakistan. Along with the Federal Secretary Mr. Mohammad Mahmud, they reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration with UN-Habitat and confirmed their support and participation in the upcoming World Urban Forum (WUF).

This is Ms. Ishigaki’s first visit to UN-Habitat Pakistan Office located in Islamabad, Pakistan. She met with all staff of UN-Habitat Pakistan Office including staff in field offices (Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta) who participated online. She reinforced the need for continued strategic positioning, strengthened partnerships, and alignment with national priorities to scale impact. She also emphasized the importance of teamwork to achieve greater results.

Ms. Ishigaki attended the Development Partner Roundtable on Climate and Disaster Resilient Urban Development which is conceived as a senior-level platform to enhance strategic alignment and strengthen collective impact in support of climate- and disaster-resilient urban development. She acknowledged the significant challenge posed by data gaps and underscored the need to streamline and strengthen data collection processes. The partners proposed the idea of ​​holding a Pakistan Urban Forum where each partner would come together.

Ms. Ishigaki visited the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator and met with Mr. Mohamed Yaha, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, United Nations Pakistan.  She  also attended the Ad-hoc UN Country Team Meeting. At the remark for the Members, she introduced UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029, stressed UN-Habitat’s commitment for joint programming, policy coherence, and collective delivery at country level and invited all to the World Urban forum to be held in Baku, May 2026