Background
Since 2020, UN-Habitat has partnered with the ASEAN Secretariat to advance sustainable urbanisation across ASEAN Member States, supporting the implementation of ASUS and the work of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network. The ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy (ASUS) Project – Phase I (2020–2022), provided technical support to eight pilot cities for the development of technical urban projects, facilitated knowledge sharing and advocacy at the regional level. Key initiatives included the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum and the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Report, which enhanced the understanding and implementation of ASUS in alignment with the SDGs and NUA, while connecting ASEAN cities to regional and global dialogues.
Objectives
Building on the success of Phase I, the ASUS Project – Phase II aims to scale up and enhance previous efforts by deepening sub-national ad national governments and stakeholder engagement in the adoption of ASUS. It supports cities in designing and developing urban projects and plans aligned with ASUS and SDGs principles.
The project’s primary objective is to establish ASUS and the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) as broad, strategic, inclusive, and transformational frameworks that drive ASEAN-wide sustainable urban development and prosperity, ensuring no one and no place is left behind.
Additionally, Phase II will:
- Expand the number of participating cities across ASEAN Member States.
- Support cities in developing effective urban development solutions.
- Strengthen outreach and engagement with local and regional stakeholders to promote sustainable urbanisation in ASEAN.
Project Outputs
To achieve these objectives, UN-Habitat and the ASEAN Secretariat have adopted a multi-level approach, integrating local-level technical support with regional-level initiatives. Collaborating closely with ASEAN cities, the project facilitates the application of the ASUS framework while generating insights for regional events and policy development.
The ASUS Project – Phase II consists of six main outputs:
- Report on Advancement of City Technical Proposals for Participating ASEAN Cities from ASUS Project – Phase I
- Development of a Set of City Technical Proposals for additional 15 ASEAN Cities
- Delivery of the Urban Planning for City Leaders Training Programme in each ASEAN Member State
- Delivery of the Multi-stakeholder Capacity Building Programme in each ASEAN Member State
- Development of the Second ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum
- Development of the Second ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Report
Development Partners
Australian Government – Australia for ASEAN – Future Initiatives
ASEAN Secretariat: ASEAN Connectivity Division
ASEAN Bodies: ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN), ASEAN Committee on Sustainable Infrastructure (ACSI)
Participating Cities: (all cities or map from slides with all cities)
Relevant Publication
ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy (ASUS) – ASEAN Connectivity
ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Report (ASUR)
ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan (ACSP)
Relevant Links
ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum (ASUF I)
ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum (ASUF I)
ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum – Video (ASUF I)
Capturing the Urban Opportunity in Southeast Asia – ASEAN Magazine September 2022
ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Report – December 2022
Accelerating the Implementation of the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy (ASUS) – Thailand
