3 March 2025, Bangkok, Thailand – From 25 to 28 February 2025, UN Habitat took part in the 12th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) hosted by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok.

Under this year’s theme, “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”, UN-Habitat demonstrated its efforts to empower cities to track SDG progress through localized action.

The session “Maximizing Local Impact: SDG Localization and Inclusive Action in Southeast Asia,” organized by UN-Habitat, UNDP, City of Santa Rosa (Philippines), and Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Thailand and co organized by the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia for Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG), the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, the City of Yokohama, and CityNet. Emphasized the importance of Voluntary Local Reviews as a critical tool for governments to align their policies with the SDGs and accelerate progress at the local level.

“Voluntary Local Reviews thrive on collaboration which leads to more effective policies and a deeper understanding of local challenges and opportunities” highlighted, Fernando Ortiz-Moya, City Taskforce and Policy researcher of the Institute for Global Environment Strategies (IGES) from Japan. The event gathered policymakers, scholars and civil society organizations interested in promoting local partnerships to ensure active engagements to pursue the achievements of SDGs by 2030.

In her closing remarks, Ms. Kazuko Ishigaki, UN-Habitat’s Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, emphasized the importance of localizing the SDGs, stating “The process of SDG Localization needs to be a collaborative effort, building on all relevant actor expertise and commitment to achieve together the SDGs common objectives”. Following this event knowledge sharing between sectors will continue along with strengthened collaborative efforts across different areas.

In addition to this event, UN-Habitat worked with UNDP Thailand and the Thailand UN Resident Coordinator’s Office to present their efforts on SDG Localization in a joint exhibition. Currently, UN-Habitat is supporting cities in Nepal, the Philippines, and Thailand by assisting cities to create their VLRs which demonstrates the organization’s dedication to regional urban sustainability.