Asian stakeholders and representatives of EU institutions discussed progress made on the 2030 Agenda during the Asian Regional Meeting of the Policy Forum on Development

More than eighty representatives of Asian civil society, local and national authorities, European Union institutions and Member States gathered in Kathmandu from 24 – 26 September 2019 for the 3^rd Asian Regional Meeting of the Policy Forum on Development to discuss the progress made on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The participants agreed that progress had been made in particular in involving multiple stakeholders in the planning and implementation of projects linked to the SDGs, however, a lot remains to be done to be able to achieve the 2030 Agenda in the upcoming 10 years. A shrinking space for civil society and a lack of resources for local authorities are among the greatest challenges to be dealt with. Climate change, migration and gender inequalities are also accelerating the need to act now.

During the three days, the participants worked on a series of recommendations addressed to the EU institutions to be considered for future development policy. It was underlined that there is a need for a more systematic data collection, capacity building at the local, regional or national level and exchange as well as transfer of already identified good practices in the implementation of the SDGs across Asia. Collaboration and partnership can be the key to finding solutions to the common problems and multi-stakeholder platforms like the Policy Forum on Development are definitely a very useful tool in this respect.

All the outcomes and photos including a final declaration drafted by the members of the PFD will be uploaded on the event website.