Technology and Sustainability at the fourth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development
From 29 to 31 March 2017 the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2017 will take place at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand.The overall theme of the fourth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development is "Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing Asia-Pacific."
The Forum will engage Member States, United Nations and other institutions, major groups and other stakeholders in a dialogue on regional priorities for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific. It will address scientific and technological innovation for sustainable development and focus attention on poverty eradication whilst fostering prosperity, through a discussion on achieving all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a means of implementation in the region.
On Wednesday 29 March from 13:15 - 18:30 a roundtable meeting is held on SDG9: Building resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. The event is co-organized by ESCAP, UNIDO, UNFCCC and UN-HABITAT. At this Agenda item 2(b) of the Forum, a specific discussion table will focus on the topic of ICT and Infrastructure (SDG targets 9.1, 9.a and 9.c). This discussion table will cover: systemic challenges, policy coherence, regional cooperation and innovations with regard to ICT and Infrastructure.
On Thursday 30 March from 12:15 - 13:30 a special side event will be organized focusing on Technology and Sustainability (GCCS 2017 – Destination India), which will touch upon the bridge that technology can help build, between the vision of SDGs and the implementation process of achieving these goals. The session will also bring to the forefront how technology and cyberspace stand as the real leader in solving ground level problems related to SDGs and other development initiatives.
In addition, the session will give participants a peek into the upcoming Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS-2017) where world leaders and technology experts will come together with civil society, academia and government officials to discuss the latest innovations and how cyberspace of tomorrow can be a facilitator for achieving societal goals. The side event will provide information on what to expect at GCCS 2017 – and how cyber solutions can help provide a vision of inclusive digital society.
At the same time, this side event will provide the regional context and present regional ICT initiatives as direct contributions to SDG targets and a means of implementation. These include the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) , a regional broadband connectivity initiative, as well as other UN initiatives.
