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

Kathmandu, 23 September 2019. More than eighty representatives of Asian civil society, local and national authorities, European Union institutions and Member States are gathering in Kathmandu from 24 – 26 September 2019 for the 3^rd Asian Regional Meeting of the Policy Forum on Development. The meeting will focus on progress made on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The main objectives of the meeting are to look at how Asian countries are committing to the global agenda, and the progress made to achieving the SDGs. The participants will exchange examples on how local actors are working together to implement the SDGs. Participants will discuss the enabling environment in which they work and look at how climate justice can be achieved in the face of the disproportionate effects of climate change.  

Haykuhi Harutyunyan, the president of “Protection of Rights without Borders”NGO participated and delivered a speech during the Meeting.

Despite progress against income-based measures of poverty, many people in Asia remain vulnerable to falling back into extreme poverty and financing is key to building resilience and protect the progress made in the region. The role of all development actors will be instrumental in finding solutions to achieve the shared goals. The Policy Forum on Development offers a space for all partners to exchange knowledge and debate solutions to development challenges, as well as inform EU development policy.

Background information – The Policy Forum on Development

The Policy Forum on Development (PFD) was established by the European Commission in November 2013. The idea was to create a trust-building mechanism and to provide a permanent space for multi-stakeholder dialogue on development policies. Members of the PFD meet several times per year in global or regional events to discuss current development issues that will then feed into future EU policies.