Please see information from Rae Kwon Chung, Director, Environment and Development Division, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP):
General Assembly Resolution 67/290 specifically invites the United Nations Regional Commissions to contribute to the work of the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF). A key aspect of this work is the identification of regional challenges and priorities for sustainable development, and the post-2015 development agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In this context, and to ensure that the perspectives and priorities of the Asia-Pacific region are reflected in the global decision-making process, the secretariat of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will convene the inaugural session of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD), from 19 to 21 May 2014. This three-day intergovernmental event will serve as the regional preparatory process to provide inputs to the HLPF, and will actively engage ministers, senior government officials, international financial institutions, regional multilateral development banks, civil society, the private sector, and a range of other stakeholders from across the region, to identify regional priorities and the sustainable development challenges for Asia and the Pacific, including for the SDGs. The Forum will help to shape the regional processes on sustainable development, and to forge and articulate Asia-Pacific perspectives, which will be presented to the HLPF at its second session in July 2014, to be held under the auspices of the ECOSOC.
APFSD will be preceded by a preparatory civil society consultation meeting the Asia-Pacific Civil Society Forum on Sustainable Development (15-17 May 2014 in Bangkok) and Regional Dialogue on Technology Facilitation for Sustainable Development (18 May 2014 in Pattaya).
Civil society is invited to apply for these important meetings online at http://meetings.unescap.org/ by 20 April 2014 if funding is requested, or by 30 April 2014 if funding is not requested. Application forms will be reviewed against the criteria listed in the attached call for application, and notification on the status of the applications will be sent by 2 May 2014. Selected applicants will receive an acceptance letter, which will be necessary for participation in any of the meetings above. For more details, please see the call for application attached.
Applicants to the APFSD may also be interested in organizing a side-event or exhibition booth as part of the Pavilion of Partnerships for Sustainable
Development at the APFSD. For more information and to submit an expression of interest, please go to http://escap.apfsd-pavilion-2014.sgizmo.com/s3/ and complete the online form no later than 18 April 2014.
For more information about the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development and the Asia-Pacific Civil Society Forum on Sustainable Development, please access http://www.unescap.org/events/apfsd/ or contact escap-aprfsd@un.org. For more information about Regional Dialogue on Technology Facilitation for Sustainable Development, please contact Ms.Nobuko Kajiura at kajiura.unescap@un.org.