Trans-boundary infrastructure development in energy, ICT, and transport sectors is critical for improving regional economic cooperation and integration across Asia and the Pacific and is vital for socioeconomic development of landlocked developing countries. However, such development faces many challenges including the need to mobilize substantial financial resources, address potentially damaging impacts of natural disasters and ensure the principle of “no one left behind”.

Senior government officials from Asia and the Pacific, along with civil society representatives and the private sector have committed to promote more inclusive technology and innovation policies to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at a high-level meeting in Bangkok this week.

In line with the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) initiative to build resilience and pursue Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a live event 'The thread that binds: A global conversation on volunteerism and community resilience'  will hear the voices and perspectives from some of the one billion volunteers who

Recognizing the importance of infrastructure development for achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ESCAP has been working over the last few years with countries in the region to design different infrastructure financing strategies. This regional event provided a platform for policy debate and knowledge exchange among participants regarding these financing strategies.

The side event will showcase the work of UN agencies (ESCAP, APT, ITU, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNV) and its partners (member States, research organizations, academia, private sector) in fostering partnerships with government and stakeholders at country level in using ICT tools for e-resilience and societal transformation in sectors which cover the work programmes of the UN agencies (e.g. early warning and disaster risk reduction, information superhighway, telecommunication, capacity building, education, volunteers, water and sanitation, etc.).