WHEN: 30 March 2023 I TIME: 17:15 - 18:30 (Bangkok Time) I Official APFSD website I Watch the Session here
Background
The Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) 2023 is an annual, inclusive intergovernmental forum to support follow-up and review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the regional level, while serving as a regional preparatory meeting to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). The 10th APFSD will be organized from 27-30 March 2023 under the theme “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels in Asia and the Pacific” in Bangkok, at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC).
In alignment with the focus of the 2023 HLPF, the Forum will assess progress on the SDGs under review: Goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation); Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy); Goal 9 (Industry. innovation, and infrastructure); Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) and Goal 17 (Partnership for the Goals). The Forum will also support the presentation of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) for the 2023 HLPF. Additionally, the APFSD will feed into the 2023 SDG Summit by providing a regional platform to comprehensively review progress at the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and identify priorities and solutions for accelerating the implementation of the SDGs in the remaining years to 2030.
SWITCH-Asia Virtual Side Event
The SWITCH-Asia Programme was launched in 2007 as part of the European Union’s regional cooperation strategy with governments and stakeholders in Asia for delivering the necessary transformative change through sustainable consumption and production (SCP) to achieve sustainable development. After more than 15 years, the EU continues its commitment to the implementation of SCP in the region in support of compliance with the multilateral environmental and climate change-related agreements through the launch of the third phase of the SWITCH-Asia Programme that will support 41 countries in Asia, the Middle-East and the Pacific. It will address emerging economies as well as least-developed and major CO2 emitting countries.
The SWITCH-Asia Virtual Side Event will be held on Thursday, 30 March 2023, at 17:15-18:30 (GMT+7) at the Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2023.
There is urgency for Asia and the Pacific to accelerate the implementation of the regional dimensions of the 2030 Agenda, particularly in the shift towards sustainable and just economies through policy intervention areas for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) contributing to sustainable food systems, energy decarbonation and access, and sustainable urban development.
This side event will introduce the EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component (PSC) and how regional cooperation strategy with governments and stakeholders in Asia through the EU SWITCH-Asia Programme are delivering the necessary transformative change towards sustainable development through the adoption of SCP policy instruments and the mobilization of local action on the ground.
Key Questions and Outcomes
This side event will examine the following key guiding questions:
- How instrumental was SWITCH-Asia programme in providing the platform for engagement between government and stakeholders to incorporate SCP-related targets in their policies, thereby contributing to SDG 12 targets and SCP related goals?
- How can SWITCH-Asia collaborate with regional/sub-regional organisations in providing platforms for dialogue and capacity building on developing SCP policies and enhancing SCP good practices among stakeholders towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and circular economy?
- How can we strengthen support to countries in the region to incorporate SCP-related targets into their NDCs and SDGs and to participate in and comply with relevant climate change and environmental agreements?
Objectives of the event
- Presentation of the lessons learnt and improvements on governments’ and EU Delegations’ engagement through the SWITCH-Asia Programme
- Introduce the third phase of the SWITCH-Asia Programme and present the new SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component and its proposed activities and communication outreach
- Discuss synergies and value added, relevance of the Programme to policy dialogues in the region (both nationally and across borders including the APFSD) and to priorities under the European Green Deal
Highlights
Speakers
Novita SARI, Cooperation Section, Programme Manager- Environment & Climate Change, Delegation of the European Union to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Delegation of the European Union to ASEAN
Novita’s professional expertise is in the area of environment and climate change. She has more than 10 years’ experience in supporting the government, local counterparts, NGOs and academia in the development and implementation of environment, climate change mitigation policy and climate finance subjects when she was working with the German technical development cooperation (GIZ) in Indonesia. She joined the EU Delegation to Indonesia and EU Delegation to ASEAN in 2020 in the cooperation section as programme manager and currently is responsible for the EU SWITCH-Asia programme, as well as environment and energy portfolio in the delegation. Novita holds a Master degree in Air Pollution Control, Solid Waste, and Waste Water Process Engineering from Stuttgart University in Germany.
Francesca Gilli, EU Delegation to Thailand
Francesca Gilli is the Cooperation Attaché of the EU delegation to Thailand since 2018. She was Desk Officer for Tunisia, European Commission Headquarters in Brussels from 2013-2017, and worked for international non-governmental organizations in the Middle East and North Africa from 2005-2013. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Oriental languages and civilisations and a Master’s degree in Development studies.
Zinaida Fadeeva, Team Leader, SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component
Zinaida Fadeeva is the Team Leader of the Policy Support Component of the SWITCH-Asia Programme. Zinaida has over 25 years leading international professional experience in policy for and practice of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and Education for Sustainable Development, amongst others working with the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Studies of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). Her work has focused on diverse topics such as tourism, plastics, construction, small and medium enterprises, procurement and lifestyle. Zinaida has worked extensively with governments, private sector, international organisations and academia in East, South East, South and Central Asia.
Katharine Thoday, Principal Environment Special, Asian Development Bank
Principal Environment Specialist at the Asian Development Bank, Katharine's focus is on increasing public and private climate and nature positive investments in ADB operations. In support of ADB's Healthy Ocean Action Plan she has been developing opportunities in the regenerative aquaculture space as well as supporting the development of thematic bonds. Prior to joining ADB Katharine worked in South and South East Asia developing projects that promote sustainable supply chains, the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and as an environment and climate advisor with the UK Government.
Sanjay Kumar, President, Asia Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production and Chief Materials Manager with Ministry of Railways, Government of India
Sanjay Kumar has over two decades of governance and leadership experience in public policy, procurement & supply chain, and sustainability. He has extensive experience working with governments, NGOs, academia and multilateral agencies toward embedding sustainability in end-to-end procurement and led various initiatives in research, advocacy and implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) in India & abroad. He serves as a member on the National Task Force of Government of India on SPP; on Strategic Advisory Committee of Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC), Washington, USA; and as President, Board of Trustees of Asia-Pacific Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (APRSCP), Bangkok, Thailand. He currently leads One Planet Network’s Interest Group on Sustainable Procurement in Construction/Infrastructure.
Zafar Makhmudov, Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC)
Zafar's main areas of professional expertise and activities are related to mainstreaming climate change adaptation and mitigation into national development plans and strategies, integration of circular economy, and Sustainable Consumption and Production at national, and regional levels. Prior to joining CAREC, he served as the Head of the Project Implementation Unit at the Committee for Environment Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, where he coordinated projects on natural resource management at all levels of their implementation. Until April 2019, Zafar served as the Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the Committee on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. As a member of the Board of the Climate Investment Funds and Co-chair of the Pilot Program Committee for Climate Resilience, he has advanced experience in managing and preparing National Adaptation Plans, national adaptation strategies for Climate Change, National Environmental Plan and extensive experience in representing the Government of Tajikistan at negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Mijidsuren Chimeddorj, Acting Head of Mission, Caritas Czech Republic in Mongolia / Project Manager SWITCH-Asia Sustainable Plastic Recycling in Mongolia (SPRIM) Project
Mijidsuren Chimeddorj is the Project Manager of the EU SWITCH-Asia Sustainable Plastic Recycling in Mongolia project. She started working for Caritas Czech Republic in Mongolia in May 2020 and has since been involved in the waste management and recycling sector. SPRIM supports the development of a green economy and the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and circular economy in Mongolia. It promotes sustainable production (development of less polluting and more resource-efficient products, processes and services) and sustainable consumption patterns and behaviour through raising awareness of the principles of 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle).
Eliane Jarry, Country Representative Geres Mongolia / Project Manager SWITCH-Asia Switch-Off Air Pollution in Mongolian Cities (SOAP II)
Working in the housing and NGO sectors for several years, Eliane JARRY hold the position of Country Representative of the Geres branch office in Mongolia since February 2022. She is responsible for managing the EU SWITCH-Asia Switch Off Air Pollution in Mongolian Cities project (SOAPII), in its second phase of implementation. In the previous phase, the project developed an energy insulation market tailored-made for the unplanned urban areas of the capital Ulaanbaatar, to decrease energy consumption and air pollution. With promising results, the aim in the second phase is to scale up the work, also geographically, and ensure sustainability of the initiative.
