On 24 September 2016, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, launched the Special Panel Discussion on Regional Dimensions of Promoting Sustainable Development: Developing Complementarities Between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, at Conference Room 7, United Nations Headquarters. Also present were Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Under-Secretary of the United Nations/ Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Dr. David Nabarro, Special Advisor to UNSG on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and His Excellency Mr. Hirubalan VP, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Political-Security Community. Other distinguished panelists included Mr Haoliang Xu, Assistant Secretary General and Director, Regional Bureau for Asia Pacific, UNDP and Ms. Maria-Noel Vaeza, Director of Programme Division, UN Women.

          The Panel highlighted that ASEAN as a regional organization can play a value-added role and supplement national efforts in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also recognized and agreed to enhance complementarities between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Possible priority areas included poverty alleviation, addressing inequality, sustainable consumption and production, good governance, gender mainstreaming, gender equality and empowerment, environment and climate change, financing for development, and statistical cooperation.

          This Special Panel Discussion was an initiative of Thailand, as ASEAN Coordinator on sustainable development. The active participation of the ASEAN Secretariat and high-level representatives from various UN agencies reflect a sense of strong partnership and commitment shared by Thailand, ASEAN and UN in building a people-centred community that leaves no one behind and where everyone has a voice and a stake.

          Later in the afternoon, Minister Don reported the outcome of the Special Panel to the Special Session of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Focusing on Sustainable Development, initiated by Thailand and chaired by the Lao PDR as ASEAN Chair. During this meeting, ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed support for Thailand’s efforts in enhancing complementarities between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

          The Meeting adopted an ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on ASEAN Cooperation on Sustainable Development which underscored the region’s commitment to achieving the twin goals of ASEAN community-building and attaining the SDGs, explored priority areas for achieving complementarities and agreed to develop a roadmap to realize these goals, through cooperation between ASEAN sectoral bodies and UN agencies.

          With regard to next steps, the meeting welcomed Thailand’s proposal to host a high-level brainstorming conference between ASEAN and the UN in 2017 to discuss and identify concrete priority areas and future cooperation on sustainable development.