From May 23 to 27, 2016, the Face-to-Face Annual Event, part of the Asia Leadership Program on Sustainable Development and Climate Change, took place in the Grand Ambassador Hotel, Seoul. With the purposes of enhancing the knowledge and leadership capabilities of policy makers and practitioners in the Asian Development Bank (ADB), client countries came up with actions in support of sustainable development and in response to climate change.

The Asia Leadership Program on Sustainable Development and Climate Change was scheduled into three parts: The first part was the pre-event activities which took place from April 15th to May 20th. These activities included completion of three e-learning courses relevant to the three main sectors (energy, transport, and water) and drafting action plans that address real challenges in their current sectors or projects.  The second part of the program was the Face-to-Face Annual Event held between May 23 and 27. The last part of the program was the post-event activities which included sharing feedback and insights, as well as networking with members of the group of leadersnd participation in upcoming Knowledge Sharing Series events.

Aside from welcoming the participants, the first day of the Face-to-Face Annual Event covered an overview of the Asia Leadership Program and its knowledge sharing activities, regional capacity development strategies, and how it identifies areas of collaboration and partnership. The first day was also dedicated to describing global challenges, updates on ongoing activities, and giving a “big picture” overview.  The overview also highlighted the potentials of green growth in achieving sustainable development amidst the challenges brought about by climate change and other environmental factors. Moreover, the participants were able to share regional experiences and successful practices in leadership and partnerships towards achieving sustainable development without environmental damage.

After discussing their regional experiences, the participants shared their insights, acquired lessons, challenges encountered and identified actions needed, including areas for collaboration to successfully implement sustainable development and climate change mitigation initiatives. The Face-to-Face Annual Event continued on to present various financing options for sustainable development and climate change projects with discussions on access procedures. Following this, there was a   prescription of the actions, requirements and future steps for sustainable development and climate change in the context of leadership, technologies, innovation and partnerships as a result of global policies, agreements and consensus.

To close the program, the moderator reviewed the objectives of the 2016 annual program, summarizing the highlights of the five-day activities as well as the feedback and insights from the participants. It was followed by certificate distributions and closing remarks by Ryu Fukui, head of the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department of the Asian Development Bank, Hong Tack Chun, the dean of KDI School, and by Victor You, Principal Knowledge Sharing and Services Specialist from the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department of the Asian Development Bank.

By Kilton PORTUGAL (2014 MDP, Mozambique)