Kathmandu, February 20
Nepal has been elected as the chair of the 11th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development of the Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific under the United Nations.
Min Bahadur Shrestha, Vice President of the National Planning Commission, has been elected as the chairman of the platform.
Initially, Japan proposed to be elected as the chair of the forum. However, with the support of representatives from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Nepal was unanimously elected instead.
Vice President Shrestha thanked the member states after being elected as the chair of the forum.
The forum will assess the progress made by countries in the region towards achieving sustainable development, which is recognised as a global priority. It will also deliberate on future actions to be undertaken.
Yamlal Bhusal, Joint Secretary of the Commission, has highlighted that the discussions will specifically target Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 13, 16, and 17 this time.
Following the consensus reached during these discussions, a report will be submitted to the United Nations high-level political forum in July 2024, outlining both successes and challenges in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals across the Asia Pacific region.
