On 30 June 2026, the "Asia-Pacific Synergies Report: Advancing Synergistic Solutions to the Triple Planetary Crisis and the SDGs" was officially launched at the seventh Global Conference on Climate and SDG Synergies held in Bangkok.
This report was co-led by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with the generous support of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ). From the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President of IGES, guided the development of the report as a Co-lead, while numerous IGES researchers participated as authors and reviewers. IGES also served as the secretariat, supporting the overall preparation process.
The Asia-Pacific Synergies Report presents strategic directions for maximising synergies in addressing interconnected challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. Specifically, it focuses on four key entry points and transformative pathways to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): health-centred climate action, nature-positive nexus approaches, circular economy approaches and cities as delivery platforms for synergies. To translate these synergies into policy and action, the report presents a comprehensive analysis of three essential enablers by examining aligned finance, robust data and analytical tools, and effective governance.
Additionally, the "Supplementary Appendix: Compendium of Case Studies on Synergies in Asia and the Pacific" was launched simultaneously to provide complementary insights, offering a practical resource that encompasses over 1470 cases of illustrative actions in the region. This report served as the foundation for the "Regional Programme of Action on Advancing Synergies for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific" which was formally adopted at the Ninth Session of the Committee on Environment and Development (CED9) held by UNESCAP from 1 to 3 July, marking the beginning of regional efforts aimed at implementing synergies. IGES will actively disseminate the report at various relevant events, including the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) currently underway in New York and the 18th International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP2026) to be hosted in Kobe on 22 July, to further promote the regional implementation of synergies.
・ For more details on the “Asia-Pacific Synergies Report” and “Compendium of Case Studies on Synergies in Asia and the Pacific”:（UNESCAP Website）
List of contributors from IGES:
・Junichi FUJINO（Project Coordination Team）
・Eric ZUSMAN（Chapter 1 Author、Chapter 8 Contributing Author, Chapter 9 Author、Project Coordination Team、Substantive Editor）
・Shinji ONODA（Chapter 1 Author、Chapter 9 Author、Project Coordination Team、Substantive Editor）
・Nobue AMANUMA（Chapter 1 Author、Chapter 9 Author、Project Coordination Team、Substantive Editor）
・Yosuke ARINO（Chapter 2 Contributing Author）
・Hayato NAKAMURA（Chapter 2 Contributing Author）
・Koji MIWA（Chapter 3 Contributing Author）
・Osamu SAITO（Chapter 3 Contributing Author）
・Chika AOKI（Chapter 4 Contributing Author）
・Yasuhiko HOTTA（Chapter 4 Contributing Author）
・Fernando ORTIZ-MOYA（Chapter 5 Contributing Author）
・Vibhas SUKHWANI（Chapter 5 Contributing Author）
・Naoki MORI（Chapter 6 Contributing Author）
・Yuqing YU（Chapter 6 Contributing Author）
・Pavel HEJCIK（Chapter 7 Contributing Author）
・Xin ZHOU（Chapter 7 Contributing Author）
・Miki FUKUDA（Chapter 8 Contributing Author, Substantive Editor）
・Premakumara Jagath DICKELLA GAMARALALAGE（Expert Reviewer）
・Vivek Anand ASOKAN（Expert Reviewer）
・Temuulen MURUN（Expert Reviewer）
・Emma FUSHIMI（Case Study Proofreader）
・Tomoko YAMASHITA（Project Coordination Team）
・Ayumi NAGATOMO（Project Coordination Team）
・Kaho SAITO（Project Coordination Team）
・Ayako HONGO（Project Coordination Team）
・Mayuko ONO（Publication Support）
・Matthew HENGESBAUGH（Publication Support）
