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First session of new multi-year series will support young leaders working to advance inclusive low-carbon development in their communities

In a recent report published by the Guardian, the headline read: “From Miami to Shanghai: 3C of warming will leave world cities below sea level.” Data from Climate Central suggested such a temperature rise would “lock in sea-level rises that would redraw many coastlines.” Climate change is everyone’s concern, but what this report highlighted, in particular, was the significance of its threat to Asian coastal megacities, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Bangkok, and Tokyo. While these coastlines have yet to be redrawn, millions of people in Asia have already begun to feel the effects of climate-influenced extreme weather events, air pollution, water insecurity, and other threats.

From Monday, 30 participants from 14 countries will address several key questions centered around sustainable development and ensuring a low-carbon future when they convene at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria. They will take part in the first session of a new multi-year series held in partnership with the Japan Foundation - The Asia We Want: Building Community Through Regional Cooperation – A Clean and Green Asia.

The majority of participants attending are rising leaders from ASEAN+3* member states and India. They will be joined by Asia experts from other parts of the world to provide comparative insights.

Ahead of the session, several participants have already begun to outline their vision for the Asia they would like to see when it comes to matters concerning the environment. Among others, these individual testimonials include calls for greater compliance and transparency, equitable growth, unity, a clean energy transition, and a "business as unusual" approach to support the global demand for sustainable development.

The four-day meeting will see participants look into various issues pertaining to sustainability in Asia, such as how communities can coordinate sustainable urban development and the practices leaders can look into to ensure collaboration toward a low-carbon, clean energy future. They will also examine local partnerships as tools for sustainable innovation, regional frameworks being used for environmental cooperation, and what efforts Asian countries can make to establish collaborations and the positive effects these could bring.

Participants, based on their experiences and shared insight, will also discuss case studies of communal cooperation internationally, and in Asia, to identify potential opportunities to adapt strategies for their contexts and to foster international collaboration. They will work together to develop pilot projects that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and bring environmental benefits.

This session is the first of the new multi-year series, The Asia We Want: Building Community Through Regional Cooperation. The series aims to establish a shared vision and commitment to Asian community development, to build a reputable cohort of rising leaders and provide a comprehensive analysis of collaboration opportunities. It also seeks to develop the participants' skills to identify systemic barriers that impede regional cooperation and generate practical cross-border projects and community initiatives.

Salzburg Global Program Director Tatsiana Lintouskaya said, “Rising leaders in Asia are aware of their responsibility to steer transition to sustainable and climate resilient economies and are strongly committed to Asian community development inspired by cooperation at local and global levels. The Asia We Want: Building Sustainable Communities Through Regional Cooperation is there to support and empower young leaders working to advance inclusive low-carbon development in their communities. We aim to expand this program in the coming years and build a dynamic cross-border network for practical collaboration and lasting results in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.”

*Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, plus China, Japan, and South Korea.

Session 591 - The Asia We Want: Building Community Through Regional Cooperation I - A Clean and Green Asia- is the first session of a new multi-year series held in partnership with the Japan Foundation. For more information on the Session, please click here. To keep up to date with the conversations taking place during the session on social media, follow #SGSasia.