Eco-tone

ASEM Eco-Innovation Index (ASEI) 2015 presented as an indicator to monitor Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at UN Sustainable Development Transition Forum with profound interests from the international community

Asia-Europe Environment Forum (ENVforum) co-hosted Sustainable Development Transition Forum with UN Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) on 17^th-19^th of November 2015 in Songdo, Korea to discuss practical ways to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) worldwide.

The focus of the event was on mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by UN Member States in September 2015. Included in the Agenda are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as, goals on clean energy and sustainable consumption and production with associated targets.

For the forum, around 100 participants from more than 30 national governments, UN agencies, ASEM related organizations and experts gathered to discuss guidance on mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs into national and regional plans. Throughout the sessions various guidance on SDGs and country case examples were presented. The topics covered building public awareness; applying multi-stakeholder approaches; reviewing existing development plans and tailoring SDGs to national contexts; creating horizontal and vertical policy coherence; budgeting for the future; monitoring, reporting, and accountability; assessing risk and fostering adaptability.

Asia-Europe Environment Forum (ENVforum) is a partnership initiated by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), and ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC), Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and Swedish Environment Institute (SEI) are the partners of the ENVforum 2015 and its activities.

As the fourth year contribution, ASEIC participated in the ENVforum to introduce ASEIC and the ongoing ASEM Eco-Innovation Index (ASEI) project, presenting ASEI results and proposing the indicator as a tool to monitor the SDGs implementation around the world. The presentation engaged high interests and feedback from attendees at the forum. ASEI Report 2015 with country case study reports of Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Myanmar are looking forward to its publication at the end of this year.