The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, participated, on March 26th, 2021, by videoconference, as moderator of the High-Level Dialogue, promoted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
The theme of the meeting was “Joining forces to recover from COVID-19 in the Asia-Pacific region – paths to joint reconstruction” and took place within the framework of the Eighth Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD), which took place from Bangkok, Thailand, and in online format, from March 23rd to 26th.
Between 2019 and 2020, Fidelis Magalhães served as President of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
The Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development is an intergovernmental forum that takes place annually with the aim of monitoring and reviewing the progress of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at regional level. This Forum also serves as a preparatory meeting for the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).
This year, the High Level Dialogue aims to provide a prospective analysis of how the Asia-Pacific region can better recover from the pandemic. The event was attended by Ministers and other senior government officials, academics and think tanks, representatives of international organizations, the private sector, civil society and other relevant stakeholders in the region.
In the first part of this High-Level Dialogue, the participants made an assessment of the situation in the region, after more than a year of living with COVID-19, highlighting the lessons learned. In the second part of the panel, high-level representatives reflectiond on the recovery phase and presented their ideas for a joint effort that may lead to a long-term sustainable recovery for societies and economies.
The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, in his speech at the closing event said that “as policymakers we must realize that the choices available to us include options to drive the economic recovery from the pandemic with sustainability in mind”. He added that “these options will help to improve economic equality, improve our security, and enhance our resilience from future disruptions – whether these come from some future pandemic or from another source”.
The Minister also said he is “optimistic about our prospects for the path forward and hopeful that we will build back better, together.”