Asia Science Mission Event at APFSD 2026: Building Resilience Through Science and Action

Date: February 23, 2026

The Asia Science Mission for Sustainability, in collaboration with the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) – Disaster Risk Reduction Division, will convene a high-level side event during the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) 2026. Titled “Asia Science Mission for Sustainability and Multi-Hazard Risk Resilience Pathways,” the event responds to the urgent need to accelerate progress on climate-related Sustainable Development Goals.

Complementing UNESCAP’s regional mandate, the Asia Science Mission mobilizes transdisciplinary science through Future Earth and allied networks on extreme events, cascading risks, and socio-ecological systems. Its demonstration projects, including Purulia in India on heat and drought and the Philippines on flooding and compound delta risks, offer grounded learning on how early warning, governance, and investment-relevant evidence can interact in practice.

Aligned with the theme of the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development, this joint event will connect science, policy, and practice to strengthen inclusive multi-hazard early warning systems and enable timely anticipatory action that leaves no one behind.

Key Objectives

Bringing together policymakers, scientists, practitioners, impact-oriented investors, and regional stakeholders, this joint event aims to strengthen the design and implementation of multi-hazard early warning systems across the Asia-Pacific region by integrating science, data, technology, policy, and investment-relevant practice.

Specifically, the event will:

• Examine emerging evidence on extreme heat, floods, and cascading hazards, drawing on UNESCAP’s regional assessments and the Asia Science Mission’s scientific insights.

• Showcase demonstration-based learning from Asia Science Mission sites in Purulia, India (heat and drought) and the Philippines (flooding and compound risks) to illustrate resilience pathways.

• Explore how data analytics, digital innovation, and risk communication can strengthen anticipatory governance and inclusive decision-making.

• Identify key strategic institutional, technological, and financing gaps that constrain effective risk assessment, early action, and response across countries.

Facilitate dialogue on scalable interventions, partnerships, and catalytic investment pathways that align national implementation with regional cooperation under the Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The ASM is supported by the ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, which is funded by the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources and led by the Australian Academy of Science. The five-year programme (2023-2028) is working to ensure that regional needs and priorities are adequately represented in the International Science Council’s global agenda on issues of major importance to both science and society.