ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue

ACSDSD Celebrates Doctoral Scholars Advancing Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia

On 25 May 2026 – The ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), led by Executive Director Phasporn Sangasubana, proudly celebrated the academic achievements of its PhD scholarship fellows from the College of Management Mahidol University (CMMU), who have successfully passed their dissertations on Sustainable Leadership.

The MU-ACSDSD scholarship fellows, funded by the Centre, represent a vital asset to academic pursuit and development progress. Through their rigorous doctoral research, they are generating actionable and essential knowledge for sustainable development.

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CMMU Mahidol

Join ACSDSD and ASEAN CE Platform at the upcoming C ASEAN Forum 2026!
Our exhibition at the C ASEAN forum serves as an occasion to reflect on the milestones of ASEAN and map regional competitiveness and future directions🎯
Highlights include Keynote address on “ASEAN Milestones and Future Directions” and Panel discussion on “Road to ASEAN’s 60th Anniversary: Ambassadors’ Dialogue for Future Resilience
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Free Registration: https://forms.gle/samUPT2DuLsYyS5Q6
Time: Friday, 5 June 2026 12:30-16:30 hrs.
Venue: C ASEAN auditorium at CW tower

How to build ASEAN Resilience Against Climate Change?
📌In this article, you'll find a report of the regressed SDGs 11 and 13 with 4 recommendations

Complemenarities Initiatives 2.0 identified measurable gaps of resilience against climate change

Significantly, SDG 11, particularly in economic loss and affected infrastructure has regressed far more than any other indicator, highlighting ASEAN's vulnerabilities to climate-induced disasters, which directly affects infrastructure stability, fiscal resilience, and the region’s ability to absorb climate shocks.

If climate resilience is part of your work or future career, this is essential reading. Complementarities Initiatives 2.0 features SDG indicators baseline tells you where the region stands and recommendations on the next strategic move.

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Learn more: https://www.acsdsd.org/sdgs/complemenarities-initiatives-2-0-identified-measurable-gaps-of-resilience-against-climate-change/
Download CI 2.0 Roadmap https://www.acsdsd.org/sdgs/complementarities-initiatives-2/

ACSDSD advocates resilience against climate change on International Day for Biological Diversity 🌿

On 22 May 2026, marking International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB), the global community spotlights the urgent need to protect biodiversity. ASEAN leaders have already recognized resilience against climate change as a strategic priority under the “Complementarities Initiative (CI) 2.0”, where diversity is one of the foundations to achieve resilience

Biodiversity plays a crucial role in enhancing climate resilience by supporting ecosystem stability, improving adaptive capacity, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Rich and diverse biodiversity hotspots build up a strong resilience against climate change, which is one of the priorities that ASEAN leaders endorsed the 15th ASEAN-United Nations Summit endorsed the “Complementarities between the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, also known as the “Complementarities Initiative (CI) 2.0”.

Learn more about CI 2.0:https://www.acsdsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Complementarities-Initiative-2.0_.pdf
Connect with ACSDSD: https://linktr.ee/acsdsd_asean

𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰-𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱
This article shows a case study of how public–private partnerships (PPPs) drive sustainable development in fashion through Renim Project, a local upcycling streetwear brand from Songwat, Thailand.
♻️ Their motto: REMADE / REDUCE / REDESIGN — transforming second‑hand jeans, deadstock fabrics, and discarded materials into new fashion pieces that embody creativity and circular design.

With Thailand Creative & Design Centre (TCDC) under the Creative Economy Agency (CEA) organising Bangkok Design Week, Renim's visibility surges with their participation. This highlights how state-supported cultural platforms function as critical enablers of sustainable fashion and the promotion of local craftsmanship.

👉Read more: acsdsd.org/sdgs/circulardenim/
RENIM PROJECT

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗗𝗚 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗲 – ACSDSD's regional knowledge hub on sustainable development.

Curated by ACSDSD, it showcases best practices, climate action, and innovation across ASEAN. From grassroots wisdom to private sector solutions, it connects local initiatives with global SDG frameworks, positioning ASEAN as a leader in sustainability.

SDG Around the Globe is a regional knowledge hub curated by the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue, serving as both an incubator of ideas and a platform for thought leadership on sustainable development in ASEAN. It spread awareness on issues related to local wisdom, sustainability initiatives and indigenous knowledge into policy-relevant insights, connecting grassroots action, private sector innovation, and regional cooperation with global SDG frameworks, while positioning ASEAN as a dynamic contributor to the global sustainability agenda.

✨ Read here: acsdsd.org/sdgs/intro-sdg-around-the-globe/

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀
📌𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗸𝗼𝗸’𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆.
On 27-28 April 2026, ASEAN Center for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) joined the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and its partners: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the European Union and ASEAN Governors and Mayors Forum in supporting the convening of the Regional Forum on Human Rights Cities in ASEAN: Localising Human Rights for Inclusive Development Towards Localising the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Executive Director Phasporn Sangasubana delivered a welcome remark in congratulating the City of Bangkok as a Human Rights City/Capital and participated as a panel speaker for “Localising Human Rights” discussion at the Regional Forum in emphasizing on the close interrelation, complementarity and integration between human rights and sustainable development, making both processes as “two sides of the same coin” of “leaving no one behind” in supporting a people-centred ASEAN.

Anchored in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the Forum emphasized a people-centred approach to building a resilient community. Localising this vision requires the strategic role of local governments in advancing participatory governance and city-level leadership on human rights. Hosted in Bangkok, this initiative represents a pivotal step toward strengthening regional collaboration and fostering local thought leadership in ASEAN.

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“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗗𝗚𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗡"
ACSDSD identifies the gaps in green taxonomies.
In the latest on our knowledge hub, we highlighted a critical implementation gap that persists: the disconnect between high-level regulatory uncertainty and bankable infrastructure projects that currently hinder Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in ASEAN.

In many ASEAN markets, inconsistent green taxonomies and shifting policy frameworks create a "risk premium" that deters private institutional investors. Furthermore, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) often struggle because the burden of climate-related risks, such as transition costs or physical asset vulnerability.

The regulation is not equitably distributed between the state and the private sector. To bridge this gap, the region must move beyond the "green" label and focus on "de-risking" mechanisms. This includes standardized legal frameworks in ASEAN for green contracts and credit enhancement tools that protect private capital. Only by addressing these structural friction points can ASEAN transform green finance into a functional engine for the 2045 Vision.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀:

Join C ASEAN Forum to discuss the 60th Anniversary of ASEAN!
Reflecting on the milestones of ASEAN
Mapping regional competitiveness and future directions🎯

Time: Friday, 5 June 2026 12:30-16:30 hrs.
Venue: C ASEAN auditorium at CW tower
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On 24 April 2026, Executive Director Phasporn Sangasubana and her team welcomed Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation, upon his visit to the Office of ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD).

The main gist of the meeting between two ASEAN entities is mainly to pave the way for possible collaborations on issues related to digital transformation, green agenda and community building through promotion of active roles of the young generation and local communities.

ACSDSD also took this opportunity to invite ASEAN Foundation to participate in the upcoming ASEAN Networking Symposium on Sustainable Development 2026, which will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and ACSDSD to be convened in during the last quarter of 2026. The main objective of the event is to strengthen cooperation and synergize efforts on sustainable development across ASEAN of relevant ASEAN centres and entities.

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