The Asian Development Bank aims for an Asia and Pacific free from poverty. By targeting investments wisely, in partnership with developing member countries and other stakeholders, ADB seeks to alleviate poverty and help create a world in which everyone can share in the benefits of sustained and inclusive growth.

The Asian Development Bank Institute was established in 1997 in Tokyo, Japan, to help build capacity, skills, and knowledge related to poverty reduction and other areas that support long-term growth and competitiveness in developing economies in the Asia-Pacific region.

The long-term aim of the Cities Development Initiative for Asia is to contribute to the promotion of sustainable and equitable urban development, leading to improved environmental and living conditions for all in Asian cities.

The Cities Alliance is a global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development. The Cities Alliance’s overall strategic objectives are to support cities in providing effective local government, an active citizenship and an economy characterized by both public and private investment.

Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO’s efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO’s mandate is to improve nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, raise the standard of living in rural populations and contribute to global economic growth.

GIZ offers customised solutions to complex challenges. They are an experienced service provider and assist the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation. GIZ offers demand-driven, tailor-made and effective services for sustainable development.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is advancing its activities around the pillars of a field-oriented approach, human security, and enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, and speed.

The Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM) is a governance body of, by and for mayors from all continents. It builds on the experience, expertise and leadership of mayors in tackling local challenges resulting from global problems. At the same time, it brings local knowledge to the table and thus participates actively in global strategy debates and underscores the needs for practical, action-oriented solutions. The GPM is about local government, based on the city’s right to self-government. The GPM promotes collective city decision-making across national borders, addressing critical challenges that humankind faces, and creating better outcomes for all.

United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) represents and defends the interests of local governments on the world stage, regardless of the size of the communities they serve. Headquartered in Barcelona, the organisation’s stated mission is: To be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government, promoting its values, objectives and interests, through cooperation between local governments, and within the wider international community.

The world’s economic, social and environmental challenges are ECOSOC’s concern. A founding UN Charter body established in 1946, the Council is the place where such issues are discussed and debated, and policy recommendations issued. As such, ECOSOC has broad responsibility for some 70% of the human and financial resources of the entire UN system, including 14 specialized agencies, 9 “functional” commissions, and five regional commissions.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region. Made up of 62 member States, with a geographical scope that stretches from Turkey in the west to the Pacific island nation of Kiribati in the east, and from the Russian Federation in the north to New Zealand in the south, the region is home to 4.1 billion people, or two thirds of the world’s population.

UNESCO is known as the “intellectual” agency of the United Nations. At a time when the world is looking for new ways to build peace and sustainable development, people must rely on the power of intelligence to innovate, expand their horizons and sustain the hope of a new humanism. UNESCO exists to bring this creative intelligence to life; for it is in the minds of men and women that the defences of peace and the conditions for sustainable development must be built.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

UNISDR, the UN office for disaster risk reduction, is also the focal point in the UN system for the coordination of disaster risk reduction and the implementation of the international blueprint for disaster risk reduction – the “Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters”.

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a training arm of the United Nations System, serving some 27,000 beneficiaries annually by conducting more than 400 capacity development and research activities around the world. The Mission of UNITAR is to deliver innovative training and conduct research on knowledge systems to develop capacities of beneficiaries in the fields of Environment; Peace, Security and Diplomacy; and Governance.

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. We are not a bank in the ordinary sense but a unique partnership to reduce poverty and support development. Established in 1944, the World Bank Group is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) was established in 1988 as a joint organization made up of local governments. CLAIR provides a wide array of support to the international activities of local governments to strengthen international collaboration that will stimulate communities, enrich peoples’ lives and ultimately contribute to deeper mutual understanding and benefit.

Clean Air Asia was established in 2001 as the premier air quality network for Asia by the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and USAID. Its mission is to promote better air quality and livable cities by translating knowledge to policies and actions that reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from transport, energy and other sectors.

ICLEI promotes local action for global sustainability and supports cities to become sustainable, resilient, resource-efficient, biodiverse, low-carbon; to build a smart infrastructure; and to develop an inclusive, green urban economy with the ultimate aim to achieve healthy and happy communities.

The aim of IGES is to achieve a new paradigm for civilization and conduct innovative policy development and strategic research for environmental measures, reflecting the result of research into political decisions for realizing sustainable development both in the Asia-Pacific Region and globally.

The Korea Transport Institute (KOTI) is an official research agency for the government of the republic of Korea. The mission of KOTI is to provide recommendations and alternatives for the nation’s transport policy and to create optimal transport systems through specialized research and technical innovations, while positioning itself as one of the world’s leading transport research institutes.