At the 81st session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Germany underscored its leadership in sustainable urban development with an engaging showcase at the Urban Innovation Fair, held from 21-25 April 2025 at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok.

In collaboration with the German Embassy in Bangkok, GIZ Thailand, through the Urban-Act project, organised the German delegation’s dedicated booth. Joining hands with TGC EMC, CASE, the MA-RE-DESIGN projects and the TUEWAS sector network, the German booth showcased ongoing innovative urban projects and new ideas supported by Germany across Asia and Pacific countries. These projects reflect Germany’s strong commitment to climate action and sustainable urban futures.

Showcasing urban solutions

With over €355 million invested in more than 50 projects across 300+ cities across the region, Germany promotes a holistic, inclusive and climate-resilient urban transformation. The booth captured attention with its vivid display of success stories and sustainable solutions, structured around seven key areas: 1) Green and climate-resilient cities, 2) Sustainable mobility & smart transport, 3) Affordable & inclusive housing, 4) Energy efficiency & smart cities, 5) Circular economy & waste management, 6) Urban health & wellbeing, and 7) Governance & social inclusion. See video: Germany’s Commitment to sustainable urban development in ESCAP region.

The display drew interest from conference participants who were eager to strengthen partnerships, deepen collaboration, and explore proven solutions to scale up in their own countries

Germany’s partnership and contribution to ESCAP’s mission
Through the Urban-Act project, funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI), Germany directly contributes to ESCAP’s mission. Implemented by GIZ together with ESCAP as one of the main project partners, the initiative supports the transformation of cities towards low-carbon and resilient urban development.

The project fosters intergovernmental dialogue and facilitates knowledge sharing to enable cross-border scaling-up of project results and good practice for sustainable and resilient development policies and practices. By connecting pilot projects with scalable policy frameworks, Germany is helping create a blueprint for low-carbon urban transformation that can be adapted across the diverse contexts of each country. It aligns perfectly with ESCAP’s mandate of fostering sustainable development through regional cooperation.

Beyond funding, Germany’s approach is comprehensive – bridging policy and practice. By combining financial support with technical expertise, capacity building and peer learning, Germany is helping build the foundations for long-term, scalable impact.