Cai Yiping, from DAWN Executive Board, participated in the second Asia-Pacific (AP) Knowledge Exchange on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which took place in Manila, Phillippines, from 2 to 4 October. The activity was organized by the AP Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (AP RCEM) and Social Watch Philippines, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) AP regional hub, under the theme of Supporting Policy Coherence for Accelerating Progress Towards the 2030 Agenda.

More than 200 representatives from governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations (SCO), and ADB attended the exchange. Fifty CSO participants from Asia Pacific Regional attend the CSO forum, where DAWN participated in raising concern on human rights and SDGs, making a critical reflection on the role of the private sectors, highlighting the lack of integration of policy coherence both vertical and horizontal, as well as questioning the problematic framing of multi-stakeholder engagement, which lumps civil societies with business sector and does not differentiate the rights holder and duty bearers. In that respect, the CSO forum recommended the establishment of meaningful, transparent and participatory engagement mechanism, which hold the multi-stakeholders accountable for SDGs, for each other, and for the people and planet.