May 28, Wednesday
| 09:00-10:00
AM | |
| Rethinking Livability: How Do We Achieve a Breakthrough? Opening Ceremony and Plenary Auditorium 1-4 | AWUF 2025 is taking place during a period of geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Yet, for millions living in Asia and the Pacific, their immediate needs remain unchanged. This Forum frames Livability as the challenge – and opportunity – of our time. In this context, development finance institutions and their stakeholders must rethink the power and potential of collective action. The opening panel sets the stage for this critical conversation, highlighting how collaboration, innovation, and strategic investment can shape living environments to make them resilient, equitable, and fit for the future. Aligned with the theme of the AWUF 2025, Valuing Water and Enhancing Livability in Asia and the Pacific, and the focus of this session on ‘Rethinking Livability: How do we achieve a breakthrough’, the interconnected objectives of the session are: 1. Reimagining Collective Action for Water and Livability: explore bold, breakthrough strategies to strengthen collaboration among governments, private entities, and civil society for innovative urban and water solutions. 2. Strategic Partnerships for Water Security: leverage ADB’s expertise to redefine how partnerships mobilize finance and technology for transformative water management. 3. Transforming Cities for Resilient Livability: identify disruptive approaches to integrate climate-adaptive infrastructure and urban systems that push beyond conventional sustainability models. 4. Mobilizing Investment for Inclusive Growth: shift investment paradigms to accelerate innovation in water and urban development, ensuring projects are more equitable, scalable, and future-ready. 5. Advancing Regional Goals Through Innovation: reassess traditional methods and embrace breakthrough thinking to align development efforts with ADB’s Strategy 2030 for lasting prosperity. Speakers: Moderator: Norio Saito, Senior Director, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Sector Department 2, ADB Opening Remarks: Fatima Yasmin, Vice President, Sectors & Themes, ADB Panelists:
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| 10:30 AM-12:00 PM | |
| The Water Dividend: How Valuing Water Shapes our Future Deep Dive Auditorium 2-3 | Ahead of the UN Water Conference in 2026, this session convenes thought leaders to collectively explore the priorities set out in by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW). What actions need to be taken when, and by whom? This session explores innovative approaches to valuing water, bringing together expert perspectives and regional applications across Asia and the Pacific. Panelists will examine how GCEW frameworks can guide more sustainable water governance by recognizing water’s true value—beyond market price. Discussions will highlight practical examples of applying valuation methods in diverse contexts, including the use of shadow pricing to inform policy and investment decisions. Panelists will set out their respective perspectives on economics, finance and innovation around valuing water. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Relevance of GCEW work on valuing water framework Speakers: Moderator: Satoshi Ishii, Director, Strategy and Partnerships, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Sector Department 2, ADB Opening Remarks: F. Cleo Kawawaki, Director General, Sector Department 2, ADB Panelists:
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| Planning and Financing Cities of the Future Fireside Chat Auditorium 1 | This session delves into subnational financing strategies for smart and resilient cities of the future, including regional case studies and lessons learned from financing of smart cities, mobilization of innovative subnational financing of new cities, such as New Tashkent City (NTC) - a new green and smart urban center in Uzbekistan. The project is an ambitious undertaking spearheaded by the President of Uzbekistan to build a new city on 20,000 hectares of Government land to accommodate 500,000 people by 2050. The discussion will focus on the masterplan developed and on new ways of identifying financing sources for the initial infrastructure built-up (roads, water, electricity, public transportation, basic housing, etc.). The session will discuss opportunities for strengthening resilience via subnational climate investment planning and leveraging a combination of private, public and international funding sources and modalities, thereby minimizing the risk of over-reliance on any one form of financing. Challenges and opportunities for some innovative financing and funding modalities such as internal accruals from the sale of its allocated land, property taxes, asset monetization, land value capture, user charges, PPPs, climate finance, green/impact bond issuances, etc. will be covered during the session. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Subnational financing strategies for smart and resilient cities of the future, including regional approaches and case studies Speakers:
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| Laundry’s Hidden Power: Where Water, Hygiene, and People Meet Fireside Chat Auditorium 4 | Globally, 50% of laundry is done by hand, consuming up to 20% of household active time. Laundry practices are a critical yet underexplored element of many daily lives. This fireside chat addresses the significant burden of laundry practices on water and energy resources, health, and social well-being by promoting sustainable laundry practices to reduce water usage, pollution, and the overall environmental and social impacts. The session will bring together voices from industry, academia, ADB and innovators to explore why laundry has not been leapfrogging in Asia and the Pacific and how reimagining laundry practices can create tangible impacts by improving hygiene standards, enhancing quality of life, and driving water savings and efficiency. By leveraging potential innovative partnerships and real-world examples, this session will highlight how addressing this seemingly simple household task can drive transformative change in water and sanitation systems and the lives of communities in Asia and the Pacific. This session will be a two-way conversation, encouraging participants to share their perspectives while gaining actionable insights into scaling these practices to improve public health and support sustainable urban development. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. How laundry, the often-forgotten topic, relates to water, health and hygiene, and women's labor Speakers:
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| Nature-Based Solutions Reality Check: What's working, what's not, and what's next Project Lab Multifunction Hall 3 | Implementing nature-based solutions at scale has proven surprisingly difficult, despite openness from DMCs to try new techniques and their adoption by the private sector. Why is this? Can they really stand up to climate change? ADB’s urban team will present some successes, failures, frustrations and we will hear fascinating lessons from government and private sector experts on recent developments. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Typical application of NBS in urban contexts Moderator: My Binh Nguyen, Urban Development Specialist, ADB Speakers:
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| Regulatory Opportunities to Support Climate-Resilient Sanitation Project Lab Innovation Hub | The session addresses regulation as an entry point to improve climate resilient sanitation infrastructure and services. Flooding, water scarcity, rising sea levels and changing temperatures, are putting additional pressure on already-strained sanitation systems and services. Meanwhile, ADB’s Climate Change Action Plan 2023-2030 promotes investment in climate resilient sanitation to reduce GHG emissions, protect water resources, improve service chain management, and promote wastewater reuse and energy capture. This session will discuss conducive regulatory frameworks to support climate resilience in citywide sanitation, including consideration on how to align incentives, apply risk-based approaches, evolve technical standards for new and uncertain conditions, promote innovation and private sector involvement, reduce carbon footprints, increase circularity, and regulate relevant sanitation service models. It will include an engaging mix of presentations, and interactive table discussions to apply new ideas to specific country and project contexts. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Key considerations for regulation that supports improved climate resilience of urban sanitation services Speakers:
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| Healthy and Age-Friendly Cities: Building the Case for Inclusive Design Debate Multifunction Hall 2 | Urbanization and population ageing are two global megatrends that together comprise major forces shaping the 21st century. Urbanization is a key determinant of health and welfare and, by 2050, about 68% of humans will live in urban areas. At the same time, rapid aging also in Asia and the Pacific has put the region at the forefront of one of the most important global demographic trends. By 2050, one in four people in Asia and the Pacific will be over 60 years old. Cities need to be fit for the emerging four-generation urban society, age-inclusive for people of all ages including children and older people. This session will focus on how universal design can support the development of active, healthy, and age-friendly cities. Accessibility and safety of public spaces, amenities and services, public transport and appropriate housing can all promote healthy lifestyles for people of all ages in urban communities. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Designing cities to ensure accessibility for all, including older people, people with disabilities, children, and the urban poor, benefit all citizens and help to build a sense of community. 2. Multiple approaches to inclusive design and why it is worth the investment. 3. Challenges and opportunities to plan and implement people-centered and universal design in subnational urban development, including through participatory design. Speakers:
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| 01:30-3:00 PM | |
| Charting the Course to Water Security: The
Asia Water Development
Outlook (AWDO) Masterclass Series (day 1) Masterclass (1:30-5:00 PM) Auditorium 1 | The Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) 2025 Masterclass Series will provide an exclusive preview of early findings from Asia and the Pacific’s flagship water security assessment. Spanning two days, this interactive session brings together government officials, technical experts, and development partners to explore key water security challenges and solutions across five dimensions: rural, economic, urban, environmental, and resilience to water-related disasters. Participants will engage with new data and methodologies, reflect on country-specific assessments, and contribute to consultations that will shape the final stages of AWDO 2025. Through breakout discussions, expert panels, and real-time feedback tools, the session aims to foster practical recommendations and collaboration. This is a unique opportunity for countries and stakeholders to co-create pathways toward achieving water security for all in the region. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. How to understand AWDO’s five Key Dimensions of water security and how countries are assessed 2. How to identify turning points (policy, governance, and financing levers) to improve national water security 3. How to explore regional innovations and collaborative pathways for strengthening resilience Speakers:
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| The Bang-for-Buck Dilemma: Rethinking Asia and the Pacific's Infrastructure Strategy Masterclass (1:30-5:00 PM) Auditorium 4 | ADB’s developing member countries are facing a more difficult challenge than today’s advanced economies faced as they were industrializing. Not only is Asia facing much faster rates of urbanization, but they are also racing against two other clocks: aging populations and climate change. They do not have the luxury of infrastructure assets which are “ok.” Asia’s infrastructure has to be as productive as possible – delivering the highest bang for buck that today’s technology and engineers can achieve – but how do we determine what that is? Speakers:
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| 2.2 Billion Reasons for MDBs to Deliver on their Water and Urban Commitments Deep Dive Auditorium 2-3 | Representatives from leading MDBs will set out their latest thinking on how MDBs can better coordinate and joint together to accelerate water security under global uncertainties though new tools, modalities and applications that support policy and regulatory reforms as well as increased investment to achieve improved development outcomes, while ensuring climate resilience. Moderated questions will be grouped on three themes: (i) innovation in the utilization of existing bank capital; (ii) mobilizing additional climate finance for inclusive resilience and prosperity; (iii) and the role of technology in unlocking increased impact from development finance. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Latest thinking on development finance innovation from MDBs 2. Opportunities for collaboration on mobilizing finance 3. Role of technology in enhancing MDB engagement and impact Speakers: Moderator: Laxmi Sharma, Unit Head, Project Administration, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Sector Department 2, ADB Opening Remarks: Chia-Hsin Hu, Head, Office of Business Intelligence and Operations Coordination, ADB Panelists:
Closing Reflections: Claus Astrup, Director, Strategy and Policy Department, ADB |
| The Pipeline Exchange: Financing of Investment-ready Projects Shark Tank K-Hub | Significant investments are essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the climate targets under the Paris Agreement. However, the current investment is significantly below the required level. The State of Cities Climate Finance 2024 suggests that while urban climate finance flows have more than doubled in recent years (reaching $831 billion in 2021/2022), they must accelerate even further – by at least fivefold – to achieve decarbonization goals and safeguard cities from climate hazards. Closing the massive investment gap requires the effective channeling of climate finance from the national and international levels to the city/local level where project preparation and implementation takes place. In reality, however, cities and local authorities often lack the financial and technical capacity to prepare structured projects on their own, facing challenges such as inadequate project development, fiscal constraints, and institutional gaps, among other challenges. In this context, project preparation facilities (PPFs) can provide critical support in preparing “investment-ready” projects that meet investors' requirements and priorities. Meanwhile, multilateral development banks like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), play a crucial role in advancing urban climate finance. In 2021, ADB announced its ambition to increase its cumulative climate financing to $100 billion between 2019 and 2030, providing a substantial boost to urban climate investment in the region. To facilitate the financing of investment-ready projects in ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs), this event convenes PPF representatives, ADB project officers, and cities to foster meaningful exchange, facilitate partnerships, and enable matchmaking between them. By sharing insights on preparing bankable projects and aligning with investment criteria, and exchanging project pipeline, the event aims to enhance the quality and quantity of projects, mitigate investment risks, improve investment efficiency, and strengthen the coordination of project pipeline toward more impactful development outcomes. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. How to enhance project preparation, gaining a deeper understanding of structuring projects that meet funding and implementation criteria. 2. How to increase investment readiness and risk mitigation, acquiring insights into the opportunities for improving the technical and financial viability of projects while enhancing resource allocation and efficiency. Speakers:
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| Who Pays for Tomorrow? Rethinking Resilience in a Shifting World Fireside Chat Multifunction Hall 3 | As climate risks intensify, governments of developing countries are facing an urgent need to scale up urban resilience investments. However, shifting global financial priorities, evolving donor strategies, and macroeconomic uncertainties are altering the landscape of urban climate finance. Traditional sources of public climate finance are under pressure. In this context, cities and their partners are being called to do more—with less—and to do it faster. This 90-minute fireside session—led by the Urban Resilience Trust Fund (URTF) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)—brings together a diverse circle of voices, from city governments and national ministries to MDBs, donors, philanthropic foundations, and private innovators, for a candid, story-driven conversation about the future of urban resilience finance. This session embraces the authenticity of a fireside chat to surface both hard truths and hopeful ideas. Expect personal reflections, provocative prompts, and live audience moments as we explore:
By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Insights into how shifting global financial priorities and macroeconomic uncertainties impact urban resilience investments. Participants will learn: 1. Insights into how shifting global financial priorities and macroeconomic uncertainties impact urban resilience investments. Speakers:
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| Affordable Homes, Resilient Futures for 600 Million People: A near possibility? Project Lab Innovation Hub | The technical session will provide an overview of the key challenges and approaches to enable sustainable urban development through green, resilient, inclusive, and affordable housing initiatives. Focusing on three relevant examples – (i) Green and Resilient Affordable Housing Sector Project in Bhutan, (ii) Sindh Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project in Pakistan, and (iii) The Indonesia Green and Affordable Housing Program – the session will share strategies that integrate environmental sustainability, disaster resilience, social inclusivity, and affordability in affordable housing development. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Green and Resilient Affordable Housing Sector Project in Bhutan 2. Sindh Emergency Housing Reconstruction Project in Pakistan 3. Indonesia Green and Affordable Housing Program Speakers:
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| 3:30-5:00 PM | |
| Continuation of masterclass sessions (1:30-5:00PM) | |
| Delivering Water to 150,000 People in Emergency and Camp Settings Fireside Chat Multifunction Hall 3 | Perspectives on the challenges in ensuring WASH services to more than 150,000 people in emergency refugee camp settings will be shared by the EA, a service provider (NGO) and ADB project staff. The ongoing ADB-financed Emergency Assistance Project (additional financing) is a unique undertaking by both the Government of Bangladesh and ADB, noting the complex and protracted situation presented by the influx of more than 1 million displaced people from Myanmar into Bangladesh since 2017. The panelists will share on the lessons learned, and how they are being applied to the next phase of ADB financing. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Government, NGO and ADB perspectives on delivering WASH in an emergency setting 2. Approaches to involving displaced people in WASH services, including livelihoods and skills development 3. How lessons learned from the crisis over the past 7 years are being applied to future interventions Speakers:
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| Housing 4 All: Transforming Lives, Economies, and Communities Fireside Chat K-Hub | This session aims to promote adequate housing as a key driver for inclusive economic growth, and a key enabler of other development dimensions, such as living standards, health, and education. The session will present the largest national housing for all program – Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - launched by the Government of India and discuss experiences of the panelists from UN-Habitat, IIED, UK and UrbanWave,Malaysia. The session will offer a collaborative platform for discussing innovative solutions to green, resilient, inclusive and affordable housing challenges and upgrading informal settlements. The session will also look at experiences from eastern and southern Africa that have lesson for Asia. The session will harness ideas to identify areas for collaboration at the national, region, city and community level. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. Information regarding delivery of large-scale national programs for housing 2. Design innovations for delivery of affordable housing Speakers:
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| Greenfield Innovation: Designing Next-Gen Low-Carbon Cities from Scratch Shark Tank Auditorium 2-3 | Rapid urbanization requires managing of urban growth as expanding on greenfields into the outskirts and as retrofitting through rehabilitation and infill development in existing urban areas. It is challenging to navigate the complex stakeholder, commercial and community interests, complying with regulations and optimizing urban planning and design. New greenfield developments have a unique opportunity to get things right. New towns and new cities ought to ensure they are state of the art low-carbon, land- and resource-efficient based on compact city and transit-oriented development principles. They need to be climate-resilient and based on risk-informed planning, applying nature-based solutions through public green and blue infrastructure and open space networks. They need to be livable and inclusive, equitable for women and men, rich and poor, strong and vulnerable, old and young residents and communities. They need to benefit from smart integrated digital platforms and handheld applications. This session will capture lessons from the PRC, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Amaravati in India, Nusantara in Indonesia, Clark New City in Philippines and examples from the PRC will serve as cases for the session. The discussion will highlight challenges and opportunities of innovative, sustainable urban development including land mobilization and acquisition, securing infrastructure corridors, inclusive urban services, minimizing environmental impacts, stakeholder engagement and innovative and financing, sustainably benefiting from land value capture. Innovative strategies, policy lessons, the importance of adaptive governance and champions driving the process and ADB’s support and contributions will be discussed. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. About the complexity of greenfield development challenges: Participants see the complex challenges influencing planning of new towns and cities, i.e. Amaravati and Nusantara, faced challenges on land acquisition, different and opposing interests, communities, geographic, natural, environmental, opportunities, climate risks. 2. How visions and sustainable urban development principles are shaping integrated urban planning and design: Participants will see the importance of an overall vision and multisector principles, using specific location and local cultural opportunities, risk-informed planning, green-blue open space systems, and infrastructure and services development concentration areas, i.e. in the cases of Nusantara and Amarvarati, Clark New City and PRC cases. 3. Models of successful phased implementation, arrangements and financing, and how ADB support can enhance sustainability: Participants will understand the different models of implementation from the cases and see what worked well and what didn’t and the role of ADB in supporting the sustainability of large-scale new urban developments, like Amaravati and Nusantara, Clark New City and cases from the PRC. Speakers:
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| Inclusive Sanitation: Solutions for Every Community Shark Tank Innovation Hub | The session will highlight innovative sanitation solutions tailored for diverse communities, from urban areas to remote villages. Using a Shark Tank format, this dynamic event is where innovation meets impact. Sanitation changemakers will present their models, technologies, or pilot programs to a distinguished panel of judges, referred to as our “Sharks.” This session is aimed at sharing and refining ideas or concepts that are ready for implementation. The pitches from these changemakers will cover a range of topics, including decentralized treatment solutions, policies, and legislation. The focus of this session is to help exceptional ideas with real potential gain momentum and support for growth. It emphasizes solutions, connections, and valuable feedback. By the end of the session, participants will have learned… 1. the emphasized need for inclusive, innovative sanitation solutions fit for different communities. 2. innovative and bold ideas to address pressing sanitation concerns, and insights and suggestions on how to improve their potential; and 3. how powerful, solution-focused support can unlock energy, surface fresh thinking, and move ideas forward in developing potential sanitation solutions. Speakers:
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