The 12th APFSD took place from February 25 to 28, 2025, at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand, and emphasized the need for "Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions" for the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for leaving no one behind in Asia and the Pacific, where climate change and natural disasters worsen socio-economic inequalities, particularly in vulnerable communities.

Prior to the APFSD, APRCEM held a two-day conference focused on preparation and strategizing ways to amplify civil society voices during the forum.

While technology and data-driven solutions are often seen as pathways to sustainability, then whose data is being collected? Who controls it? For farmers, indigenous and marginalized groups, data security is not just about privacy—it’s about protecting ancestral knowledge, avoiding land displacement, and preserving livelihoods from extraction and exploitation.

Moreover, who gets to define science? Farmers, skilled laborers, and indigenous knowledge keepers have been the real scientists for centuries, perfecting water management, regenerative agriculture, and climate-adaptive agriculture and construction long before modern interventions. Their expertise must be recognized and centered, rather than erased by a few rich actors who prioritize profit over people.

APRCEM remains a key force in ensuring civil society engagement at regional and global levels. Its collaboration with UN ESCAP has inspired similar mechanisms worldwide, strengthening participation in multilateral spaces for people’s organizations’ role in decision-making. In the face of multiple and deepening crises, genuine solutions must center on grassroots voices. True sustainable development can only be achieved by dismantling systemic barriers that undermine people's right to development.