CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
9th Regional Symposium on Effective Governance and AI Transformation: Strengthening Institutions through Technology and Innovation for SDG Acceleration
July 09, 2025
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The 9th Regional Symposium on Effective Governance and AI Transformation is a United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)’s annual event in the Asia and the Pacific region and beyond. This dynamic gathering brings together public sector leaders, policymakers, tech innovators, and development experts to explore how artificial intelligence and institutional innovation can accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Organized by the UN Project Office on Governance (UNPOG), through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) of the UN DESA, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) of the Republic of Korea and Incheon Metropolitan City, the 9th Regional Symposium is set to take place on 24-26 September 2025 in Incheon, Republic of Korea.
This year’s theme on “Strengthening Institutions through Technology and Innovation for SDG Acceleration” puts particular emphasis on the dual imperative of innovation and inclusion and responds to the urgent need for public institutions to become more agile inclusive, and future-ready in the face of rapidly evolving technological landscapes, all while making bold strides toward the 2030 Agenda in the remaining five years.
The 9th Regional Symposium provides a powerful platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange, aimed at strengthening public institutions in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond by promoting institutional innovation and leveraging AI to create inclusive, future-ready governance that accelerates the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also aligns local priorities with global commitments, to enhance public service delivery, foster regional partnerships, and advance SDG implementation.
Objectives
The 9th Regional Symposium aims to serve as a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange to strengthen the capacities of public institutions in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond by promoting institutional innovation and harnessing artificial intelligence for inclusive and future-ready governance:
- Promote institutional innovation and governance strategies that support inclusive AI transformation and improve service delivery
- Advance ethical, responsible AI systems and readiness assessments
- Identify strategies for skilling and upskilling, and retaining talent in public sector workforces in the era of generative and agentic AI
- Highlight local and youth-led governance models utilizing AI and innovation for SDG progress
- Share digital tools and strategic foresight approaches to anticipate future governance challenges.
- Understand the nexus between human behaviour and AI to inform policy design in an age of complexity and uncertainty.
Thematic Areas
The Symposium will feature a high-level opening session, and a setting-the-scene session titled “Public Governance in the Digital Era: Harnessing Innovation and Emerging Technologies to Build Institutions Fit for the Future”. It will be structured around the Quintet of Change for the UN 2.0. It will also explore how governments can harness innovation and emerging technologies to build more inclusive, responsive, and accountable institutions, by examining the themes on:
- Skilling, Upskilling, and Retaining Talent in the Public Sector
- AI Governance
- AI for Inclusive Public Services
- Community Innovation and Local Governance for SDG Localization
- Behavioural Science and Strategic Foresight
- From Generative to Agentic AI in the Public Sector
- Youth Innovation in Public Service
Documents
Agenda
Information Note
Booklet
To access the presentation materials and video recordings, please click the link here.
Contact Information
UN DESA/DPIDG
Juwang Zhu, Director, DPIDG/UN DESA
Adriana Alberti, Chief, Programme Management and Capacity Development Unit/DPIDG/UN DESA
UN DESA/DPIDG/UNPOG
Changseob Han, Head, UN Project Office on Governance (UNPOG)/DPIDG/UN DESA
Ana Cristina Thorlund, Governance and Public Administration Expert | thorlund@un.org
Prabin Maharjan, Programme Management Expert, UNPOG/DPIDG/UN DESA | prabin.maharjan@un.org
Hye Kyung (Shelley) Choi, Programme Management Assistant, UNPOG/DPIDG/UN DESA | choi9@un.org
