GBA-ASEAN Initiative
To Strengthen Trade, Finance, Technology, and Policy Linkages of
the Great Bay Area and ASEAN
January 21-23, 2026
đź“ŤManila
Latest News
Supporting the Philippines’ ASEAN Presidency:
SDSN GAI Delegation Meets Government Leaders
From January 21 to 23, 2026, Professor Jeffrey Sachs (President of UN SDSN), Dr. Sonia Sachs (Research Scholar at Columbia University), and Philo Wang (Head of Policy and Research for Asia and SIDS, SDSN) visited Manila to meet with senior officials from the Philippines government.
With the Philippines serving as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2026, the visit aimed to support the Philippines' Presidency and facilitate the cooperation under the GBA-ASEAN Initiative (GAI).
As the 2026 ASEAN Chair, the Philippines plays a critical role in promoting regional cooperation. This visit marked an important step for the next phase of the GBA-ASEAN Initiative implementation and paved the way for deeper cooperation across multiple sectors between the two regions.
On January 21, the delegation held a lunch meeting with Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), after which they met with Undersecretary for Policy Leo M. Herrera-Lim at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
On January 23, at the Department of Trade and Industry, thedelegation was received by Secretary Cristina Roque and Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo.
These meetings and discussions helped set the stage for GBA-ASEAN collaboration in business, sustainable development, research, and policy.
January 13-15, 2026
Visiting Hong Kong SAR Government
đź“Ť Hong Kong
From January 13 to 15, 2026, Professor Jeffrey Sachs (President of UN SDSN), Dr. Sonia Sachs (Research Scholar at Columbia University), and Philo Wang (Head of Policy and Research for Asia and SIDS at the SDSN) visited the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for a series of high-level meetings with key government officials.
The visit aimed to deepen SDSN’s understanding of the HKSAR government’s function, strengthen collaborations, and foster regional cooperation while promoting the newly launched GBA-ASEAN Initiative.
The delegation also met with leadership from various government bureaus, including the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Trade and Industry Department, Financial Services, the Treasury Bureau, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Development Bureau and the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Environment and Ecology Bureau, etc.
During the visit, Prof. Sachs was received by HKSAR Chief Executive Mr. John Lee, Financial Secretary Mr. Paul Chan, and Secretary for Justice Mr. Paul Lam. The group exchanged insights and visions of Hong Kong’s strategic role in regional cooperation and global sustainable development.
The GAI delegation expresses gratitude to the HKSAR Government for the warm reception and considerate arrangement. Moving forward, the GAI will continue to work closely with the HKSAR Government and local stakeholders to promote regional cooperation, sustainable development, and economic integration across Asia.
October 31-November 1, 2025
The GBA-ASEAN Conference
on Trade, Finance, and Sustainable Development
đź“ŤHong Kong & Shenzhen
On October 31 and November 1, 2025, the UN SDSN launched the Greater Bay Area-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Initiative (GBA-ASEAN Initiative, GAI), a new multi-year flagship program hosted by the SDSN and its partners in Asia.
The program began with a two-day conference in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, bringing together hundreds of business leaders, scholars, and government officials of the Greater Bay Area in China (GBA).
The GBA comprises 11 cities in southern China: the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, as well as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing. This cluster recently rose to the top of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII) as the #1 innovation cluster in the world, outranking Tokyo–Yokohama and San Jose–San Francisco (Silicon Valley). Many speakers at the conference noted that this development made the launch especially relevant and well-timed.
The GAI aims to connect this rapidly growing region with the wider network of Southeast Asian countries. These areas already have extensive cultural and economic ties, but, with the growing uncertainty about the United States’ role in the global economy, it has never been more important to build connections at the grassroots level. This includes, for example, student and faculty exchanges among universities in the GBA and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as at the highest corporate level, such as by establishing offices and factories in neighboring countries.
The initiative aims to fill the existing gap in technological and informational exchange between ASEAN and China. By facilitating political, business, and academic dialogue and conducting rigorous research, it aims to strengthen cross-border investment and financial cooperation to fuel sustainable growth and development.
