Fifth Meeting of the Infrastructure Financing and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Network of Asia and the PacificESCAP co-organized the Fifth Meeting of the Infrastructure Financing and Public- Private Partnerships (PPP) Network of Asia and the Pacific with the China Public-Private Partnerships Center (CPPPC) under the Ministry of Finance and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 22 June 2021. The virtual event gathered the heads of PPP units, infrastructure financing specialists, development partners, and academic institutions to enhance knowledge and capacity of PPP units on the effective use of PPP mechanisms as well as other infrastructure financing strategies to support the pursuit of sustainable infrastructure development. The Infrastructure Financing and PPP Network of Asia and the Pacific aims at facilitating the exchange of experiences, disseminating knowledge, and building consensus regarding good practices on infrastructure financing through PPPs. This platform allows for the promotion of peer learning opportunities, private sector collaborations, a standardized information platform, as well as capacity building on PPPs and blending different financing schemes. This Network also aims to address key challenges in preparing bankable infrastructure projects and implement concrete solutions to financing quality infrastructure that is inclusive, sustainable, and resilient. Meeting participation The Meeting will see the participation of Heads of PPP units, infrastructure financing specialists, development partners, academic institutions and other key stakeholders. Proposed Meeting deliverables - The latest updates in PPP development from Network Members; - PPP experiences and sharing current practices; - ADB: supporting quality infrastructure in developing member countries. The opening remarks were delivered by (i) Mr. Kaveh Zahedi, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNESCAP; (ii) Mr. Xiaoping Jiao, Director General, CPPPC, China; (iii) Mr. Bruno Carrasco, Director General and concurrently Chief Compliance Officer of its Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Opening remarks highlighted that PPPs need to become a mechanism to deliver resilient and sustainable development and lead the transformation of infrastructure today to avoid locking countries into unsustainable development pathways. PPPs must contribute to a carbon neutral future that contains also changing the means of production in construction materials and methods. It was also underscored for the region to “build back better” in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further stress was given to the need to further promote PPP modality and infrastructure development, as well as enhance knowledge and capacity of PPP units. All the speakers highlighted the critical need to work together to deliver the promise of PPPs in the Asia-Pacific that taps finance streams and encourages policy that aligns with sustainable and resilient infrastructure development. A total 225 participants have joined the virtual meeting. Of this number, 120 government representatives from 33 Network member States in Asia and the Pacific and beyond, as well as 105 participants from non-governmental organizations and private sector entities. We also welcomed eight new countries from Asia, Africa, Europe and North America regions . Based on the feedback evaluation, the participants were generally satisfied with the duration and the overall quality of the Meeting. The participants expressed that the Meeting achieved its stated objectives and were satisfied with the networking opportunities the Meeting provided. Additionally, regarding the content of the Meeting, the majority of the participants considered that the Meeting was clearly presented with adequate time for each presentation and discussion, the contents of the Meeting were useful for their future policy action, with the Meeting significantly increased their knowledge on infrastructure financing, the need for resilient and sustainable infrastructure development, and PPP policy. All the questions raised were addressed and answered in the Q&A session.