The Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue-2026, jointly organized by the Secretariat of the State Great Hural of Mongolia, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, and the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) at Stanford University, will take place at the State Palace on 3 July 2026. This year's conference will be held under the theme: "SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals."

This year's conference will be attended by distinguished international scholars and researchers, including the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon; Professor Kiyoteru Tsutsui, Director of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University; Professor Zhiyun Ouyang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Foreign Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences; Mengye Zhu, Senior Scientist at the Natural Capital Alliance of Stanford University; Professor James Fishkin of Stanford University; Professor Leif-Eric Easley of the Division of International Studies at Ewha Womans University, specializing in International Security and Political Economy; and Asset Abdualiyev, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Valley's Silkroad Innovation Hub. Members of the State Great Hural and the Government of Mongolia will also participate and share their views.

Within the framework of the theme "Partnership for the Goals," four parallel sessions will be organized under the following main topics: "Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Inclusive Innovation," "Critical Minerals, Mining and Green Technology," "Women's Leadership and Empowerment," and "Democracy and Civil Engagement." Scholars from leading universities around the world, along with representatives of government agencies and international organizations, will deliver presentations and participate in discussions.

For example, Mongolia's 34th Prime Minister, G. Zandanshatar, will speak at the opening session, followed by a discussion on democratic civil participation, featuring former Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations Kim Sook and Professor James Fishkin of Stanford University.

Since its inception, the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue has been convened on three occasions. Previous conferences addressed global challenges including gender equality, peace and justice, strong institutions, and regional cooperation, resulting in policy recommendations and numerous collaborative initiatives.

According to the Media and Public Relations Department of the State Great Hural, the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue 2026 places particular emphasis on strengthening cooperation among countries, international organizations, academia, and the private sector; accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals; and fostering a shared understanding of regional development, security, and good governance.

The Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue builds upon the ongoing Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue initiative launched in 2022 by Shorenstein APARC and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future. 

Growing up on a Philippine military base, Gaea Morales’ interest in global politics is rooted in questions of what drives successful local peacebuilding and security. Spending summers between Manila and Davao in her youth, she was first exposed to the ways socioeconomic insecurity, especially as a result of disaster-driven resource scarcity, can foment conflict and institutional distrust. At the same time, her exposure to community-led disaster relief efforts highlighted the importance of building rapport and community engagement in effective public service delivery.  

When she first came to the U.S. to pursue a degree in diplomacy, she had hoped to develop expertise in environmental governance and join the foreign service to advance climate security and cooperation. Amid growing state-led backlash against global environmental institutions, however, she started to question the linkages between international and domestic politics and the limits of a state-centric international order in responding to transboundary threats. Inspired by mentors across academia and the public sector working to sustain international commitments at the most local level, she pursued a doctorate anchored on the question of how cities translate global norms within local institutions, especially in climate-vulnerable contexts like her home region of Southeast Asia.

As APARC’s 2025-26 Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow on Contemporary Asia, Gaea spent the last academic year developing her dissertation into a book project that illuminates the factors that incentivize and enable local governments to participate in global governance, and more specifically, to implement climate action initiatives even in the absence of central government support. Looking ahead, she is working to dedicate her career to blurring the lines between traditional conceptions of global and local politics while bridging research and policy in the realm of climate resilience and sustainable development.

We spoke with Gaea about her work and fellowship experience at APARC. This interview has been edited lightly for clarity.
 

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Could you describe your research briefly?

Broadly, my research centers on the question of what happens between negotiating international agreements and the local delivery of services, or between “thinking globally” and “acting locally.” The climate crisis challenges the status quo of global governance practices: while most of our approaches focus on national mitigation and adaptation commitments, the burdens of the crisis are unevenly distributed across and within countries. I join a growing community of scholars and practitioners who are responding to this empirical reality by studying local and regional governments as global actors in their own right. More narrowly, my book project investigates why and how some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable cities innovate in response to climate challenges, while also operating within their respective sociolegal and financial responsibilities and constraints.

My other projects also lie at the intersection of global and local environmental governance, including studying cross-sectoral local (i.e., public-academic) partnerships in sustainable policy development, local policy implications of the institutionalization of environmental rights in international law and courts, rural-urban inequalities in foreign disaster aid distribution, and the local adoption of anticipatory action frameworks.

What sparked your passion for your academic topic?

My passion for environmental issues is deeply rooted in my own experiences and those of my community. Born and raised in the Philippines, I witnessed firsthand how extreme weather and natural disasters can not only drive conflict, but also shape the way people live their everyday lives: from anticipating school and work suspensions during the monsoon season, price hikes on produce due to droughts, and even nationwide donation drives and fundraisers. Media narratives often highlight Filipino “resilience” amid calamity. Yet such discourse raises questions about who bears responsibility for disaster response and prevention when failing public infrastructure exacerbates climate risks and disproportionately burdens some communities over others.

Early in my academic journey as a student of international relations, I was inspired by the potential of landmark negotiations, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (2015) and the Paris Agreement (2016), to develop environmental standards by which to hold our political leaders accountable. But, ultimately, I was inspired by my mentors in both the academic and policy worlds, from Manila to Los Angeles, who have instilled in me the belief that all global politics is local and that civic engagement with and especially across local governments can catalyze policy, progressive action, and innovation from the bottom up.

What message do you hope people will take from your research?

A key message of my research is that, although national governments commit to international agreements, local context and local champions determine which projects get implemented and how. The knowledge, capacity, and political will of local leaders are shaped not just by central government mandates or their supporters, but also by a desire to build a reputation within a network of cities, international organizations, and other global actors. As cities across the globe face increasingly similar climate challenges, they can exchange lessons learned and use their credibility to access technical and financial support to then act on these lessons.

On that note, I also want to shed light on the complexity of climate and environmental governance and make a case for stronger multi-level governance standards that integrate international, national, and local perspectives right from the negotiating and planning phases through project implementation.

You conducted field research in three major Southeast Asian capitals: Bangkok, Jakarta, and Metro Manila. What similarities and differences did you find across these cities’ responses to climate vulnerabilities and in their climate politics?

Although Jakarta, Metro Manila, and Bangkok possess unique characteristics and, by extension, have varying environmental priorities, they share many of the same challenges one would expect of rapidly urbanizing coastal capitals in an era of climate change. Governments across all cities had climate change, disaster response and recovery, and/or environmental issues more broadly as a priority issue area. For example, it was unsurprising to learn that Jakarta – the world’s fastest-sinking megacity – was focused on innovating flood management, including digital flood-monitoring systems and mangrove restoration along the northern coast of the capital.

Given the twin challenges of pollution and mobility in the Philippines’ capital region, cities in Metro Manila, such as Quezon City, have focused on developing local infrastructure for air-quality monitoring and electrification of public transit.

Finally, Bangkok is also facing the threats of extreme heat and subsidence, and it is investing heavily in tree-planting initiatives and the accessibility of parks and green spaces for stormwater retention and cooling.

All local governments, to varying degrees, cited limited resources to develop the plans and projects that central governments required to meet their respective country’s international commitments. To meet this governance gap, all cities actively incorporated lessons learned either directly from other cities through bilateral or multilateral forums or directly through partnerships with city network organizations and development agencies that provided both technical and financial support.

How has the postdoctoral fellowship at APARC supported your research and your experience at Stanford?

My time at APARC was incredibly enriching, thanks in large part to its remarkable diversity spanning nationalities, professional backgrounds, areas of expertise, and epistemological approaches. I’m humbled to have been a part of this interdisciplinary and supportive community. As an early-career researcher, I’m especially grateful to have had the chance to engage with leading scholars whose legacies continue to shape (Southeast) Asian studies.

Finally, I’m grateful for having the opportunity to participate in APARC’s annual Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue (TPSD), held in Manila in November 2025. This event allowed me to share my research findings with local stakeholders (several of whom I first met while conducting fieldwork as a graduate student) and learn directly from policy experts and scholars with overlapping questions and interests.

What future research areas are you exploring? And what’s on the horizon for you professionally?

There is still so much ground to cover related to global environmental governance, and I’m excited to keep pursuing this topic in both my research and pedagogy. I’ll continue work on my book project as well as ongoing work on urban-rural inequalities in climate resilience, environmental rights, and anticipatory action initiatives in the Philippines, and I look forward to teaching courses on global environmental politics. I’m also eager to explore future projects on the global ecosystem of climate financing mechanisms, including the evolution of the fund for responding to loss and damage (FRLD), the intersection of corruption and climate risks, and ways to mitigate climate-driven internal displacement through a gender equity lens.

This coming Fall 2026, I will be starting as the Helen Houlahan Rigali Assistant Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. It’s a privilege to be able to continue my research (at another global city, no less) and join such a vibrant community of scholars at Loyola. 

What advice would you give to prospective APARC postdoctoral scholars?

One of the most influential pieces of advice I’ve received, especially while I was on the academic job market, is: Don’t reject yourself for an opportunity. Believe and bet on yourself. I’m so incredibly grateful for my time at Stanford, and I wouldn’t have had this opportunity (and many others leading up to it) if I had let self-doubt keep me from applying in the first place. If you believe in yourself and the value of your contributions, your work will speak for itself.

And once you’re here, don’t forget to explore within and beyond Encina Hall whenever you get the chance. Stanford – and the broader Bay Area - has so much to offer, from seminars showcasing cutting-edge research in progress, hands-on pedagogical and data science training workshops, to global forums addressing a wide range of contemporary issues.

The Office of the President of Mongolia, under the auspices of the President of Mongolia and in collaboration with the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future of the Republic of Korea and Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) of the United States, will host the international conference “Sustainability Dialogue 2025 – Climate Action: Billions of Trees” from June 5-7, 2025, in Ulaanbaatar.

The Sustainability Dialogue serves as a strategic cornerstone for fostering regional collaboration and advancing sustainable development. The dialogue will bring together global policymakers, experts, researchers, and practitioners, who will convene to address shared environmental challenges and tackle the escalating impacts of climate change through urgent and coordinated global action – the vision captured in Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13) of the United Nations-adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The conference will serve as a platform to reinforce collective commitment to SDG 13 by advancing efforts in mitigation, adaptation, policy integration, education and awareness, and the mobilization of international financial support.

In alignment with the vision of Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, the President of Mongolia and his national “Billion Trees” initiative, the conference will host discussions under the following four themes: Climate Financing for Sustainability; Technical Cooperation, Social Responsibility, and Expertise Sharing; Partnerships for Climate Resiliency and Regional Sustainability; and Climate Action Through Land Restoration and Conservation.

More than 400 participants from 11 countries will attend the conference, including over 40 distinguished speakers from the environmental, financial, and technological sectors. Notable opening speakers include: The 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chairman of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, H.E. Ban Ki-moon; APARC Director and Stanford's William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea, Professor Gi-Wook Shin; Deputy State Secretary for Hungarian Communities Abroad of the Office of the Prime Minister of Hungary Péter Szilágyi; and Director of the Coordination Office of the G20 Initiative on Land, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Muralee Thummarukudy, who will also give a keynote speech. Other keynote speakers include Deputy Chairwoman of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia Khurelbaatar Bulgantuya, Member of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia and Minister of Foreign Affairs Batmunkh Battsetseg, and Environment and Green Development Policy Advisor to the President of Mongolia Nyam-Osor Batkhuu.

“Sustainability Dialogue 2025 – Climate Action: Billions of Trees” builds upon the ongoing Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue initiative launched in 2022 by APARC and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future. This initiative includes the 2022 inaugural convening and the 2023 Dialogue on Energy Security (SDG 7) in Seoul, Republic of Korea; the 2024 Dialogue on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9) at Stanford University; and two Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue sub-regional convenings in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, one focused on Advancing Gender Equity and Women’s Empowerment (SDG 5) in 2023 and the other on Promoting Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16) in 2024. Together, these convenings have played a critical role in generating impactful contributions to developing sustainable solutions that benefit Asia, the Altai region, and the global community.
 

• View the announcement by the Office of the President of Mongolia >
• View the conference agenda >

The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) at Stanford University and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future announced today the third annual Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue (TPSD), set to take place at Stanford University on October 10-11, 2024. This year's dialogue focuses on promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, fostering innovation, and building resilient infrastructure — the vision encompassed in Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG 9). Registration for the conference is now open.

APARC and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation launched the TPSD initiative in 2022 to fast-track the United Nations-adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its underlying 17 Global Goals. By gathering social science researchers and scientists from Stanford University and across the Asia-Pacific region alongside government officials, experts from the private and public sectors, and emerging leaders, the dialogue initiative aims to spur transnational research and policy collaborations to expedite the implementation of the SDGs.

This year’s event follows the momentum generated in previous dialogue gatherings held in Asia, most recently the 2023 TPSD on energy security (SDG 7) and its last sub-regional dialogue on peace and justice (SDG 16). Convening this year for the first time at Stanford University, the two-day event is made possible thanks to the active co-organization of multiple partners: the Asian Development Bank, Ewha Womans University, Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission, Korea Environment Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and the Natural Capital Project of Stanford University.

With just six years remaining, progress on the 2030 Agenda is severely lagging worldwide. According to the 2024 Sustainable Development Goals Report, only 17 percent of the SDG targets are on track, nearly half are showing minimal or moderate progress, and progress on over one-third has stalled since 2020 or even regressed below the 2015 baseline levels. Against this backdrop, this year’s TPSD will center on SDG 9 and its foundational role in the Global Goals framework. The vision at the core of SDG 9 — namely, industrial development that makes opportunities accessible to all and is grounded in technological innovation and resilient infrastructure — is pivotal for achieving economic resilience, social development, and the green transition toward a decarbonized future.

"The 2024 TPSD will offer a unique platform for cross-sector leaders to highlight where interventions are most urgently needed to close disparities in achieving SDG 9 and assess best practices to expedite progress,” said Stanford sociologist Gi-Wook Shin, the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea and director of APARC. “With Stanford’s innovation ecosystem, industry collaboration, and commitment to accelerating interdisciplinary solutions to global challenges, there is no better place to pursue this work."

Day One of the dialogue will open with a plenary focused on the role of world leaders in advancing higher education and sustainable innovation, featuring Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations; Zandanshatar Gombojav, Chairman of the 7th and 8th State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia; Eun Mee Kim, President of Ewha Womans University; and Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Director of the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy. The following plenary sessions will examine practical pathways and policies for catalyzing climate change diplomacy across sectors, sustainable industrialization in the Indo-Pacific, and financing for resilient infrastructure in the region.

"With only six years left to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, we are facing increasing instability and uncertainty due to serious global challenges: the worsening climate crisis, the exacerbation of regional conflicts, and the deepening of economic inequality,” notes Mr. Ban. “Under these challenging circumstances, the significance of this 2024 Dialogue lies in accelerating multilateral cooperation among Asia-Pacific countries to share experiences and knowledge to narrow the gap in achieving the goal of building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation."

On Day Two, expert sessions will discuss strategies for leveraging investments, cooperation, and ecopreneurship for resilient infrastructure and social change. The day will also include a policy roundtable on integrating the value of the environment into policy and decision-making for sustainable development and two parallel workshops with young scholars and entrepreneurs, highlighting the role of emerging leaders in shaping the future of sustainable industry. They will present their work on design thinking for developing sustainable technology and equitable infrastructure and strengthening labor force participation and development for inclusive industries.

The 2024 TPSD reflects the commitment of APARC, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, and our partners to advance stronger and more effective international cooperation to create a surge in the implementation of the SDGs. We invite scholars, policymakers, industry leaders, civil society experts, and all interested stakeholders to join us in this effort.

To register for the conference and access the full program, visit the 2024 TPSD webpage.

About the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) is Stanford University's esteemed institute dedicated to addressing critical issues impacting Asia and its relations with the United States. Through interdisciplinary research, education, and dialogue, APARC seeks to shape innovative policy solutions and enhance collaboration among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. For more information, visit aparc.stanford.edu.

About the Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future
The Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future upholds the legacy and vision of Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations. Guided by the principles of unification, communication, co-existence, and dedication, the Foundation works tirelessly towards achieving peace, security, development, and human rights. Collaborating with international organizations and stakeholders, the Foundation actively supports the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the 2050 carbon net-zero target set by the Paris Climate Accord. For more information, visit eng.bf4bf.or.kr.

Contact

For further information on the Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue, contact Cheryll Alipio, Shorenstein APARC’s Associate Director for Program and Policy at calipio@stanford.edu.