With a recent UN report noting that Asia-Pacific countries have fallen short of the 2020 milestones for the Sustainable Development Goals, UN Under-Secretary-General Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana stressed the need for resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability to build back better in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. She made the remarks during the Asian Development Bank's Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) 2021.

SEADS 2021, Innovation through Collaboration: Planning for an Inclusive Post-COVID-19 Recovery, was held on 17–18 March.