The 2024 Asia-Pacific Sustainability Expo, marking its third edition, is jointly guided by the National Council for Sustainable Development, Executive Yuan, and the Alliance for Sustainable Development Goals (A‧SDGs). Building on its previous success, today's exhibition has reached an unprecedented scale, targeting an attendance of 50,000 visitors over its three-day duration. 

Eugene Chien, Chairman of TAISE, emphasized that in this era of global boiling, temperature records are being broken almost every month. Moreover, with only six years remaining until 2030—the target year for both the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement—urgent global collaboration and accelerated action are imperative. 

He highlighted that the government has actively promoted various policies, including establishing the "National Climate Change Committee" and the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable development. Taiwan's private sector, including corporations, universities, hospitals, and NGOs, has shown remarkable achievements. The expo aims to facilitate exchange among these entities while encouraging public participation in sustainability initiatives. 

Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming attended the opening ceremony and personally presented awards to companies and organizations receiving the Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards. He acknowledged all award recipients as industry leaders and expressed hope that through these awards and the expo, more people would be inspired to take action. He highlighted President Lai Ching-te's "Green Growth Strategy," which emphasizes new green growth values and prioritizes environmental protection while pursuing economic development. Addressing all businesses, he acknowledged the significant pressure they face but emphasized that "carbon reduction is not a cost but an opportunity—those who do it well will profit, and the government will be your backbone." 

In 2024, six diplomatic allies—Belize, Guatemala, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tuvalu, Haiti, and Saint Lucia—set up booths at the expo and participated in the International Partnership Forum. Their presence allowed visitors to directly witness the climate and sustainability challenges faced by these allied nations, promoting mutual understanding and support. With assistance from domestic enterprises, Thai artists and Cambodian social enterprises also established booths in the international zone, bringing numerous distinctive activities. In total, 28 countries and regions, including Taiwan, participated in the exhibition, awards ceremony, summit, and forums, truly embodying SDG17's principle of "Partnerships for the Goals." 

Furthermore, in recognition of its successful implementation of various green industry development strategies, Japan's Kitakyushu City was awarded the 2024 Asia-Pacific Most Livable City Excellence Award. Vice Mayor Chikako Oba personally led a delegation to Taiwan to receive the award and attend the City Sustainability Summit. The city also set up a booth at the expo to showcase Kitakyushu's dedicated sustainability development strategies. 

In a strategic move to connect Taiwan's business community with global sustainability trends, TAISE and the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei co-hosted a groundbreaking forum with innovative Israeli startups. The event focused on exploring opportunities in sustainable energy and waste valorization technologies, aiming to spark new business ventures between these two innovation-driven economies. 

Showcasing Taiwan's growing strength in sustainability, this year's event assembled an influential gathering of over 50 corporations, 35 academic and research institutions, and 28 NGOs, each demonstrating their achievements in integrating sustainability into their core operations. The event also served as a collaborative platform for recipients of the prestigious "2024 Asia-Pacific and Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards" to share their successful approaches in translating sustainability principles into concrete actions. 

According to TAISE, the 2024 Asia-Pacific and Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards (APSAA & TSAA) drew 664 submissions - 157 from Asia-Pacific and 507 from Taiwan. A panel of 130 judges recognized 481 outstanding projects, including 111 from Asia-Pacific and 370 from Taiwan. In the Most Livable City Excellence Awards category, alongside Japan's Kitakyushu City, Taichung and Taipei maintained their "Outstanding City" status, while Pingtung County earned the "Excellence City" designation.