BANGKOK, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The Rockefeller Foundation announced it will host AsiaXchange 2026 on the margins of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund 2026 Annual Meetings in Bangkok on October 14–16. Under the theme 'Build the Shared Future', AsiaXchange will bring together leaders from across government, finance, philanthropy, business, technology and civil society to explore how the Asia region can help shape a new chapter of international cooperation, one that is more responsive to today's challenges and better equipped to deliver results.
The convening in Bangkok comes at a time of growing pressure on the institutions and norms that underpin international development. Global official development assistance fell 23.1 percent last year and is expected to decline further this year. Nearly seven in ten people globally say the world has gotten worse, while only 36 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets are currently on track.
Yet the case for cooperation remains strong. A new Rockefeller Foundation survey of more than 35,000 people across 34 countries found that 57 percent support international cooperation even when it requires compromising on some national priorities. The findings also reveal important differences across Asia. In Southeast Asia, 50 percent of respondents support such cooperation, while support reaches 58 percent in East and South Asia. Across both subregions, preventing conflict, building fairer economies and addressing climate change rank among the leading priorities for international cooperation.
"Aid is shrinking, but in Asia the demand for cooperation remains strong. The question is how to make cooperation deliver for people and the planet," said Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President of Programs, The Rockefeller Foundation. "Asia is bringing capital, leadership, innovation, and implementation experience to this challenge, and the lessons will travel well beyond the region. AsiaXchange is an opportunity to start the sort of partnerships needed to turn those strengths into action and deliver results for communities."
The program will examine international cooperation through a range of practical sessions, including:
- Meeting the Moment: An International Financial System Fit for the Future
The program will feature a keynote address from Ed Miliband, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, followed by a discussion with Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Co-Chair of IDA22 and former Finance Minister of Indonesia.The discussion follows the recent release of the report From Debt to Growth: A Proposal for a Growth and Investment Reset. This report outlines a proposal for how the international financial institutions could offer countries facing liquidity challenges from legacy external debt a pathway to growth, self-sufficiency, and private capital flows — seizing a narrow window to act before they fall into deep debt distress.
- Mobilizing Finance for Resilient and Regenerative Food Systems
The session will bring together leaders from across the public, private, development and philanthropic sectors to explore how capital can be mobilized at scale for resilient and regenerative food systems. - Building the Shared Future: What Will Countries Need From International Cooperation?
Development cooperation is changing rapidly as countries seek greater agency, technology transforms what is possible and new actors emerge. In this session, the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition will bring emerging recommendations to Bangkok for challenge and debate. - Sun to Sea Indonesia: A New Kind of Alliance for Coastal Communities
This session, co-hosted by The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, will address growing strains on Asia's coastal communities, including nature loss, unreliable power, and economic insecurity. Sun to Sea offers a holistic, place-based response, bringing together public, private, and philanthropic actors to deliver abundant energy, improved public services, and economic opportunity to coastal communities. - Financing a Heat-Resilient Future: From Asia's Frontlines to G20 Agenda
This session will examine how governments, development finance institutions, philanthropy and private capital can increase investment in extreme heat resilience, strengthen the economic case for action, and move heat resilience higher on the G20 and global economic agenda.
The discussion follows the recent release of the report From Debt to Growth: A Proposal for a Growth and Investment Reset. This report outlines a proposal for how the international financial institutions could offer countries facing liquidity challenges from legacy external debt a pathway to growth, self-sufficiency, and private capital flows — seizing a narrow window to act before they fall into deep debt distress.
Note: This is a non-exhaustive list. Please see the full list of open sessions here.
The convening will feature senior leaders and influential voices from across government, business, finance, philanthropy and civil society. Together, they will bring perspectives from across Asia and beyond to the conversations shaping the future of international cooperation.
"Asia has a powerful role to play in shaping what the next generation of international cooperation looks like," said Deepali Khanna, Senior Vice President and Head of Asia, The Rockefeller Foundation. "AsiaXchange brings together people working on these questions from very different vantage points. By connecting Asian voices, capital, ideas and experience, we can learn from what is already working across the region and explore how those lessons can help build a more prosperous shared future."
AsiaXchange 2026 builds on three prior editions of the convening, held in New Delhi in 2023, Bangkok in 2024, and Jakarta in 2025. Timed alongside the World Bank Group and IMF Annual Meetings, this year's gathering marks the broadest global platform the convening has had to date.
About The Rockefeller Foundation
Investing $30 billion over the last 113 years to promote the well-being of humanity, The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on unlikely partnerships and innovative solutions that deliver measurable results for people in the United States and around the world. We leverage scientific breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and new technologies to make big bets across energy, food, health, and finance, including with our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn, Instagram @rockefellerfdn, and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation.
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Rockefeller Foundation Brings AsiaXchange 2026 to Bangkok to Build the Shared Future Through International Cooperation
