Building People-Centered Mobility: Where Does the Shift Need to Happen in South and Southeast Asia?

About this event

Recent global disruptions, from the COVID-19 pandemic to fuel price shocks, have exposed the vulnerability of transport systems that remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels especially across South and Southeast Asia. Rising fuel and transport costs can quickly translate into higher household expenses and delivery costs, while making access to jobs, markets, goods, and essential services more difficult, particularly for those with the least capacity to absorb these shocks. As these disruptions and uncertainties continue, building transport systems that are more resilient and less vulnerable to external shocks is increasingly urgent. In 2023, the United Nations declared the Decade of Sustainable Transport, beginning in 2026. As momentum builds around solutions towards cleaner transport, the transition also presents an opportunity to rethink how transport systems can become more accessible, affordable, and resilient, while responding to local realities. The question is: where does the greatest potential for shift lie, and what will it take to move from momentum to meaningful transformation? Across South and Southeast Asia, cities, communities, and civil society are already advancing diverse approaches from improving and electrifying public transport to investing in walking, cycling, and stronger first- and last-mile connections. Grassroots and non-state actors are also pushing change by generating evidence, testing solutions, and bringing community realities into transport decision-making. Organized by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) under the Clean Mobility Collective (CMC), this session will bring together CMC members and other non-state actors to examine the realities of mobility on the ground; what is happening in cities and communities, who is being left behind, and where implementation continues to fall short. This session will be a candid fireside chat to unpack the practical challenges of policy, investment, and movement-building, including what is working, what isn’t, where the key gaps lie, and how civil society, non-state actors, and funders can help advance inclusive, scalable, and locally grounded solutions.