The seventy-sixth session (CS 76) of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)  was successfully conducted on a virtual platform for the first time in its history,  due to the COVID 19 situation, on 21 May 2020, in Bangkok. The CS 76 deliberated on ‘Promoting economic, social and environmental cooperation on oceans for sustainable development’, reiterating commitments to realize SDG 14 on ‘life below water’, as its key theme for the Session. Delegations also engaged on a discussion on ‘Regional cooperation to address the socio-economic effects of the global health crisis’, where Sri Lanka joined in cosponsoring the resolution presented by the Secretariat, emphasizing the need for collaborative action in response to the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic to the world and particularly to the developing countries in the most populous Asia and the Pacific Region.