Every year on World Environment Day, we are reminded that protecting nature is not simply an environmental responsibility. It is an economic imperative.Nature is business -- and it is everyone's business.Every meal we eat, every drop of water we drink and countless jobs and industries depend on healthy ecosystems, from the forests that regulate water supplies to the mangroves and coral reefs that protect coastlines.Agriculture, forestry and tourism contribute almost 30% of Thailand's GDP, and more than 70% of the country's economy-wide value depends directly on nature.Yet that living system is under growing strain.Thailand is already among the top 20 hardest-hit countries in the world by climate change. The El Niño weather patterns currently forming, which may hit from as early as this month, are expected to supercharge extreme weather events in ways that are hard to predict. The combined impacts of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution today threaten 1,600 animal, bird and plant species across Thailand.The animals, birds and plants that call Thailand home are more than symbols of national heritage; they are iconic. They stabilise nature and the economic and social systems that depend on it. They bring tourists to Thailand's shores. They stir school children to care for the environment.For a time in 2024, the tiny "Moo Deng", a pygmy hippopotamus named after a Thai dish that means "bouncy pork", became one of the most recognisable animals on the planet.Such species remind us to get emotional about nature. They help us to connect with the beautiful places that we care about. They give us hope.But these animals, birds and plants cannot advocate for themselves, and the communities that protect them -- by protecting their environment -- need your help.That is why, on World Environment Day, UNDP and Thai apparel brand YUEDPAO launched the Icons of Hope campaign in partnership with Central Pattana.Designed in partnership with Thailand's Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning and the youth community artist group Dek Rak Thoong from Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, the Icons of Hope campaign draws inspiration from three ecosystems that Thailand's most iconic species call home -- forests, wetlands and marine and coastal ecosystems.In forests, the Indochinese tiger helps to maintain ecological balance while the great hornbill disperses seeds that regenerate the forest.In wetlands, the fishing cat, purple swamphen and lotus connect land and water, supporting rich biodiversity while helping to reduce floods and sustain fisheries.Along Thailand's coasts, dugongs and green sea turtles depend on healthy seagrass meadows for food, while seagrass helps store carbon and protect shorelines.There is hope that all these species can survive and thrive: Thailand is one of the only countries in the world with a growing tiger population.The Western Forest Complex, home to 12 national parks, has seen its tiger population more than triple over the past two decades thanks to sustained conservation efforts.The challenge is not a lack of solutions. It is a lack of investment at the scale required.According to research by UNDP's Biodiversity Finance Initiative, the world faces an annual biodiversity finance gap exceeding US$700 billion (22.8 trillion baht). In Thailand alone, the gap is estimated at about copy billion per year.Closing that gap would enable full implementation of Thailand's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2023–2027), helping secure the ecosystems on which future prosperity depends. The government's Biodiversity Finance Plan outlines practical pathways for doing so.Public-private partnerships are a key ingredient, demonstrating how businesses of all sizes can be part of championing and channelling resources to nature, driving sustainability and positive impact.All profits from the YUEDPAO x UNDP Icons of Hope collection, for example, will go to support community-led initiatives that protect ecosystems, conserve threatened species and advance nature-positive development in some of Thailand's most important biodiversity landscapes through the UNDP Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Programme.YUEDPAO joins with UNDP partners Krungthai Bank in supporting the Small Grants Programme in Thailand. Krungthai Bank also provides the donation platform for the NEXTOPIA gaming application with Siam Piwat -- another public-private innovation illustrating that investing in nature is not just philanthropy; it is a business choice.Biodiversity is not something distant, hidden deep in forests or beneath the sea. From the forests that regulate water supplies to the mangroves and coral reefs that protect coastlines, it is the living system that makes life possible.Thailand has shown that conservation can succeed. The return of tiger populations in the Western Forest Complex demonstrates this.This World Environment Day, which occurs today, remember that nature is business -- and it's everyone's business. There is no better investment that we can make.Written by Niamh Collier-SmithOriginally published by Bangkok Post

A Thai woman who spent more than 20 years in prison after being found guilty of drugs trafficking – including eight on death row – has told the UN how learning to sew helped her find meaning in life behind bars, and a job when she was released.Mariyam Tadein was 21 years old when she was sentenced to death.Police found over half a million tablets of “yaba”, an illegal cocktail of methamphetamine and caffeine popular in many parts of Southeast Asia, in the house she was renting in southern Thailand.“I spent 20 years, five months, and 15 days in prison. I was sentenced to death, along with a person who was executed by lethal injection.I knew I was next, that I was going to die.There were enough yaba tablets in that house to fill an entire truck. They weren’t mine; but it did not matter.I got to prison and everything happened fast: I was charged with drug trafficking and sentenced to death. Back then, I was ready to die.Death penalty stigmaFor the next two years, I had to wear a sign at all times that said Death Penalty. I faced death for eight years. But it was during the last two that I accepted it as I was put on a special training course on how to face the countdown to death.That same year, there was a big flood and I was transferred to another prison. It was there I was told I had been granted a royal pardon over the death. My Nigerian friends also received a pardon. We were nine people. We baked a cake. We were relieved to be alive, although I felt I was already dead, as I was facing the rest of my life in prison.However, I told myself: this is going to be a long wait, so I might as well focus on something.I learned how to sew in prison classes, and then I was put to work. The more I worked, the more meaning I felt.I concentrated on the pattern of the fabric and the thread. Thread by thread. Every day.I also earned privileges in a prison I shared with 4,000 other women, like showering later in the day. Life got easier.The most difficult time for me was when I was transferred to Songkhla prison in southern Thailand. The other inmates were very poor. It was tough for me because at some point my family stopped coming to visit. They thought that I would stay in prison forever. What was the point of visiting? My husband moved on; he remarried. That was very hard, finding out.I am very proud of how I was able to focus on work. I would focus on the different patterns.I would not allow myself to focus on my story, on what led me to prison. Or on my husband’s new life. I could not change that. It was done. I needed to move forward.When I felt the bad thoughts coming, I would go back to the fabric, back to the pattern.Patterns of life and deathEverything changed during the 2004 tsunami. I was told to sew cloth bags for the bodies. I kept cutting lots of fabric because there were many deaths.That’s how I got distracted about my own life. I would focus on the pattern.”In 2021, Mariyam at age 52 received a second royal pardon for good conduct and was released from prison. The owner of a sewing business who had trained previously prisoners offered her a job. Today, age 56, she works and sews, and lives with her children and husband, with whom she is reunited.The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has provided vocational training equipment to almost 60 prisons in Thailand, enabling access to practical skills such as woodworking and sewing, enhancing opportunities for prisoners during and after incarceration.Originally published by UN News

Bangkok, Thailand, 8 May 2026 — Thailand unveiled its commemorative logo marking 80 years of UN membership at a ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The logo was selected from more than 200 entries submitted to the national design competition jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations in Thailand.The winning design blends an elephant, the Thai flag, an olive branch, and the UN emblem, reflecting a partnership dating back to 1946, when Thailand was among the first nations in Asia to join the organisation. First place went to Chamarthorn Ongsampop, 17, of Princess Chulabhorn Science High School, Pathum Thani. First runner-up was Thanawin Maneewong, and second runner-up was Raksak Nawapornpakdee.The Launch Ceremony for the Commemorative Logo of the 80th Anniversary of Thailand's Membership to the UN was presided over by Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Michaela Friberg-Storey, UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand. Also in attendance were Sudruetai Lertkasem, Director-General of the Public Relations Department, Pinsuda Jayanama, Director-General of the Department of International Organizations, and representatives from the Thai Government.[Click to view more photos]

In November 2025, Aye Myint, a refugee from Myanmar who was born and raised in Mae La camp after her family fled conflict, waited in a hospital in Tak Province to complete health insurance and administrative procedures before leaving the camp to work.By April 2026, she was in Bangkok, earning a steady income on a construction site and sending money home to support her family.“I want to earn my own living,” she said.Her journey reflects an important shift underway in Thailand. Following a landmark policy change in 2025, refugees living in camps along the border with Myanmar have begun accessing legal employment, marking a move toward greater self-reliance and inclusion in national systems.Before leaving the camp, Aye Myint earned small amounts through agricultural work. Opportunities were limited, and supporting her family was a constant concern.Now, she earns a steady income in construction, more than double her previous earnings, and regularly sends money back to Mae La. Her six-year-old daughter remains there with her grandparents, while her mother depends on her support for medical care.“I want my daughter to have a good education,” she said. “That’s why I have to work.”For employers, the shift has come at a critical time.Thanapha, who runs a construction and electrical wiring business she has built over more than a decade, has seen labour shortages make it increasingly difficult to meet project timelines. Recruiting refugee workers has helped fill part of that gap.As of March 2026, nearly 3,800 refugees from border camps had entered employment across Thailand, including in construction, agriculture and manufacturing.“We still need more workers,” she said.Through job fairs in border camps, her company has hired around 100 refugees, reflecting wider labour needs across sectors.At one construction site in Bangkok, refugee workers are part of mixed teams, learning on the job alongside more experienced colleagues.“They need time at the beginning,” she explained. “But many of them are committed to learning and improving.”The transition from camp to workplace is not always straightforward.Aye Myint and her husband first tried working in a factory but returned to the camp after a short period due to difficult conditions and the lack of accommodation. Their move into construction proved more sustainable, though the adjustment still required time.Across the system, government agencies, UNHCR, and partners are working together to strengthen recruitment processes, expand training, and support both refugees and employers through this transition.“This is a chance for them to build their lives,” Thanapha said.For Aye Myint, that opportunity is closely tied to responsibility. She works long hours and sends part of her income home each month, supporting both her daughter and her mother back in Mae La.Her focus is clear.She wants to save money, support her family, and create better opportunities for her daughter.“Maybe she can become an engineer,” she said.On International Labour Day, her story is a reminder that work is more than income. It is about dignity, stability, and the chance to shape one’s own future. For Aye Myint and many others, that opportunity is already beginning to take shape.  Originally published by UNHCR Thailand