Around Thailand: updates from the UN country team - September 2022

The UN Country Team in Thailand consists of 21 UN agencies coordinating joint programmes and tackling a range of multi-faceted priorities and key initiatives on a daily basis — from climate action to gender equality and food security. Our UN agencies are on the ground utilizing innovative approaches to problem-solving to better serve communities, supported by invaluable partnerships with the government, line ministries, local and provincial administrations, the private sector, investors and donors, the media, academia and civil society, including youth and vulnerable communities. Below are some highlights of their work this month. 

 

Our UN team in Thailand, led by Resident Coordinator Gita Sabharwal, is helping authorities to boost green technologies and production. Through the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), we are partnering with nearly 300 companies to cut food waste by up to 10 per cent, improving food production chains in key sectors, including livestock, fisheries, and rice production. With 15,000 young Thais, we developed a real-time tracker to keep organic waste in check. To cut emissions, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and 70 large and medium-sized companies are improving resource efficiency and clean production processes in the main polluting industries. UNIDO is also incubating nearly 50 entrepreneurs, mobilizing over US$13 million to innovate on low-carbon technologies from biogas to low-carbon housing and plant-based foods. For its part, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is projecting benefits of over USD 400 million if organic rice area in Northeastern Thailand is increased by as little as 10 per cent. Meanwhile, the International Trade Centre (ITC) is supporting organic agriculture by strengthening the capacities of public and private certification bodies (through the capacity building of 87 officers to date) and increasing market export knowledge among organic operators in the organic rice and organic mangosteen production sectors. We have also brought together 43 banks and investors with total assets of USD$1.3 trillion, to commit to the Sustainable Development Goals, including on climate action.