Resident Coordinator's Remarks at "Youth for SDGs" Workshop

Distinguished experts, government officials, students, and friends.

It is an absolute pleasure to join you today at this workshop as we embrace the agenda of youth for SDGs in Thailand.

The partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is central as they represent Thailand across global platforms to showcase what has worked in country and to support the acceleration of SDGs across ASEAN and other less developed countries.

Young people like you are custodians of the country and play a dominant role in its green transformation by lowering emissions, protecting the environment, and boosting social and economic inclusion to leave no one behind.

This is why workshops like this are so important. They allow the UN to connect directly with young people, hear your voice and reflect that in our work.

As you know, the world has been experiencing multiple global crises, which include climate change to economic slowdowns combined with rising geopolitical tensions.

All countries are affected, with the less developed countries being impacted even more severely as they are financially even more stressed.

In many ways COVID served as the tipping point.  

This is resulting in higher prices of food, fuel, and consumer goods, for instance.

This makes it even more important to speed up progress on the SDGs because accomplishing them will mean positive outcomes for people, the planet, and the economy. 

The 17 SDGs are a multilateral endeavor, which brings the 193 countries to collectively commit to achieving these goals by 2030.

It is this sense of solidarity and unity of purpose, that defines the SDGs.

These 17 goals are integrated, inter-related and inter-dependent, which means that achieving one of the goals will positively impact many of the others.

However, there is no one size fits all approach to achieving the SDGs.

Achieving them will require Governments, businesses, civil society, and young people coming together cohesively.

This year reflects the midpoint for SDGs.

However, globally the SDGs are off track.

A recent report by the SG shows that only 12% are on track to be achieved by 2030.  

In contrast, the progress in Thailand has been much more robust.

42% of the indicators are on track. A third need acceleration and a quarter are regressing.

There are 2 goals where much more progress is needed. These include goal 13 on climate action and goal 2 on eliminating hunger with a focus on sustainable agriculture and reducing food waste for which UN is partnering with the MOAC to use satellite technology and farm-based surveys to fill the data gap.   

The UNCT in Thailand consists of 21 UN agencies working in partnership with the government, the private sector and civil society to speed up progress on all the goals. 

Among our agencies are many that you may already be familiar with, including the WHO, UNESCO, UNDP, and UNICEF.

All the 21 agencies are bringing science-based and technological solutions, digitization, and policy advice to a wide range of projects across the country.

There are three key areas that the UN priorities in it support to the 13 NESDP.

First, supporting a transition to a green, inclusive, and low carbon economy.

Second, speeding up a digital transformation to empower communities and people of all ages.

And three, addressing inequalities to make sure no one is left behind.

Importantly, our work targets a nationwide transformation and are reaching out to a fourth of the provinces.

Last year we deepened this outreach through a ceremony where all the 76 governors committed themselves to localizing the SDGs.

Allow me to share with you 3 examples of good practice:

The UN’s partnership with the MOI is enabling 12 million rural households to segregate their waste and reduce their carbon emissions.

This is already yielding over 550,000 tons in carbon reductions each year.  This equal taking 100,000 passenger cars off the roads.

The first tranche of the carbon credits have been bought by a Thai bank (Kasikorn Bank) two weeks back and the money will be used by local administrative organizations to invest in local infrastructure supporting the process of deepening decentralization.

Second, the WHO is partnering with the MOPH in remote areas of northern province to introduce community-led diagnosis, treatment, and management of hypertension – which is the key cause for heart attacks - using telemedicine.

15 million people suffer from hypertension in Thailand.

This pilot, which involves village health volunteers and primary health care officials shows that 59% have benefitted from these protocols.

If successful, this will be scaled up nationwide.  

Third, UNDP, UN Women and IOM are working with businesses to introduce human rights due diligence in line with Government’s NAP.

This means that businesses commit themselves to protect their workers’ rights and address their grievances.

At the same time, they also commit themselves to reduce their environmental footprints by reducing their GHG emissions and eliminating pollution.

In these and other initiatives young people are playing a key role as they are powerful agents of change.

At the UN we have set up a Youth Panel with 12 young people from across the country, each of them with their own unique interests.

I engage with them regularly and they guide us in our work.

They also help boost UN’s soft power and broaden our outreach to young people via social media platforms.

For example, on the UN’s Instagram account alone we now have over 8,000 engagements daily.  

They have told me that the UN in Thailand is not very accessible, use language that they do not understand and does not set out pathways for young people to engage on SDGs.

As young people you may be wondering how you could contribute to the SDGs. There are three things that you do more of in your schools and communities. 

Think about the SDGs and think big,

Act on them, and

Bring digital solutions to speed up SDG progress.

Every contribution small or big makes a difference.

Your contributions can lead Thailand to a better future and can also make the country an example for other nations to follow on the global stage.

Thank you.