Thailand Marks Milestone in Localizing SDGs Through Data-Driven Community Investment

Bangkok, 20 August 2025 – Thailand today celebrates a milestone in its journey to localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the closing ceremony of the Joint SDG Fund project, ‘Partnership to Accelerate SDG Localization in Thailand.’ Led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, the initiative has successfully bridged local data gaps and transformed insights into targeted SDG investment for communities.

Over 120 representatives from government agencies, state enterprises, local authorities, the private sector, academia, and civil society came together to exchange knowledge on local SDG monitoring, innovative financing, waste bank development, and inclusive participation under the theme “Advancing Local Action for SDGs: Developing Insight into Investment and Action.” Drawing on lessons from the project’s pilot provinces of Udon Thani and Surat Thani, the platform deepened stakeholders’ understanding of practical tools and models for local SDG implementation, strengthened cross-sector collaboration, generated insights for future policy, and reaffirmed commitments to integrate the SDGs into local planning, financing, and monitoring.

“SDG Localization is not merely about frameworks or mechanisms—it is about people. It is about ensuring that the promise of the SDGs is felt in everyday life, bringing hope, resilience, and tangible benefits to our communities.” said Mr. Saransak Srikruanet, Inspector General, Ministry of Interior.

Through the Joint SDG Fund, the project has delivered a suite of scalable tools, models, and frameworks to support provinces and municipalities in implementing the SDGs. Key achievements include:

• A National Voluntary Local Review (VLR) Framework to guide municipalities in monitoring SDG progress focused on people’s ‘perspective’ towards SDGs, alongside the completion of the Koh Samui VLR, which serves as a model for other municipalities.

• A finalised SDG Profile Guideline to strengthen provincial planning and SDG monitoring, building on the SDG profiles of 15 pilot provinces supported by the European Union.

• Financial Mechanism Assessments in Udon Thani and Surat Thani to explore local financing pathways.

• SDG-Aligned Project Proposals to support localised action.

• A Waste Bank Guideline promoting community-led sustainability, developed from the waste bank initiative in Koh Samui, Surat Thani.

“SDG Localization is not merely about frameworks or mechanisms—it is about people. It is about ensuring that the promise of the SDGs is felt in everyday life, bringing hope, resilience, and tangible benefits to our communities.” said Mr. Saransak Srikruanet, Inspector General, Ministry of Interior.

“The Joint SDG Fund provided catalytic seed funding that enabled Thailand to pioneer practical models for SDG localization, from provincial SDG profiles in 15 provinces to new financing pathways and Voluntary Local Reviews. These tools have already engaged over 318,000 people and are helping municipalities turn priorities such as wastewater management and community-led waste banks into real improvements in people’s lives.” said Ms. Michaela Friberg-Storey, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Thailand.

“Thailand has long been at the forefront of advancing the SDGs, transitioning toward an inclusive and green economy. Driving SDG action at the local level makes progress more grounded, sustainable, and closer to people’s realities. The tools, models, and pilots from this UN joint initiative offer insights and practices to help provinces and municipalities understand people’s needs behind the figures and leverage data for SDG investment. With the great partnership with the Ministry of Interior, these tools shine a light on Thailand’s SDG journey as an inspiration for other countries, North and South.” said Ms. Niamh Collier-Smith, UNDP Resident Representative to Thailand.

“Sustainable development becomes real when people can see themselves when the data, reports and the decisions making meaningful change and improvements to the quality of lives of people. By connecting statistics with lived experiences, Thailand’s local SDG work is proving that communities are not just beneficiaries but active drivers of change. UN-Habitat is honored to walk alongside Thailand in making the SDGs meaningful and inclusive at the community level.” said Mr. Srinivasa Popuri, Chief of UN-Habitat Bangkok Multi-Country Office. 

In Thailand, prior to COVID-19, achieving the SDGs required an estimated 1.27 trillion THB per year, or 11.6% of GDP, rising to 1.4 trillion THB post-pandemic. With SDG data availability at 64% as of 2024, this underscores the importance of bridging local data gaps and institutionalising SDG monitoring.

In response, with support from the Joint SDG Fund, UNDP launches an SDG Profile Guideline built on Thailand’s first provincial SDG profiles, developed for 15 pilot provinces with funding from the European Union. This provides a systemic approach to monitoring progress in each province, alongside Financial Mechanism Assessments for Udon Thani and Surat Thani that can guide other provinces in aligning, channelling, and mobilising resources for the SDGs.

Meanwhile, UN-Habitat is advancing SDG monitoring through the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) Framework, which goes beyond statistical data to capture community perceptions and perspectives on sustainable development in their areas. The VLR Framework uses lessons learned from cities in assessing their SDG progress and identify concrete actions to achieve sustainable development. For instance, in Koh Samui strong community concern over wastewater management amid growing tourism has led to local support for initiatives to tackle this issue. Building on successes from VLR processes in Ko Samui, Surat Thani, Udon Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat, the VLR Framework will now guide other municipalities across Thailand in their journey toward more sustainable cities. 

Together, these joint UN efforts bring a set of expertise that strengthens both monitoring and financing systems, supporting Thailand accelerate targeted investment, ensure SDG action responds to local realities, and advance its path toward sustainable development.

For more information:

Pan Piyasilp, Project Manager, SDG Localisation
pan.piyasil[@]undp.org

Patthiya Gitpot, Local Project Officer
patthiya.gitpot[@]un.org

About UNDP: UNDP is the United Nations’ lead agency on international development. We support countries and communities as they work to eradicate poverty, implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We advocate for transformative change, and we connect countries to the resources they need to help people build a better life. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.

About UN-Habitat: UN-Habitat is the United Nations entity working for sustainable urbanization. With programmes in over 90 countries, it supports policymakers and communities to create socially and environmentally sustainable cities and towns. UN-Habitat promotes transformative changes in urban areas through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance, and collaborative action. To know more, visit unhabitat.org or follow us on X @UNHABITAT.