Remarks of Resident Coordinator in Thailand at Youth Telling COVID-19 Impact & Ways to Respond

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all on behalf of the United Nations in Thailand to the event this evening. This is the first time that the UN is organizing a dialogue at the FCCT to share the key findings emerging from survey to understand the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable youth in Thailand. We have also lined up a panel of young people to share their perspective on how the pandemic impacted their lives and how they believe we should BBB. This sits well within the context of FCCT, given that you have run several panels to understand how the pandemic has impacted the country, its people, and the economy.

The UN in Thailand has been very forward leaning in its engagement during the pandemic. We have invested in generating evidence through surveys like this to ensure that no one is left behind. 

We have also tried to be at the cutting edge by investing in bridging the digital divide, supporting the government to pilot a new normal health care service and jumpstart local economies through transfer of green climate friendly technologies to SMEs. The UN is also investing in robust partnerships with government, private sector, policy thinks, and CSO - as advancing the SDGs will require all of us to work together. 

Earlier this month, we hosted the dialogue with the GCNT to discuss the role of the private sector in progressing the SDGs given that the country will need an additional B50 per person per day to finance the SDGs. We are also partnering with the NESDC to track the impact of the fiscal stimulus package to understand how people and local economies recover.

 

I want to thank UNICEF and UNFPA for organizing the event today. Their leadership has been critical in ensuring that the UN reaches out to the vulnerable and marginalized youth, listens to their voices, and creates a platform for dialogue. As part of the first wave of the youth survey we reached over 6,700 young people. As part of the second wave we want to make sure we comprehensively cover ethnic and stateless youth, teenage mothers, youth with disabilities, and youth from the three southernmost provinces. 

Before I hand over to Thomas, let me say that I am looking forward to hearing from our speakers and especially our young panelist to draw out the key lessons and ensure that I carry the lessons forward in my dialogue with policy makers in country and across borders.