Resident Coordinator’s Remarks at the “Wan Dek” Children’s Day Celebration

Khun Eksiri Pintaruchi, Director-General of the Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Khun Sanon Wangsrangboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok,

Khun Atchara Seriputra, Vice President, United Nations Association of Thailand,

Students and teachers from across Bangkok,

UN colleagues,

It is a pleasure to join you today to celebrate “Wan Dek.”

I would like to thank the MFA and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for partnering with the UN and the schools.

The UN is thrilled to be hosting you all. We are here with you today for two reasons.

First, young people have told me that we at the UN remain inaccessible to them because of our emphasis on concepts that they find hard to grasp. Today we want to change this and bring our message directly to young people like you.

Second, Khun Book, a fresh graduate from Thammasat University, last year told me about Wan Dek and asked me to use this celebration to open the UN complex to young people so they can be empowered to address challenges from poverty to pollution.

I would like to share with you about the UN.

We have 21 UN Agencies working together with the government to turn Thailand into a prosperous, climate-resilient, and inclusive nation for everyone. 

In this, we are guided by the Sustainable Development Goals, which provide a blueprint for a green planet, peace, and prosperity for all. Countries across the world have signed up to deliver on these by 2030.

In Thailand the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, with which you are familiar, together with the Bio-Circular-Green model underline the country’s efforts towards these goals.   

Thailand has made progress but achieving the SDGs will require the contributions of everyone, including the government, businesses, and yourselves.

As the UN we are prioritizing three areas. One, supporting a transition to a green and low-carbon economy; two, speeding up the digital transformation to empower communities and people of all ages; and three, addressing inequalities to make sure no one is left behind.

Let me now speak about how the UN engages with young people like you.

Our engagement is not yet as strong as we would like, but hopefully events like this will help deepen it.

At the UN we have set up a Youth Panel consisting of 12 young people with their own unique interests from across the country, representing Thailand’s great diversity. We exchange ideas and work together on solutions to advance the SDGs. Their can-do spirit is truly inspiring.

Some of their ideas have reached a global audience, including the UN’s headquarters in New York.

They also work closely with the UN to broaden our outreach to young people. For example, we now have over 8,000 engagements daily on UN’s Instagram account.    

We want to widen this network of Thai-speaking youth to transform Thailand.

Finally, let me stress that you can have a great influence on the SDGs.

Many of you are still in school and may wonder how to contribute towards a brighter future for Thailand and the planet.

My answer is that these Goals are extraordinary because everyone can contribute, and each contribution, small or big, impacts positively on our world.

I have been lucky to work with socially engaged youth, many of whom are as young as you are. They have been involved in many projects from cleaning up the environment to providing meals from food surplus for the poor.

One example is Khun Lilly, a 14-year-old who convinced department stores in Bangkok to stop handing our disposable shopping bags to reduce plastic pollution. This shows that schoolchildren are making a difference.

I hope you will find today’s activities inspiring as you learn more about the SDGs and solutions to development challenges.

Perhaps some of you might even consider joining us at the UN one day.

Thank you and let me wish you a very happy Children’s Day!