Today (9 December 2022) at 9:30 a.m. Mr. Suttipong Juljarern, Permanent Secretary for Interior, Ministry of Interior participated in the opening ceremony of the workshop organized by the cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and the United Nations in Thailand and delivered an opening remark, along with Ms. Gita Sabharwal, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Thailand, Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and Dr. Wandee Khunchornyakong Juljarern, President of Ministry of Interior’s Ladies Association. The Workshop attendees are: Deputy Permanent Secretaries, Director-General of all departments, Heads of state enterprises under the Ministry of Interior, Vice President of the Ministry of Interior’s Ladies Association, Advisor to the Permanent Secretary for Interior, Governors and participants from agencies under the Ministry of Interior, including the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Interior, Department of Provincial Administration, Department of Land, Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, Community Development Department, Department of Local Administration, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Metropolitan Electricity Authority, Provincial Electricity Authority, Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, Provincial Waterworks Authority, Wastewater Management Organization and every province Including Bangkok, a total of 315 people attended the ceremony at the ESCAP Hall, 2nd floor, United Nations Convention Center, Bangkok.
Ms. Gita Sabharwal, said that today’s workshop will be an important turning point for Sustainable Development. Since the first time she had the opportunity to meet Mr. Suttipong Juljarern, and Dr. Wandee Khunchornyakong Juljarern, she is confident that the Change for Good concept can really happen. This makes it possible to change the social structure in a variety of contexts to achieve a wide range of sustainability. It also helps to combine the power of thought, increase inspiration for work, and it has already spread to all regions of Thailand. For example, the use of Solar Rooftop, about 100,000 households now see the importance of using clean energy. Finally, she thanked all of the participants who attend today’s workshop and for being ready to help drive Thailand towards the Sustainable Development Goals together with the Ministry of the Interior and network partners in full force.
Mr. Suttipong said, he is honored and delighted to attend the opening ceremony of the workshop. As on June 6, 2022, the Ministry of Interior signed a Statement of Commitment to Sustainable Thailand to promote cooperation in driving the Sustainable Development Goals through collaboration with the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) under the theme: “77 provinces, 77 commitments towards the Sustainable Development Goals” and to reinforce the intention to drive Thailand toward the Sustainable Development Goals in various dimensions concretely. The workshop organized today aimed to reinforce and raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals through the working networks of the Ministry of Interior across the country (878 districts, 76 provinces), and all 7 affiliate networks, including government sector, academic sector, religious leaders, the people, private sector, civil society sector, and the media sector.
“After the signing ceremony on June 6, 2022, the Ministry of Interior is shifting its priority to driving human resource development to create changes to new and better things according to the Change for Good guideline, through the creation of a leadership team of drivers leading the change in 878 districts in the pilot district project, treatment of “Healing Suffering, Nourishing Happiness” scheme which surveys problematic issues to be able to understand and solve problems according to the social landscape of each areas toward the Sustainable Development Goals. The goal are to enable people to improve their quality of life, forming a group to create unity of the community by using the volunteer mechanism, raising the level of development from rural communities to urban communities to make cities and human settlements safe and resilient to economic, social and environmental conditions in the current global context. The approach is conducted in line with 5 important strategic cooperation issues, namely 1) Technology transfer to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 2) Conservation and protection of biodiversity and promoting sustainable eco-tourism 3) Efficient waste management according to BCG model and creating a sustainable food system and reducing food waste 4) developing sustainable agriculture, smart farming; and 5) enhancing the resilience of communities and marine ecosystems by adapting disaster risk reduction measures, taking into account the challenges on the path to sustainable development including climate change emergencies.” Permanent Secretary for Interior emphasized.
Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, said that she was delighted to see today’s event taken place under the theme “77 Provinces, 77 Commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals”. The Sustainable Development Goals are a process that is in the mainstream of the world and requires leadership and a sense of ownership in order to bring changes and to be able to be passed on to the next generation. The United Nations Economic and Social Committee for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) stands ready to cooperate and support Thailand in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior in all aspects.
Mr. Suttipong added that to enable Thailand to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, Ministry of Interior has introduced the philosophy of sufficiency economy of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and His Majesty’s aspirations that aim to make “the country is stable, the people are happy”, and fix the wrongs by inheriting the philosophy of sufficiency economy and the principle of “civilized agriculture” as a guideline for rational self-reliance through various projects, such as the pilot district project, integrated health care, The New Theory, the Quality of Life Development Project (Khok Nong Na), the National Food Waste Management Campaign, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions along with efficient waste management. The Ministry stands ready to create a culture of 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle by growing your own vegetables, which reduces household expenditures and creating food security. The preservation of local wisdom, supporting small entrepreneurs, promote the use of Thai fabrics which is also a continuation of the royal aspirations of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, and on the occasion of World Soil Day on December 5th of every year, the Ministry of Interior joins a campaign to raise public awareness of the value of soil resources. These measures resulting in good results in four aspects: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, and Better Life.
Dr. Wandee, added that today’s workshop consists of various discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals. The context of Thailand’s balances between social, economic and environmental dimensions, and urgent action from all stakeholders to jointly create a sustainable future. The workshop consists of 6 activities: 1) “Sustainable Food Systems” by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture; and Kasetsart University, which is an exchange of learning about smart agriculture and food security. 2) “Provincial circular economy” – the key to achieving sustainable development by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), which brings discussion and exchange of circular economy principles; 3) “Eco-Tourism” by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) that will exchange experiences based on the concept of social innovation and social partnerships (4Ps) towards sustainable tourism that focuses on building a city with resilience and ready to cope with all types of disasters. 5) “Combine the BCG economy with the way of life, water and agriculture” by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and 6) “Take advantage of resonance to drive provincial development results” by the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council. This will lead to the creation of new innovations that are better suited to the social landscape according to the local context and filling gaps in driving missions towards sustainable goals.
“I sincerely hope that today’s activities will reinforce all provinces and districts to join forces to drive Thailand towards the sustainable development goals, integrated with the people in the area and the 7 network partners. This is an important part to show the determination to be a good civil servant under His Majesty the King, to do good things for Thailand, for the children of the Thai people, as well as to carry on the royal aspirations of introducing the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy towards the Sustainable Development Goals internationally. Furthermore, to build a solid development foundation to uplift the community, applying technology to create creative innovations. These can aid Thailand to become a stable and sustainable country in all aspects and make our one world a place of happiness for all our children”
Mr. Suttipong said.
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