On June 21, 2024, Mr. Wanchat Suwankitti, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council, participated in the SDG Localization: Thailand’s Journey Towards Sustainability conference organized by the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with UNDP at ESCAP HALL, United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok<\/p>\n\n
The conference featured the launch of the Provincial Sustainable Development Progress Report and included a special keynote address by Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. The event also featured speakers including Mr. Padipat Santiphada, First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Suttipong Juljarern, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. David Daly, Ambassador of the European Union to Thailand, and Mr. Renaud Meyer, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand<\/p>\n\n
On this occasion, the Deputy Secretary-General delivered a presentation on “Thailand’s Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals,” which Thailand has been continuously implementing since 2016 in collaboration with various network partners. Thailand has integrated SDGs into the country’s three-level planning framework, including regional development plans, provincial cluster plans, and provincial plans. Furthermore, Thailand has collaborated with network partners and the Ministry of Interior to implement SDGs at the local level. The Deputy Secretary-General presented the Targeted People Management and Planning (TPMAP) system, which can identify poverty issues at the individual, household, community\/local area, provincial, and national levels, or poverty issues by specific topics, making problem-solving more targeted to specific groups. Currently, NESDC is collecting data in collaboration with Bueng Kan Province to develop a Local Census, enabling areas to collect and manage data independently. This results in areas having local-level data necessary for designing precise and accurate measures for problem-solving. Additionally, the project to promote children and youth not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) has been implemented to develop the potential of children\/youth and bring them back into the education system or economic system, which has already begun implementation in Na Phu Sub-district, Phen District, Udon Thani Province<\/p>\n\n
The implementation of SDGs at the local level plays a crucial role in advancing Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities. Both the TPMAP and NEETs projects serve as examples of prioritizing data for national development and driving Thailand toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals<\/p>\n\n
Furthermore, the Deputy Secretary-General emphasized the importance of SDGs data, noting that the remaining six years until 2030 represent a critical period leading to processes that create sustainability. NESDC intends to make 2024 the Year of SDGs Data (SDGs Data Day) by collecting data at both local and central levels to lead to future development agendas. NESDC and agencies at both central and local levels will collaborate and utilize existing data to develop areas “to address weaknesses and strengthen advantages” and expand from “pilot areas” to “all areas” to achieve concrete security and sustainability while leaving no one behind<\/p>\n