Paris, June 29, 2015:  -  UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Paris in conjunction with the Royal Thai Embassy, Paris and Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation (TSDF) recently presented a talk and exhibition on “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy : Culture & Values Towards Sustainable Development” at the headquarters.

 

            In line with UNESCOs dedication and efforts in creating holistic policies that are capable of addressing the social, environment and economic dimensions of sustainable development, the “intellectual” agency of the United Nations is fully engaged in the global conversation on how the international community can channel the energies of humanity on a sustainable course beyond 2015.

 

            In Thailand, Sustainable Development has been widely practiced under the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), initiated and developed by the country’s highly revered Monarch - His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  The essence of SEP is based on human integrity (self reliance) and culture of moderation in order to best sustain and implement progress in the society.  SEP involves three simple principles: Moderation, Reasonableness and Self Immunity or Prudence; and two necessary conditions for human kind:  Knowledge and Virtue.SEP can be applied to every level of society, from individuals, communities, all industries and businesses, educational institutes and schools to the entire nation. 

 

            In his talk on the highlight topic: “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy:  A Cultural Aspect of Sustainable Development”,  one of the two speakers Dr. Surin Pitsuwan*, former ASEAN Secretary-General, said, “We strongly believe that one of the best ways to create Sustainable Development is through Education; and Education for Sustainable Development is a holistic approach that extends from concerns about environmental sustainability to the sustainability of the society;and the most effective step to ingrain and incorporate the sufficiency culture, mind-set and practice for sustainability is starting with the youth and at schools.”

 

            “Youth with a sufficiency mind-set have special characteristics:  They are more moderate in material consumption, but generous in sharing with others; more prudent and balanced in managing their lives, and have greater resilience.

 

            “In Thailand, determined efforts have been made to introduce Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) in schools to lay a solid foundation for the society,” added Dr. Surin.  “The Ministry of Education in Thailand has effectively integrated sufficiency economy principles into its national basic curriculum, which guides administration, classroom lessons, and actual practice of decision-making by children; and the rewarding result so far is, at present, out of almost 40,000 Thai schools, over 14,000 are successfully implementing the sufficiency-based curriculum and are proving to be more efficient and effective.”

 

            “Education for Sustainable Development requires far-reaching changes in the way education is often practiced today and also requires collaboration among the nations.  Having shared our experience and examples of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy Education in Thailand today, we hope to inspire new initiatives in Sustainable Development Education which will lead to an increase in collaborations between Thailand and developing countries based on the global support of UNESCO,” concluded Dr. Surin.

 

            The afternoon session also featured UNESCO’s Mrs. Ana Luiza Thompson-Flores, Assistant Director-General of the Bureau of Strategic Planning, who gave an interesting speech on “Role of National Cultures in Sustainable Development”.  

 

            The talks were followed by viewing of an Exhibition titled “Cultivating a Sufficiency-Mind set in the Schools”,  organized by the Royal Thai Embassy, Paris, featuring examples of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) success stories applied at schools throughout Thailand.