On 29 February 2016, General Prayuth Chan-o-cha (Ret.), the Prime Minister of Thailand presided over the opening ceremony of G-77 Bangkok Roundtable on Sufficiency Economy: an Approach to Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals at the Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok. The Bangkok Roundtable is the first conference of the G-77 in Thailand organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since the country assumed the chairmanship of G-77 New York Chapter in January 2016. During his welcoming remarks, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided an overview of the objective of the conference, namely to share with G-77 members Thailand’s development approach based on Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), which could support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by world leaders at the 70^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. 

On this occasion, H.E. General Prayuth Chan-o-cha (Ret.), the Prime Minister of Thailand, in his opening speech, shared Thailand’s experience on people-centred development approach based on SEP, which has strengthened communities and enhanced national resilience. He highlighted the fact that the approach encouraged people to change their mindset towards sustainability which would lead to behavioral change, and that SEP can be applied in all sectors and at all levels, in both developed and developing countries alike, citing examples from the SEP application in public, private sector and government’s policies.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chirayu Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, Chairman of Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation delivered a keynote speech by providing a briefing on the background and the importance of SEP to sustainable development, citing how Thailand’s unsustainable economic growth in the past led to environmental degradation and lower agricultural productivity. He further noted that because of such situation His Majesty the King therefore conceptualized the development approach based on SEP which became nationally accepted as an approach to uplift the livelihood of peoples.

The morning session of the roundtable highlighted the importance of SEP as a model for sustainable development and its linkage with the SDGs. The panelists also presented the SEP’s foundation concept, its application in various sectors to support many SDGs, the empirical evidences of the successful application of SEP at community level, the importance of the reduction of food loss and ending hunger, and the need to instill a mindset based on sustainability starting from school and community with national government taking the lead.      

In the afternoon session, the roundtable reflected the shared experiences of the successful applications of SEP in Thailand and abroad, namely Timor-Leste, Lesotho, Myanmar and SEP Villages in Thailand, which have helped uplift the well-being and welfare of all concerned communities.

During the luncheon, Professor Thep Himathongkam, MD, FACP, Founder of Theptarin Hospital presented a talk on “the Application of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in Public Health Sector”  focusing on the patient-centred approach for treatment and rehabilitation of diabetic patients. Moreover, Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation (TSDF) co-hosted the exhibition on SEP to deepen understanding of the model and demonstrated concrete examples of the applications of SEP in private, public and other sectors. The Prime Minister of Thailand also toured  the exhibition of which gained much interest and attention among participants.

On the previous day, on 28 February 2016, a field visit to Chachoengsao Province was arranged so that participants can see how Thailand has implemented the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in areas such as soil improvement, sustainable land management and cultivation at the Khao Hin Sorn Royal Development Study Center. The participants also had the opportunity to visit the people and local farmers of the Baan Song Village, which has been given an award for “Excellent Sufficiency  Economy Community”. The Village adopted SEP as a development approach to improve livelihoods of the community by generating incomes, while striking the balance with the environment. The participants also vibrantly exchanged knowledge and experiences with the villagers and community’s leaders.

The meeting concluded successfully. More than 190 participants participated including representatives of the G-77 from the permanent missions in New York and embassies in Bangkok, and experts on sustainable development, as well as representatives from international organizations and representatives of related Thai government agencies, the private sector and the academia.