The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the “G-77 Meeting of Experts on ICT and Sustainable Development for South - South Cooperation” on 1 March 2016 at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. H.E. Mr. Vitavas Srivihok, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, delivered the welcoming remarks at the meeting, followed by a keynote address by Prof. Dr. Pairash Thajchayapong, Expert and Senior Advisor of the National Science and Technology Development Agency of Thailand (NSTDA).

The meeting was attended by approximately 80 participants comprising Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) experts from various global regions, officials from several Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York, members of diplomatic corps   and international organisations located in Thailand as well as Thai government agencies.

The meeting focused on three issues, namely (1) Increasing ICT and internet access in developing countries, especially through the promotion of local language in the internet, as well as the importance of multilingualism in the internet on cultural diversity; (2) ICT as a catalyst for social development, during which the participants learned about the Thai Distance Learning Television (DLTV) project and expressed admiration for His Majesty   the King’s vision; and (3) ICT as a tool for economic development, with the examples of ICT application to facilitate trade, reduce transaction costs and enhance competitiveness of developing countries.

On 2 March 2016, the participants visited Thailand Science Park in Patum Thani  Province to learn about Thai projects which apply ICT for social and economic development. The projects’ demonstration was divided into 2 categories, namely: (1) Smart Farm, which is the application of ICT in agriculture at policy-maker practitioner – level such as zonal mapping, cost-benefit analysis, integration of farmers’ database and analytical tools for quality of produce; and (2) Smart Health, which is the application of ICT in healthcare and to support physically challenged people such as the elderly and persons with disabilities. Demonstrations include prosthetic knee, hearing aid equipment, dental platform, nanotechnology mosquito net and Medical Emergency Relay Service.

The aforementioned meeting and study visit successfully promoted Thailand’s active role as the Chair of G-77 in strengthening the group’s cooperation on ICT as a driver towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was also Thailand’s chance to showcase real examples of how ICT can be implemented to promote a country’s development. A number of foreign participants expressed strong interests in collaborating with Thailand in order to apply similar projects in their countries.