Mrs. Suphatra Srimaitreephithak, Director – General of the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, had a fruitful meeting with Mr. Rinchen Wangdi, Director of Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) in Thimphu, capital of the Kingdom of Bhutan on 8 June 2017. During the discussion, the Director of GNHC opined that Thailand’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), the Philosophy conferred to the Thai people by His Majesty the Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was in line with the Gross National Happiness (GNH) of Bhutan. Therefore, the GNHC agreed to collaborate with TICA to implement a community development model based on the application of SEP to help achieve Bhutan’s GNH and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In partnership with TICA, GNHC will identify a community in Bhutan to develop as an SEP community model before expanding the program to other communities. 

          Bhutan’s willingness to work with Thailand to implement the SEP model in Bhutan reflects the SEP’s applicability as a universal model for community development. Bhutan agreed that SEP can be applied to attain its own GNH, especially towards the Community Vitality, one of its nine domains. The GNHC also believed that the practice of SEP can contribute to its effort in achieving the SDGs, especially SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). This fruitful outcome of discussion with Bhutan greatly enhanced Thailand’s efforts to promote SEP for SDGs Partnership.