Thailand’s Progress on the SDGs

17th June 2021

Renaud Meyer

Resident Representative, UNDP in Thailand

TOPICS

• Thailand’s Progress on the SDGs

• Socio Economic impacts of the COVID-19

• Roadmap for SDG Localization in Thailand

The SDGs

The Five Pillars of Sustainable Development

Thailand’s Progress on the SDGs

SDG Snapshot – Thailand

SDG Snapshot – Thailand

SDG Snapshot – Thailand

SDGs on-track

- Eradication of extreme poverty

- Reduction in both monetary and

multidimensional poverty

measured by official national MPI

and child MPI

- Promoting resilient infrastructure and significantly increasing access to information and communications technology as well as the Internet

- Low maternal & child mortality

rate due to UHC

- UHC benefit package now includes

modern contraception and PrEP

- Fossil fuel subsidy reduced by

half between 2013-2017

- Adoption of 20-year roadmap

(2017-2036) on Sustainable

Consumption and Production

and 5-year action plan

- Progress in economic

diversification, technological

upgrading and innovation

- Still, low unemployment rate might

be reflecting structural challenges

in the labor market

SDGs Needing Acceleration

- While Thailand achieved near

universal basic education,

disadvantaged youth, including

urban asylum-seekers and

refugees, are out of school

particularly at upper-secondary

level

- Skills for employment need

acceleration to succeed in changing

digital society

- Income inequality and social,

economic and political

inclusion remain a challenge, as

inequality by geographical area,

gender, disability, migration

status persists

- Women in leadership needs

acceleration. Representation of

women in parliament still remains

low and even lower in provincial

and local government including

governors

- Urban air quality and waste

management target lags behind,

particularly with increased

concentration of PM2.5

- One of the lowest rate of

undernourishment in ASEAN

countries. However, the biggest

challenges are the prevalence of

double burden of malnutrition due

to an increase in overweight and

investment in agriculture.

- Management of chemicals and waste

shows reverse trend caused by

generation of hazardous waste and

poor management

- Early childhood development has

become a national priority; however

gap still exists in service coverage

among young children, quality and

standardization of services and

parenting skills and knowledge

- Increase in Greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions and CO2 emissions from

fuel combustion. Actions required to

meet the national target of reducing

GHG emissions by 20-25% by 2030

- Youth NEET rate has been trending

upwards. Young people, particularly

women, finding it increasingly difficult

to participate in labour market or to

access education and training.

- Marine pollution increased. RTG to

roll out plastic waste reduction

roadmap from 2020 with private

sector

SDG with a Reversing Trend

Rankings among ASEAN Countries

The 2021 SDG Index Rankings and Scores

COVID – 19 and the SDGs

COVID-19 offers a glimpse of what is coming It is also an opportunity for change

COVID-19: Unprecedented shock to human development

Source: Global Human Development Report 2020

In the wake of COVID-19, hunger is on the rise globally

1.6 billion informal workers worldwide are heavily impacted by COVID-19

Source: ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the World of Work (2020)

Globally, women in the informal sector face higher risks of job disruption from COVID-19 compared to men

High human development means high resource use

Where human development paths landed: high HDI goes with high resource use

Source: Human Development Report Office based on UNEP data.Note: Only countries with more than one million inhabitants are included. Bubble size is proportional to population.

Planetary pressure will only worsen inequality

Note: Ecological threats are defined by scenarios of resource scarcity and disasters linked to natural hazards

Source: Global Human Development Report 2020

Countries with high ecological threats tend to have greater inequality

Ecological Threats

Inequality is undermining human developmentin Thailand and around the world

Source: Global Human Development Report 2020

Multifaceted impact of COVID-19 in Thailand

Source: The United Nations Socioeconomic Impact

Assessment of COVID-19 in Thailand

Source: ILO Brief: COVID-19 Employment and Labour Market Impact in Thailand (2020)

In Thailand, women face higher risks of job disruption during COVID-19

Source: ILO Brief: COVID-19 Employment and Labour Market Impact in Thailand (2020)

Impact of COVID-19 on Thailand’s most vulnerable population

Poverty Rate for Informal Workers

0

10

20

30

Pre-COVID Post-COVID

10%

21%

13

14

15

16

Pre-COVID Post-COVID

14%

15%

Poverty Rate for People with Disabilities

Source: The United Nations Socioeconomic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Thailand

0 20 40 60

Reducedincome

Furlough

Job loss

Obstacles for Affording Children’s Education

14%

15%

41%

% of low-income households

The Risk of a K-shaped recovery

Key priorities for Thailand’s sustainable recovery

Source: The United Nations Socioeconomic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Thailand

Short-term

• Support for households, particularly the poor and the vulnerable

• Stimulate employment and job retention, especially SMEs as well as businesses operating in crucial sectors like tourism

• Ensuring sufficient cash flow and financial recovery of the real sector

Medium-term

• Improving the social protection system to protect vulnerable groups, including addressing gender inequality

• Local economy rehabilitation through technology and innovation

Long-term

• Shifting towards a more independent and green economy

• Building a resilient economy, including decentralization and promoting local economy and agriculture sector as cushion

• Moving towards an inclusive society, including reskilling and upskilling of workers for the future

UNDP Thailand Offer 2.0

1. Governance• Direct support to strengthen community resilience

Engagement on livelihoods to improve food security• Promote tolerance and social cohesion• Build holistic financing strategy• Foster SDG progress at the local levels

2. Social Protection• Empower LGBTI, ethnic communities, sex workers• Provide training and equipment for small

entrepreneurs such as barbers and hairdressers• Promote business and human rights• Gender-responsive communication materials • Support Phuket’s inclusive recovery vision

3. Green Economy• Raise awareness on wildlife consumption• Protecting biodiversity/ providing green jobs for

buffer zones communities• Crowdfunding to promote Koh Tao’s “cash-for-

work” scheme for reducing marine debris• Environmental tax and subsidy reforms• Support low-carbon cities• Support climate adaptation and mitigation plans

4. Digital Disruption• Facilitate digital tools for crisis communications and

business continuity• Conduct hackathons, bringing Thai youths together

to create innovative solutions• Capacitate government to form and implement

policy responses with digital tools and platforms

SDG Localization

SDG localization has been described as “the process

of defining, implementing and monitoring strategies at the

local level for achieving global, national, and subnational

sustainable development goals.”

(UN Development Group. 2014. Localizing the Post-2015 Agenda: Dialogues on

Implementation. New York. p. 6.) UNDP, UN-Habitat, Global Taskforce

Localizing the SDGs

Enablers for SDG localization Scan to read

the report

Overall Structure of SDGs Governance System

NCSD

Chair (PM)

Private Sector

Federation of Thai Industries, Thai CoC,

4 Experts

Research Institute

ChulabhornResearch Institute, TEI, GESI, TDRI, TIJ

Line Ministries

19 Ministries

MoI w/t related

authorities

9 Provinces & 5 LAO

Secretary

NESDC

Deputy Chair

(Deputy PM)

Deputy Chair

(Minister of PM’s Office)

SDGs Localisation

Yasothon

Lopburi

Nan

Phetchaburi

Kalasin

Loei

Chachoengsao

Surat Thani

Narathiwas

SDGs Pilot Sites

Krabi Provincial Administration (Krabi)

Si Saket Town Municipality (Si Saket)

Surat Thani Municipality

Ban Rai Sub-district Municipality (Uthai Thani)

Wang Pai Sub-district Municipality (Chumphon)

9 Provinces5 LAOs

Roadmap for SDG Localization in Thailand

Roadmap for SDG Implementation in Thailand

Awareness

Raising

Integrated

Planning

Institutional

Arrangements

Costing

&

Financing

Monitoring

& Reporting

Implementation

Sub-national Level

CitizenGovernorsMayorsProvincial AdministrationRepresentative of Line MinistriesCivil SocietiesStudents & YouthsLocal BusinessesChamber of CommerceAdademia & Media

Institutional Arrangements

Aligning subnational levels institutions with the SDGs

The governors to lead and assign a focal person, who do the overall coordination

Produce coordination mechanisms at the level of governors' office that represents the key stakeholders of those who going to be involved in the SDGs implementation

Integration of SDGs indicators in sub-national statistics, systematic use of SDG indicators

Introduce a “Leaving No One Behind” lens – gender/human rights/etc.

SDGs Integrated Planning

Integration of SDGs into Provincial/Municipal Development Plan

Accelerate the Implementation of the SDGsDesign and promoting SDG-based plans

Localising SDGs through the SEP

To develop an integrated provincial/municipal SDG financing framework: • Identify most realistic and

relevant sources of financing to meet the cost – domestic resources, ODA, FDI, private resources, etc.

Identify the financial needs to fully achieve the SDGs1. Assess the current status of the province/municipality against the SDG targets and identify gaps2. Review the financing flows in support of the SDGs and cost the financing gap

SDG Provincial/Municipal Dashboard

SDG Provincial/Municipal

Report

Use of Big Data &

Data Innovation

UNDP Thailand Projects (Examples)

Promoting Wildlife Conservation, Climate Action, and a Green Environment (TIGER)

• WEFCOM Areas 6 Provinces

Low Carbon Cities

• Chiang Mai• Nakhon Ratchasima• Khon Kaen• Koh Samui

UNDP Thailand Project Areas

Take Away Messages:

1. Five years into implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

Thailand had been making a significant progress on various aspects of the SDGs but

overall, action to meet the Goals is not yet advancing at the speed or scale required.

2. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on all 17 Goals, showing that what began as

a health crisis has quickly become a human and socioeconomic crisis.

3. COVID 19 is not only jeopardizing the gains achieved but also further highlights the need

for INTEGRATED solutions and a better balance between PEOPLE & PLANET.

4. SDG Localization efforts are more relevant now than ever before. Subnational

governments are going to be essential in managing the long-term socioeconomic

impacts of the crisis and enabling a sustainable response to and recovery from COVID-

19.

Thank you!!!

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