Empowered lives. Resilient nations.

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IN THAILAND

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

is the development organization of the United Nations.

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society around

the world to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and

drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality

of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries

and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight

to help empower lives and build resilient nations. UNDP has

been operating in Thailand since 1966. In Thailand, UNDP

works in partnership with the Royal Thai Government, civil

society, non-governmental organizations, academia, the

private sector and development partners to improve the lives

of Thai people. Over the past 60 years, Thailand has made

remarkable progress in advancing human development in

a number of areas such as governance, poverty reduction,

environment and resilience, climate change adaptability, as

well as Thailand’s international development cooperation.

Meeting most of the Millennium Development Goals well in

advance of the global target date, Thailand is now sharing its

development experience with other countries and becoming

an important emerging donor.

Thailand has joined the ranks of middle-income countries

due to the country’s progress in social and economic

development, high rates of economic growth, and a falling

poverty level (13.15 per cent) since the late 1980s. Despite

this economic success, Thailand’s reality is tainted by the fact that economic wealth has not been shared equally across

the country with some regions especially north and northeastern provinces, featuring much higher poverty levels. Persistent

inequalities in terms of income and opportunities still define Thai society. UNDP in Thailand in partnership with the Royal Thai

Government aims to promote social equity through inclusive governance and sustainable management of natural resources

and the environment.

UNDP is making a difference in Thailand by:

Applying the core principles of conflict resolution, UNDP is bringing improved livelihood opportunities

and legal empowerment to provinces in Southern Thailand with our STEP project.

Helping local communities determine what’s best for their future, their livelihoods and their environment

through our Small Grants Programme.

Helping communities face the challenges of reconciling tensions between diverse populations, conserving natural resources and protecting the environment.

Helping to transform Mae Hong Son, one of the poorest provinces in Thailand, into a green energy pioneer.

Taking the fight against corruption into universities classrooms, online and further afield with our

anti-corruption project.

Helping the country emerge as an international donor and growing source of expertise worldwide.

This project factsheet is printed on recycled paper with soy ink.

Democratic governance and social advocacy

UNDP Thailand’s work in democratic governance and

social advocacy reaches across a wide spectrum from

policy advice and capacity building at the national level,

down to advocacy and local engagement and

empowerment at the provincial and local levels. UNDP

promotes active and inclusive participation in

development planning and decision-making, while

boosting the capacity of line ministries for effective

implementation of country programming. This includes

the empowerment of women at various

decision-making levels for the people of Thailand,

regardless of income or social status. UNDP also aims to

empower women, and particularly Muslims in southern

Thailand to take on greater roles in Thai society and in

their communities. UNDP provides strategic support to

institutions, working in broad thematic areas such as

community empowerment and public participation,

anti-corruption, rule of law, transparency and human

rights. UNDP also undertakes policy dialogue and

knowledge sharing within Thailand and with other

countries faced with similar middle-income challenges.

REGIONAL SUPPORT

With the help of UNDP, Thailand has progressed from being an aid recipient to a growing source of knowledge and expertise

for any developing country looking for responses to their own domestic challenges. Countries such as Bangladesh and

Vietnam have been eager to learn from Thailand’s experiences as a middle income country. In this context, Thailand has the

expertise to play a critical role in the development of other countries or as a guiding hand to it neighbours. Using its

comparative advantage in areas of agriculture, tourism, HIV/AIDS, and creative markets, Thailand is making the most of its

cooperation initiatives.

United Nations Development Programme, Thailand

12th Floor, United Nations Building, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand

Tel: +66 (0) 2304 9100 | Fax: +66 (0) 2280 0556 | Email: info.thailand@undp.org | Web: www.th.undp.org

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Inclusive green growth and sustainable development

Thailand has witnessed an enormous growth rate and

has considerably improved with regard to development

issues over the years. Nevertheless, this progress has

come at the cost of environmental degradation. UNDP

Thailand supports the Government in its attempts to

reverse the trends, by promoting sustainable practices

and environmental management, and analyzing and

adapting decision-making processes from the national

to the local level. The focus of the work lies in

environment–considerate policies, community

management of natural resources, networking and

knowledge sharing, and the development of

knowledge management around environmental

initiatives as well as disaster risk reduction. As a large

national Global Environment Facility (GEF)

implementation partner, UNDP works on core GEF

issues which include biodiversity and climate change.

The main objective of this thematic area is not only to

mainstream climate change and environmental

conservation into the development agenda, but to also

effectively build national capacity and strengthen

policy frameworks.

THEMATIC AREAS