The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Thailand Research Fund (TRF), is using science diplomacy to help enhance Thailand’s capacity on agri-food science and technology, as part of an effort to strengthen food security and explore opportunities for bilateral and trilateral cooperation in the near future.

            On 29 September 2014, at the Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok Hotel, Mr. Jakkrit Srivali, Ambassador attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presided over the Expert Consultation Workshop on Agri-Food for Better Health: From Seed Industry to Nutritional Security. This was a collaborative project between the International Research Network (IRN) project of TRF and the International Research and Innovation Network Development (IRIND) Project of the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs to encourage cooperation among concerned agencies on science, technology and innovation (STI) and raise Thailand’s research quality to international standards.

            The Thailand Research Fund and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have sought to foster cooperation on food security with partners from the Americas and South Pacific regions, in particular the U.S., Canada, Brazil and New Zealand, which together constitutes some of the most significant food producers of the world. The Workshop was attended by representatives from the embassies concerned, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as well as representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, with the support of the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA).

            The objective of the workshop was to create a research network between Thailand’s STI agencies and centers of excellence in the Americas and South Pacific. This is expected to lead to exchanges of best practices, joint research, innovations, and ultimately the commercialization of joint researches for the benefit of local communities, micro-enterprises (OTOP) as well as small and medium enterprises. Such collaboration should also help develop STI skills and knowledge among all sectors concerned, and particularly local communities, to better cope with global challenges such as climate change, food security, energy crisis and economic crisis. It is expected that STI cooperation will contribute to better bilateral relations between Thailand and the American and South Pacific countries, as well as paving the way for trilateral relations including Thailand’s neighboring countries.

           The first day of the workshop was dedicated to open discussions, which allowed representatives from various research agencies, academic institutions and private companies to exchange views on the development direction of the seed and functional foods industries, related rules and regulations, the supporting role of foreign funding agencies in granting bilateral and multilateral research activities, technology transfers, and new business promotion in these fields. The second day was a round table discussion of experts, representatives of foreign embassies and international organizations, and concerned agencies in Thailand. The session focused on the possibility of defining a joint funding scheme for collaborative projects using existing platforms, such as the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program, and expanding cooperation on short visiting programs for junior researchers.