The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand is hosting the G-77 Bangkok Roundtable on Sufficiency Economy: An Approach to Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals during 28 – 29 February 2016 at the Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.

The Bangkok Roundtable is the first conference of the G-77 in Thailand since the country has assumed the Group’s chairmanship in New York in January 2016.  The Bangkok Roundtable will be an opportunity for Thailand to share with G-77 members the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy and its linkage with the Sustainable Development Goals which the World will work towards achieving in the next 15 years.  The Roundtable aims to create understanding on Thailand’s guiding principle for development in the last 40 years, the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, with fellow G-77 countries comprising 134 members of the United Nations, as one of the means to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals following its adoption by world leaders as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 in New York.  The principles of the Philosophy can be applied to different contexts of development.

On 29 February 2016, the G-77 Bangkok Roundtable, to be hosted by H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will commence at 9.00 hrs. at Chadra 1 Room of Siam Kempinski Hotel.  The Prime Minister, H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha (Ret.), will open the said conference, to be followed by a Keynote Speech by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chirayu Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation.  The Roundtable is expected to welcome 120 participants including representatives of the G-77 from the permanent missions in New York and embassies in Bangkok and experts on sustainable development, as well as representatives from international organizations and representatives of Thai government agencies, the private sector and the academia. The meeting will comprise of two sessions under the theme, “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy: an Approach to Sustainable Development” and “From Vision to Action: Success Stories of the Application of SEP”.

A field visit to Chachoengsao Province on 28 February 2016 has been arranged so that participants can see how Thailand has implemented the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy as the guiding principle of development at the Khao Hin Sorn Royal Development Study Center as well as having the opportunity to meet the people and local farmers of the Baan Zong Village which has been selected as a model on community economy.