During 12 – 15 March 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in cooperation with  the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), organized the CICA Special Working Group (SWG) and Senior Officials Committee (SOC) Meetings at Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok.

On this occasion, Mr. Krerkpan Roekchamnong, Director-General of Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, as Head of the Thai Delegation, informed the SWG of Thailand’s readiness to assume the role as the coordinator for CBMs in the area of Sustainable Development. The said proposal was subsequently approved by the SOC. He also invited CICA Member States to participate in the training course titled “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy: Tool for Sustainable Rural Development” to be held in Chiang Mai on 30 October – 17 November 2017. The said activity will provide participants with knowledge and understanding on “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy” as well as encourage participants to share their knowledge and experiences.

Thailand’s proposal was the follow up of the statement made by H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, at the 5th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of CICA held from 27 to 28 April 2016 in Beijing, in which Foreign Minister stated Thailand’s support for CICA to expand cooperation to include the dimension of sustainable development. Thailand viewed that security and development are intertwined and complement one another. Thailand stood ready to play an active role in this area and to cooperate with CICA Member States in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.