The Thai delegation, led by H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs will attend the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) during 17 – 20 July 2017 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States of America. On 18 July 2017, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will present Thailand’s Voluntary National Review on the implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda).

            HLPF is an annual United Nations meeting convened for member states to follow up on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The 2017 HLPF is the second meeting since the 2030 Agenda was adopted by member states in the 70th session of the General Assembly in 2015 in which the Prime Minister of Thailand also attended. The HLPF this year is held under the theme “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”. The meeting is set to review a number of Sustainable Development Goals in-depth namely; Goal 1 (No Poverty); Goal 2 (Zero Hunger); Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being); Goal 5 (Gender Equality); Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure); Goal 14 (Life below Water); and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The Minister of Foreign Affairs will deliver a national statement to reaffirm our commitment in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals which leaves no one behind.

            Thailand is among the 44 countries that have volunteered to present their Voluntary National Reviews, one of the most important activities in the 2017 HLPF. On 18 July 2017, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the main presenter, together with a representative from the private sector (President and CEO of Thai Beverage Public Company Limited) and a youth representative will share Thailand’s progress, experience and good practices to the HLPF. Some important points in Thailand’s VNR include; the Government’s policy to address poverty and reduce inequality; the success of Universal Health Coverage and progress in public health services; the implementation of Pracharat Policy (engaging partnership with all stakeholders for the benefits of the people); international cooperation for sustainable development in various frameworks; as well as some challenges that Thailand is addressing for instance raising income of those in poverty; reducing traffic deaths; managing marine pollution; and increasing forest areas.

            Thailand’s VNR is produced by the Taskforce on Preparing Reports on the Progress of the Implementation of the SDGs established by the Sub-committee on Implementing Sustainable Development Goals under the National Committee for Sustainable Development (CSD) chaired by the Prime Minister. The abovementioned taskforce is headed by the Director-General of the Department of International Organizations and comprises lead agencies of 17 SDGs. In the process, the taskforce has conducted assessments on Thailand’s implementation of SDGs both in terms of
the national mechanism covering the work of the CSD and its sub-committees and progress/challenges of all 17 goals to present the path that Thailand is taking towards sustainable development by adopting Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP for SDGs) based on inclusive participation of all stakeholders.

            Attending the HLPF is therefore a crucial opportunity for Thailand to exchange, learn and further strengthen international cooperation in order to help Thailand and other countries achieve the SDGs together.