The Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, organized a lecture titled “Youth for SDGs Conference: Urban Edition” on 25 January 2018 at Vithes Samosorn, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The lecture was aimed at raising awareness and opening a forum for young people to share their ideas on sustainable urban and community development, an issue that is receiving considerable attention in international fora and is part of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: “Sustainable Cities and Communities” as well as the New Urban Agenda (NUA).

 

In her opening remarks, Ms. Kanchana Patarachoke, Director-General of the Department of International Organizations, emphasized the essential role of the youth in Thailand’s development towards sustainability. Afterwards, Ms. Deirdra Boyd, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Thailand, and Mr. Tam Hoang, specialist on SDG 11 from UN-Habitat, gave a special lecture on “Youth and Sustainable Future” which reiterated the role of youth and their participation in enhancing sustainable development. 

 

The lecture also featured three other sessions. The experience sharing session titled “Youth and Sustainable Community Development” was participated by community developers from various fields, namely Mr. Zcongklod Bangyikhan, editor and writer of Read the Cloud;  Mr. Sanon Wangsrangboon, representative of Trawell Thailand; and Dr. Tuantong Niyomchart, Head of the Youth of Nation Development Project. The “Exchanges and Sharing with the Global Community” session was the opportunity for those who were Thailand’s youth representatives to share their experiences and help inspire others to be more involved in international affairs. The workshop “Decoding Community Development”, led by Dr. Aracha Krasaein, Professor of Architecture at Kasetsart University, allowed young people, those most affected by development, to examine the various problems and challenges in their communities and discuss solutions towards sustainable development.

 

The lecture was attended by approximately 150 students in secondary and higher education. The event helped raise awareness on the importance of urban and community development, the issue that can lead towards achieving the SDGs, and was an opportunity to listen to the perspectives and desires of the youth on their role in helping to develop their country.