H.E. Dr. Siri Jirapongphan, Minister of Energy of the Kingdom of Thailand, participated as a panelist in the “Review of SDGs implementaion”, panel discussion on “SDG7- Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”, during the 2018 High-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF), on 10 July 2018, at the United Nations Headquarters, New York

           At the invitation from the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Minister of Energy shared Thailand’s policy, measures and experiences in advancing SDG7, underscoring the national targets to achieve long-term energy security and universal access to affordable energy, which is key to building sustainable and equitable societies.  He attributed Thailand’s remarkable achievement to invest and expand power supply lines to every household in every parts and communities of the country at an affordable price to a combination of strong Government's undertakings to invest in energy generation facilities, and strong private sector partnership.  Going forward, Thailand will continue prioritising the development of a modern renewable energy system that focuses on maximising the use of its hydro, solar and biomass/biogas energy potentials.  It will be driven by new technology and innovations such as the installation of a large number of solar panels on floats over the water surface of reservoir or hydroelectric dams, the independent smart power dispatch zone based on a network of small-scaled biomass/biogas power plants to promote local communities’ participation and self-reliance, as well as the increased use of biofuel in transportations.  Thailand will continue its efforts to fulfil its commitment to raise the proportion of renewable energy consumption, while at the same time, pursue grid parity in order to make solar energy more economically viable in order to provide clean energy to the people at affordable price. 

           In addition to Minister of Energy of Thailand, panelists included the CEO of the European Climate Foundation, the Executive Director of ENERGIA from Zambia, and the senior director of Energy and Extractive Industries Global Practice, World Bank Group. The President of the UN ECOSOC delivered the opening remarks and the Director General of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) moderated the discussion, while the representative from the Statistics Division, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) gave a presentative on the overview progress of SDG7 implementation. The meeting received overwhelming interests with the attendance by representatives from many Member States of the UN, international organisations, and the civil society, who enthusiastically participated in the debate. This reflected the importance of this first global in depth review of SDG7 since the adoption of the SDGs by all UN Member States at the UN General Assembly in 2015.

           At the beginning of the meeting, the President of the ECOSOC expressed her congratulations and commended the Royal Thai Government’s successful operation to rescue 13 youth and coach of the Moo Pa Academy football team out of the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai. In response, the Minister of Energy, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government and the Thai people, expressed deepest appreciation for all the help from friends around the world, as well as the well wishes and words of encouragement, which were crucial in making this complex and difficult operation achievable.