On 27 May 2022, H.E. Mr. Collen Vixen Kelapile, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations in New York, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs during his visit to Thailand for the 78th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

H.E. Kelapile emphasised the importance of accelerating the achievement of the SDGs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. He emphasised the critical role of financing for development, climate actions, and the role of the ECOSOC in promoting development in all three dimensions, namely economic, social, and environment. In addition, he affirmed the importance of the multilateral system in driving forward sustainable development. H.E. Kelapile commended Thailand for its management of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially at the local level. He was also impressed by Thailand’s efforts to promote sustainable development and environmentally-friendly businesses, as well as the ongoing partnerships between Thailand and the United Nations in this regard.

VFM. Vijavat responded by emphasising that a whole-of-government and society approach had been adopted by the country in driving forward sustainable development, and that Thailand placed particular importance on engaging all sectors in the country’s development efforts, including volunteers. Thailand recognised the importance of financing for development, and aimed to spearhead green financing and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment in the region. At present, more than 90 Thai companies have pledged to invest 1.3 trillion Thai Baht in SDG-related projects by 2030. Thailand’s development efforts were guided by the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP). The Government had recently introduced the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Model as the country’s main economic policy toward balanced economic growth, while being environmentally-friendly. Thailand’s pledge at the COP26 World Leaders Summit was a testament to the country’s leading role and the importance it placed on responding to environmental challenges.