You are cordially invited to the academic seminar
Topic: Broken Governance | The Collapse of Governance = The Root Cause of Thailand’s Unsustainability
Date: Friday, September 8, 2023
Time: 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Live broadcast via Facebook: SDG Move TH
Concept
“Forest fire prevention budget corruption,” “Truck sticker bribes,” “Lawsuits to silence energy capitalists,” “State officials involved in human trafficking” – These are just a few examples of the cases that have appeared in Thai social news throughout the past year. They reflect the severity and pervasiveness of corruption, lack of transparency, and the inability of citizens to participate in providing information, expressing opinions, and making decisions. These issues reflect the decline of good governance, which has resulted in ineffective, uncomprehensive, and irresponsible management.
When viewed through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), good governance is one of the issues under SDG 16: Peaceful and Inclusive Societies for Sustainable Development, Access to Justice for All, and Effective, Accountable and Inclusive Institutions at All Levels. However, the SDGs are interconnected and interdependent. Inclusive and equitable development is at the heart of sustainable development. Therefore, the decline of good governance also affects development in other dimensions. It is therefore difficult for Thailand to achieve sustainable development without serious discussion and dismantling of the problem of the deterioration of good governance.
From monitoring the SDGs situation in Thailand under the project “Building linkages between science, policy and society for sustainable development in Thailand” from 2020 to present, it was found that Thailand’s development strategies focus on economic development and the environment in some areas, such as the BCG economic model, promoting electricity production, and the net zero carbon policy. However, there is no strategy or guideline that focuses on solving the problems of justice and the governance system, which are chronic and complex problems of Thai society, in a straightforward manner.
This is consistent with the opinions of the respondents to the survey “Thailand’s Unsustainable Development Review: 7 Years On, How Sustainable is Thailand in Your Eyes?” It was found that 8 out of 10 of the issues that the respondents considered to have declined the most were issues under SDG 16. This further reflects that the governance of Thailand’s administration has deteriorated significantly.
Under the situation where Thai society is facing a decline in governance, the Centre for SDG Research and Support, as an academic unit with the mission to monitor and communicate issues that affect the sustainable development of Thailand, has organized a public seminar on the topic “Broken Governance | The Collapse of Governance = The Root Cause of Thailand’s Unsustainability” to serve as a space for communication and to emphasize how the decline of governance affects development in all dimensions, namely economic, social and environmental. The seminar will also discuss the guidelines and roles of various sectors in building good governance.
Objectives
- To serve as a space for communication and to highlight the impact of the decline of governance on development in all dimensions, namely economic, social and environmental.
- To highlight the importance and necessity of good governance in driving sustainable development.
- To exchange guidelines and roles of various sectors in building good governance.
Target Audience
- General public who are interested in or follow the issue of sustainability.
Panelist
- Asst. Prof. Dr. Ora-orn Poocharoen, Director of of the School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University
- Ms. Sarinee Achavanuntakul, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Knowledge Development, Sal Forest Co. Ltd.
- Dr. Krisada Boonchai, Secretary-General of the Local Development Institute
- Ms. Pimnara Intaprasert, Assistant Director of Knowledge Management, Centre for SDG Research and Support, Moderator
