RESEARCH THEME

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and well-being of all people. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly established SDGs, which were adopted by 193 countries worldwide. The SDGs were designed to be achieved by the year 2030 and represent a shared global vision for a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future for everyone.

Thailand has made significant progress towards achieving SDGs since their adoption in 2015. In health, Thailand has made remarkable progress in improving health outcomes. The country has achieved universal health coverage, and its health system is widely regarded as a model for other developing countries. Thailand has also made progress in reducing maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS.

What we do

Our goal is to promote the Implementation of sustainable development policies and practices that support the achievement of SDGs, with a particular emphasis on SDG3, which aims to ensure good health and well-being for all. Our work aims to inform policy in critical areas such as health systems strengthening and address the root causes of health inequities, such as poverty, and unequal access to healthcare services. Examples of our activities:

Developing “Health Equity Monitoring System in Thailand”
Developing SDGs indicators in Thailand such as SDG 3.D.2 (Percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms) and SDG 3.B.3 (Proportion of health facilities that have a core set of relevant essential medicines available and affordable on a sustainable basis.)
Conducting research and proposing policy recommendations for health related to SDG 3 such as the tuberculosis (TB) incidence rate in Thailand
Organizing a learning process among different sectors for sustainable development in Thailand: Thailand Sustainable Development Forum
Communicating knowledge about sustainable development at all levels: SDG Watch (collaboration with SDG Move)
Acting as a host for Sustainable Development Solution Network Thailand

Our approach

By generating evidence-based knowledge and insights, we strive to support efforts to improve health outcomes and well-being for all, in line with the SDGs agenda. Four main strategies are:

Knowledge generation and management: generating evidence for advancing well-being SDG- related policy processes such as developing SDGs indicators for SDG 3.D.2 or proposing policy recommendations on critical challenges SDG3.3.2 in Thailand
Policy involvement: involving of all stakeholders in a data-driven policy-making process
Evidence-based social mobilization: facilitating collective action through partnership and participatory processes such as disseminating SDGs knowledge and developing a network to drive SDGs in Thailand
Energizing building capacity: building up capacity through knowledge development for all sectors of SDGs

Our challenges

Although Thailand has implemented the SDGs since 2015, there are many challenging issues in SDGs implementation. Some of the key challenges in implementing SDGs in Thailand are:

Health inequities: Despite significant progress in improving health outcomes, Thailand still faces disparities in access to healthcare services and health outcomes based on socioeconomic status, geographic location, ethnicity, and other factors.
Critical challenges SDG3 implementation: Some critical indicators such as SDG3.3.2 Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population, SDG3.4.2 Suicide mortality rate, or SDG3.6.1 Death rate due to road traffic injuries pose significant challenges to achieving in 2030. Urgent solutions must be proposed to policymakers to address those indicators.
Monitoring and evaluation system: an effective monitoring and evaluation system is essential to measure and track progress of SDGs implementation in Thailand. Developing a reliable database system can provide policy makers with empirical evidence to make appropriate and efficient decisions.
Multi-sectoral integration: the implementation of the SDGs requires collaboration among various stakeholders, including, governments, the private sector, civil society, and international organizations. Integrating their efforts is crucial to achieving complex and interrelated goals.
Knowledge linkage and dissemination: Communicating and disseminating knowledge about the SDGs is essential to build public awareness and support for their implementation. Linking different sectors and stakeholders to share knowledge and best practices is crucial to achieving the SDGs in Thailand.