The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asia-Pacific Development Effectiveness Facility (AP-DEF) opened a two-day meeting on aid ahead of the upcoming Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. More than 100 government delegates and development experts are exploring how to design integrated national financing frameworks for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Asia-Pacific. “Domestic sources of finance are emerging as a key driving force for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific,” said Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director for Asia and the Pacific. “These new sources of finance allow us to expand the existing development cooperation and partnership.”

The Secretary-General expresses his deep condolences to the Royal family, Government and people of Thailand on the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Secretary-General acknowledges King Bhumibol’s long dedication to his country and his legacy as a unifying national leader. He was revered by the people of Thailand and highly respected internationally. In recognition of his work, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the United Nations Development Programme in 2006. The Secretary-General expresses his hope that Thailand will continue to honour King Bhumibol’s legacy of commitment to universal values and respect for human rights. New York, 13 October 2016 Week Ahead: http://www.un.org/sg/spokesperson/weekahead/index.asp

Commercial Buildings Get Recognized for their Achievement on Energy Efficiency Actions under UNDP/GEF-supported Project. Twelve commercial buildings received certificates of recognition for their accomplishment as demonstration buildings on energy efficiency investment.

The expected output of the BIOFIN Workbook 2 which will focus on Biodiversity Finance Needs and Gap Assessment include an analysis of the costs for each set of strategies and actions within the NBSAP and a summary analysis and prioritization of all existing and future costs through 2020.

Biodiversity-related expenditure is defined as any expenditure, whether by a public or private finance actor, that supports the conservation, sustainable use and/or equitable benefits sharing of biodiversity in a given year. The proportion of expenditure that are attributed to biodiversity is based on an overall assessment of the activities within each financial actor’s work programs and also by comparison with the NBSAP whether these are included in the NBSAP or consistent with NBSAP’s strategies. Programs’ objectives and performance indicators, as well as any major obstacles that arise, are used to determine their effectiveness in relation to the stated goal. These indicators are primarily based on those specified in each finance actor’s strategic plan or budgetary work programs with quantifiable quantities such as protected areas coverage, number of ecotourism centers being serviced, number of studies on environmental resource management undertaken, some of which can be related to the overall indicators used in the assessment of the National Economic and Social Development Plan, the Environmental Quality Plan and the NBSAP.

This publication highlights the unique contribution of ten GEF financed, UNDP supported projects in six tiger range countries (Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand), demonstrating how conservation activities in tiger habitat can accomplish more than the preservation of one iconic wildlife species.

A more coordinated, multi-sectoral response is needed to address gender inequality and gender-based violence of marginalized people in Thai society, including women, children and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, said participants at a conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The “Small Communities, Big Thoughts” video showcases how UNDP Thailand partnering with the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, supports communities to address national water resource conservation problems and promote sustainable development.

Demographic change in Asia and the Pacific is happening at a rate the world has never seen. An explosion in the working age population and a fall in birth rates that took a century in Europe are happening here in just 30 years.

Employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people is a prevalent but silent issue in Thailand, said experts at a national level meeting to discuss issues related to discrimination in the workplace.

In an attempt to encourage communities in Mae Hong Son province to use more energy efficient and environmentally friendly cooking and heating methods, UNDP Thailand’s Promoting Renewable Energy project in partnership with the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) and the Ministry of Energy carried out an improved cook stoves (ICS) experiment. The ICS was designed to reduce fuel consumption per meal and to curb smoke emissions.

While promoting sustainable production techniques to farmers in Thailand, UNDP's Goodwill Ambassador Joan Roca presents how chefs can make a difference in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

Childhood friends Duangsuda Srangamphai and Chehyoy Dama, originally from Thienya village, Pattani province in southern Thailand, recently established a community enterprise called Thienya Roasted Coconut to uplift the spirits of women from their village who had been affected by conflict.They received a small grant from UNDP’s Southern Thailand Empowerment and Participation (STEP) Project.

The Promoting Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings (PEECB) project, a collaboration between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) held its third annual seminar.

On the occasion of our 50th anniversary, UNDP is looking toward the future of people and planet. That future is uncertain. On the one hand, climate change, political turbulence, economic inequality, and other challenges. On the other hand, technological advances, tremendous economic growth, and an unprecedented global consensus about the best way forward.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Centre for Biodiversity, in cooperation with ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat and partner organisations, held the Second ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity under the theme “Biodiversity for Sustainable Development” on 15 - 19 February in Bangkok.

Aka who is a fisherman by trade, makes the model boats to supplement his income to support his wife and six children. However, since June 2015, Aka has being imparting his boat making skills with young men in the village after receiving a small grant from UNDP’s Southern Thailand Empowerment and Participation (STEP) Project.

The new book, Parks for Life: Why We Love Thailand’s National Parks, aims to create a better recognition of, and greater commitment and support to protect the country’s rich biodiversity. The publication advocates for investing in the management of protected areas to promote inclusive economic growth that takes the real value of biodiversity and ecosystems into account in decision-making in the country’s development.

Sai Khao Agricultural Housewives Community Enterprise, a small cooperative, which prepares, preserves and sells Garcinia received a small grant through UNDP’s Southern Thailand Empowerment and Participation (STEP) Project.

UNDP's STEP II Project awarded small grants to eight community projects in targeted provinces in southern Thailand (Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat). The grants, generously financed by the Japan-UNDP Partnership Fund, aim to assist local communities to become more resilient amid the ongoing violent conflict in southern Thailand, through the improvement of their livelihoods.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced today that it will launch its new human development report “Shaping the Future: How Changing Demographics Can Power Human Development,” on April 26 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The UN SDG exhibition aims to introduce the Sustainable Development Goals in Thailand, highlight their importance for Thai people, as well as commemorate the 70th anniversary of the UN through emphasizing the partnership between UN Country Team Thailand and the Royal Thai Government. Additionally, the UN plans to bring the exhibition around the country to engage with as many Thais as possible.

Discrimination and exclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in the private sector workplace, which is widespread across the Asia-Pacific region including in Thailand, has both economic as well as human associated costs. A national executive dialogue on the business of LGBT rights in Asia jointly convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and The Economist Events.

The United Nations and P&G; Thailand celebrated receivership of the Best Communications Campaign Award for the My World survey campaign. The Best Communications Campaign award recognises the efforts of P&G; Thailand in working with the United Nations, media outlets, and developing advertising products and tools to showcase peoples’ engagement on the post-2015 development agenda.