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I would like to repeat here today what Kofi Annan said at the time as I

believe it remains not only valid but is very relevant to the issue we are discussing.

He said and I quote: His Majesty’s ‘Sufficiency Economy’ philosophy is of
great relevance to communities everywhere during these times of rapid globalization.
The philosophy’s ‘middle way’ approach strongly reinforces the United Nations’ own

advocacy of a people-centred and sustainable path toward human development. His
Majesty’s development agenda and visionary thinking are an inspiration to his
subjects, and to people everywhere. End of quote. We clearly have with the
Sufficiency Economy Philosophy a very strong reference framework to address

inequalities. But if here also, just as in the 20-year development vision of Thailand,
we do not find an explicit reference to democracy, we can identify key components
of it in the discourse on SEP. The focus placed on learning, on inclusion in
decision-making, on bottom-up processes and on empowerment of individuals within

the doctrine of SEP are clear links to some of the fundamental principles of
democracy.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, So where does this leaves us. We all
know Thailand is confronted both with strong inequalities of various nature and

repeated challenges to its democracy over the past decades. We all agree that the
Thai people, if not all at least a large majority, aspire to a more equal society and
a more deeply rooted and resilient democracy. Despite this month being only my

6th month in the country, based on my observations and conversations with
representatives of all sectors of the Thai society, I am confident that the country
will achieve the goals of reducing inequalities and strengthening democracy. The
vision of the Government is clear. The country’s commitment to the SDGs is strong.
The focus of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy on reducing inequalities and

empowering people is unquestionable nor is the adoption of the doctrine by all
Keynote Speaker inequalities are in place and can be further strengthened. Decentralization? Local
development stakeholders of Thailand. Key Government policies to address

elections have been discussed regularly and if no specific dates have yet been
announced it would appear they are likely to take place in the near future.

On UNDP side, I can comfortably reiterate in front of all of you our strong
dedication to promoting sustainable human development in Thailand which places

both the objective of fostering equal societies and societies where individuals are