Hope for APEC on sustainable development goals

Sustainable development has been a feature of mostglobal summits, including APEC. As the host economy this year, Thailand included the bio-circular-green economy on the agenda. What remains a concern for many people, however,is whether sustainable development schemes are inclusive enough and whether they consider different aspects of society.
Dr. Nuttavikhom Phanthuwongpakdee, the Deputy Director of the Centre for SDG Research and Support at Thammasat University, also known as “SDG Move”, hopes that the APEC Summit will consider sustainable development without leaving anyone behind.
“Obviously, economic growth is one of the main priorities for many countries, but how can you develop the economy without leaving anyone behind?”
As the host economy of APEC 2022, Thailand has been pushing the bio-circular-green economy model which,they say, is the country’s strategy forsustainable economic growth. Even though the “Bangkok Goals”, whichpush for such changes, havealready been endorsed, Dr. Nuttavikhom hopes that APEC leaders will think beyondthem.
“I would like to see the APEC member economiesconcentrate more on society and the environment while they are pushing for economic growth.”
Not just for the environment
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) containa total of 17 goals, 169 targets and 248 indicators, which include conservation ofthe environment, access to education, gender equality, infrastructure and the elimination ofpoverty.
Based on SDG Move’s research into sustainable development across Thailand, people are somewhat aware of the concept. Most still believe, however, that sustainable development is only about protecting the environment.
“So, [what SDG is all about]is what‘SDG Move’ would like to ensure that the general public and policy makers know, realise and understand.”
As the research centre collaborates with various sectors, from international organisations, Thai government agenciesandcivil society organisations to the private sector, he noticed that most of the governments’ policies are still focusedon economic growth. Even worse, most of their development schemes are causing damage to society, the environment and even culture.
“A lot of people, SMEs and the general public, still feel that it's very important for Thailand to have economic growth. They still have the misbelief that, if you have a good economy, everything else will be perfect. So, it’s very important that, if you want to develop Thailand, you shouldconsider a more sustainable route.”
“Zero hunger” – a difficult task
While governments, authorities and organisations around the world have announced their commitmenttoachieving all the goals, the targets and indicators remaina huge challenge. From Dr. Nuttavikhom’s perspective, however, the SDG goal that will be the most difficult to achieve for Thailand is “zero hunger”.
“This willcome as a surprise to many people,” he said, as many people assume that Thailand has already achieved this goal, considering how the kingdom itself produces and exports a wide range offood-related products to various countries.
Even though Thailand has no issues with food security, Dr. Nuttavikhom explains that zero hunger is not just about having enough food, but the key indicators also include food sovereignty, diversity in farming, nutrition and even the incomesof local farmers.
“In the various parts of Thailand, you don’t produce every type of food. You still rely on other countriesandregions, which I find it quite hard to believe. You only produce very few types of food and [that means] you don’t have food sovereignty.”
The Deputy Director of SDG Move also noticed that most farms across Thailand grow only one or two types of crop, whereas the UN’s SDG goals support diversity in farming.
“We have seen bad examples from around the world; ifyou only grow a few types of crop, whenanything happens, such as an outbreak, you will lose everything and you don’t want that. We have already seen that with bananas in South America. We don’t want that to happen in Thailand, so why are we still doing it that way?”
A sticker for show?
Even though many sectors are trying to takethe sustainability route, Dr. Nuttavikhom feels that the government is too obsessedwith completing all the indicators, which may not suit the context of Thailand. At the same time, the government sector may only have complete the requirements to achieve them, when they can actually do much more.
“When you’re obsessed with the indicators, you want to make it look good, but does it really reflect reality? SDGs also talk aboutlocalisation, and you should find indicators that are suitable for your own country. The government sectormight say that we have already achieved this target, so we can move on and concentrate on other targets, but can we do much more to improve the livelihoods of the people or the environment,even though we might have achieved it according to the indicators?”
Meanwhile, the private sector hasalso declared itscommitment to sustainability. Considering that their main goal is still to makeprofit, however, some companies proclaim their sustainable missions for the sake of their image and reputation.
“What they like to do is see SDGs as another “sticker” to show the customers that they’re working to achievethe SDGs, [to indicate that] they are good companies, so please come and buy our products. When,in reality, there’s so much more that they coulddo.”
You are our leaders
“The world cannot become a more sustainable place, if not everyone is doing it. Most people feel that it’s the government’s job, so their participation is quite low.”
As sustainable development is onthe agendaat the APEC Summit, Dr. Nuttavikhom has high hopes that world leaders will pay more attention to the issue, apart from regional economic growth.
Most importantly, considering the SDGs aim to “leave no one behind”, he strongly believes that decision-makers will empower and encourage more public participation, in order to provoke positive changeandto improve the livelihoods of people and society.
“I have faith in you. You are our leaders, you are the oneswho can lead changes, but I want you to pay attention to sustainable development, not just the economy.”
By Nad Bunnag, Thai PBS World