On 13 September 2022, NXPO Vice President Dr. Kanchana Wanichkorn participated in the Fourth Asia-Pacific Directors-General Forum on South-South and Triangular Cooperation. The hybrid event was organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) with an on-site activity held the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.
The forum brought together governments and key stakeholders in the region to exchange ideas and experiences on ways to implement the South-South cooperation to tackle regional challenges. Dr. Kanchana was one of the panelists that discuss the South-South cooperation and the path to the post-pandemic recovery and sustainability.
In her speech, Dr. Kanchana remarked that the South-South cooperation represents a mechanism that developing countries can use to drive the sustainability agenda and facilitate the post-pandemic recovery. Thailand has been involved in multiple South-South cooperative projects. In those projects, the focus was placed on shifting from a project-based model to a platform-based model and engaging stakeholders in the co-creation process. Examples include the development of an innovation ecosystem for the ASEAN region and the Mekong subregion cooperation and the establishment of local entrepreneurs network to drive sustainable grassroots development.
Dr. Kanchana proposed topics for the South-South cooperation which include:
- agriculture and food: digital technology for agriculture, acceleration programs for SMEs and startups in agribusiness, market access improvement
- circular and green economy: plastic waste management, innovative solutions to support responsible consumption and production, joint R&D investment to develop solutions to achieve zero GHG emissions
- digital economy: digital transformation of SMEs
- infrastructure sharing: digital innovation park, incubation center, facilities.
Dr. Kanchana stressed that the key to international cooperation is trust and therefore it is essential to engage stakeholders in the work process, from setting the goals to prioritizing the issues. She also called for the South-South cooperation to create opportunities for youths, women and the underprivileged.
