Thailand’s Sustainable Development and Economy

Thailand’s Sustainable Development and Economy

In 2015, the UN (United Nations) member states decided to adopt the 2030 plan of millennium development. The objective of the development plan was supposed to be achieved within fifteen years. The millennium development goals comprised of about seventeen goals with over 160 specific targets (Moore & Donaldson, 2016). They also had over two hundred indicators for measurement. There are three-millennium development objectives that are supposed to be accomplished. They are supposed to meet the economic needs of the country, environmental and social needs. The goals should be carried out in an inclusive and integrated method that moves with every individual. Thailand has its framework of development that it uses to attain the millennium development goals. The technique is known as the sufficient economy philosophy. It depends on integrity and wisdom and principles of reasonableness, moderation. Thailand has adopted an adequate economy system to integrate its social development and national economic plan even before 2015 (Moore & Donaldson, 2016).

One of the significant development goals that Thailand has managed to tackle successfully is the eradication of hunger and poverty. It has successfully attained the millennium development (MDG) target to almost half of the rate of poverty in the country (Moore & Donaldson, 2016). It has set a new goal of achieving the new MDG+ target of reducing the poverty rate of the country to less than 4% (Moore & Donaldson, 2016). From 2009, the country has made a lot of changes in the poverty line. While the fight against hunger and poverty continued, it was seen that most poor people live in rural areas. They were the same people who contributed to the agricultural platform, and they needed to be taken care of. Some of the changes are the Thai government putting in place poverty reduction programs in addressing the issue. The problem is divided into 4; the first is programs for supporting the living cost. The second one is the creation of employment to create stability among its citizens. The third one is the promotion of accessible funds for people and finally, the program to improve the welfare of people.

However, to achieve this goal, Thailand had significant challenges. Most of the Thai citizens were poor and had little or no education. The government also faced accessibility issues and therefore, could not get to some of the people affected. Another challenge was on improving the unskilled labourers. The country found it hard to get these workers into vocational training. The untrained workers accounted for the better part of the population, and this was over 7 million people (Moore & Donaldson, 2016). The figure accounted for over 90% of the poor who were mostly affected by the issue (Moore & Donaldson, 2016). Most of the number, in this case, were people over 40 years who needed their working skills improved (Moore & Donaldson, 2016).

Another MDG was to provide all workers with decent employment adequately. This is a potentially achievable target with Thailand having less than 1% rate of work by 2012 (Moore & Donaldson, 2016). The figure has currently improved up to more than 5% of workers getting employed (Moore & Donaldson, 2016). The country has to make sure that more efforts are put in place to ensure that they achieve their target. However, with low education levels and fewer people accessing education, the aim has slowed down in its level of achievement. The poor infrastructure also plays a role in the attainment of this goal. Significant improvements are needed communication and education systems in the country because this has played a role in the reduction of the goal attainment.

Several challenges are significant that requires an immediate response in the coming years. Thailand has been steadily reducing poverty and hunger and has successfully halved the pandemic (Choenkwan et al., 2016). The challenge, in this case, is in addressing the other remaining halve starting from the poorest. Making headway include getting a headcount of the people affected to get a clear picture of what they face. Another challenge is the shared prosperity which is uneven. It should be the initiative of the government of Thailand to boost the shared prosperity of the poor. That can help promote their income. The third challenge going forward is the persistent differences in the dimensions of non-income citizens in Thailand.

There is a disparity in opportunities for the poor in the country. The country should gear its efforts in trying to provide equal opportunities to everyone in the country. The state should address the education situation in the country. The difficult access to the non-skilled labourers should be addressed (Choenkwan et al., 2016). These are the significant factors that will derail the attainment of the millennium development goals for Thailand. The challenge that affects the creation of employment is the countries limited resources in education and infrastructure. If addressed, the country will be able to have skilled and trained labourers. Another challenge is in the distribution of equal opportunity for everyone. This will eradicate the class differences in the country and ensure that everyone has access to food and employment.

In conclusion, Thailand has made a lot of development in terms of Eradicating poverty and hunger. However, it is only half of the poverty rate that has been addressed, and therefore the country still has a long way to go. On the creation of decent employment for all, the country has made little development on that front. It, therefore, has a lot of challenges going forward to reach their target. The sustainable development goals are achievable, and with Thailand’s sufficient economic policy, they will eventually get there if they stick to their strategy.