Thailand, as the Asean chair this year, has pledged that it will work more closely with the United Nations to help reduce social and economic inequality in the Asia-Pacific region.
Thani Thongpakdi, deputy permanent-secretary for foreign affairs, said social and economic inequality remains a challenge in Thailand even though poverty has declined over the last 30 years.
"However, Thailand's Gini index -- the World Bank's indicator of income distribution among individuals -- fell gradually from 43.8 in 1988 to 36 in 2015," he told the 6th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) which is being held on the theme of "empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality" at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok until today.
Mr Thani said Thailand has stepped up efforts to deal with social and economic disparity. The government has launched the village fund scheme to empower underprivileged people.
"More than 70 billion baht has been allocated for over 79,000 village funds nationwide to decrease household debt and enhance productivity in various sectors, such as farming and community tourism," he said.
Thailand has promoted public and private ventures to reduce inequality. Among these is the government and the local community's collaboration on Nan Sandbox, Mr Thani said.
Nan Sandbox is an innovative public-private venture committed to ending deforestation in Nan province.
"This project will reclaim deforested lands from cut-and-burn farming and help villagers change to sustainable agriculture practices," he said.
As Thailand is chairing Asean under the theme, "Advancing Partnership for Sustainability", Mr Thani urged all countries to join hands for sustainable development.
Meanwhile, Amina Mohammed, the UN deputy secretary-general, said in a keynote address that the Asia-Pacific region is facing many obstacles to social and economic development. She admitted that it is unlikely to achieve any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline.
"We are not on track to fulfil our ambition," she said, citing reasons including rising inequalities of wealth, access to basic services, and gender.
In the 6th APFSD, many sectors are proposing solutions to sustainable development. Among these is Gruppo Jobel, an international artistic network, which is currently expanding its operations into Thailand.
