The Sweden – Thailand Sustainable Development Forum 2022 was held online on 8 June 2022. The Forum was organised by the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok in collaboration Business Sweden and the Thai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce and co-hosted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm.

Prior to the Forum, two related events were held. Firstly, a pledge to one month of paid paternity leave by Swedish - affiliated companies in Thailand i.e. ABB, AstraZeneca, Atlas Copco, Capaciton, Electrolux, Foreo, Fitness24Seven, Global Bugs, IKEA, Rapid Asia, Volvo Cars and Wallander & Sson. Concurrently, the Swedish Institute’s ‘Parenting- an equal opportunity’ photo exhibition was displayed from 31 May to 12 June to promote gender equality and shared responsibilities at home and at the workplace.

The Forum was attended by approximately 185 participants from state agencies, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and private sectors mostly from Thailand and Sweden. It was inaugurated by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Sweden and Thailand.  

The Forum served as a platform for the presenters and participants to share knowledge, best practices and solutions and provided opportunities to come together to explore possibilities to collaborate on subjects related to sustainable development. The Forum was divided into three breakout sessions for parallel discussions on:

- Sustainable Smart Cities
Projects and schemes in area of smart cities were discussed such as Stockholm Green Innovation District in Sweden and Wangchan Valley in Thailand. Smart City Sweden and Thailand Digital Economy Promotion Agency have explored the prospective collaboration and exchange of visit and delegations.

- Decent Work is Good for Business
The Forum discussed women’s economic empowerment and parental benefits and gender equality at work to highlight the importance of decent working conditions in the promotion of inclusive, and sustainable development from both the perspectives of the state agencies and the private sector. Sweden’s experience of soon 50 years of paternity leave was shared.

- Higher Education: Green Solutions and Innovation
Cooperation between higher educational institutions in Sweden and Thailand on green solutions and innovation was explored. As a result of the Forum, Srinakharinwirot University and Dalarna University are finalizing an MOU to pursue a collaborative relationship on education and research. A real-life example of green solutions such as clean energy and alternative protein were presented by companies in Thailand with connection to Sweden. A virtual agreement signing ceremony between Chulalongkorn University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology was held at the Forum itself and witnessed by all participants.

In closing remarks, the Ambassador of Thailand to Sweden made a commitment to organize next year’s bilateral Sustainable Development Forum.

After the online Forum, Ambassador of Sweden hosted a reception in honor of the Thai participants at the Swedish residence and for the participants to further discuss the bilateral collaboration.

Recordings of the Forum
Here you can find the recordings for all sessions:

• Joint opening session, click here
  
  
• Sustainable Smart Cities, click here
  
  
• Decent Work is Good for Business, click here
  
  
• Higher Education: Green Solutions and Innovation, click here
  
  
• Joint closing session and presentation of outcome, click here
  
  
• บันทึกการประชุมเป็นภาษาไทยในช่วงเปิดและปิดการประชุม และในช่วงการหารือในหัวข้อ “Decent Work is Good for Business” (งานที่ดีนั้นดีต่อธุรกิจ) โปรดดู ที่นี่