Bustling food markets in Thailand’s southern border provinces are an integral part of the local food system. They are a real-time indicator for social cohesion, food security, and economic prosperity in society. However, lack of investment and maintenance along with the recent impact of COVID-19, have put these essential community resources at risk. Mrs. Patimoh […]

International Institutions, public authorities (national and regional governments, local authorities, municipalities), corporates and civil society organizations are looking for systemic responses to complexity. They increasingly agree that complex issues cannot be tackled by applying single point solutions, but as we all know, this is easier said than done. In this context, UNDP also aims at […]

Before Covid-19 food systems were already struggling from global challenges such as climate change and violent conflicts. Now, the pandemic is ravaging food production and disrupting supply chains across the globe. According to World Food Programme (WFP) estimates, millions more people will be threatened with acute food insecurity by the end of 2020. The food […]

If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown one thing, it is that we are all vulnerable, yet not equally fragile. This is well illustrated in the case of Southern Thailand — a region that has been particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and its devastating ramifications. For the approximately 2.4 million residents of this culturally dynamic, but largely […]

The beauty of nature is its diversity, millions of plants, several thousands animals, and the ever-changing seasons. Categorization of living beings is recent compared to the age of the world, but humans do, we categorize and cause problems. The more centralized development is, the more it pushes the marginalized away, especially those with pride in […]

  The rain is splashing down like the wrath of God. Kim Ki-taek, the father and head of the family, scurrying back home with his children, Ki-woo and Chung-sook. The home is not part of anything estate-like but a basement shared by four members of the family. The underground dwelling depends on sunlight and air […]

  The Dialogues with the Ethnic Youths on the Occasion of the International Youth Day 2021 One-third of the world’s population are children and youth. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which many countries in the world are committed to achieving by 2030 or only ten years from now, might not be attained if we do […]

  “Hard-working farmers are the backbone of the nation.” This is the beginning of the song ‘life of a farmer’ written to laud the agricultural profession, especially the rice farmers who produce for people in the country, and export it to other nations as well. But a conundrum remains, why such an essential and skilled […]

  We could say Pattaya is the ‘capital city of transgender women.’ It was once a city overflowing with career opportunities, the chance to a life with dignity. But sometimes the line between dignity and indecency is so thin that we cannot see it, and with now the pandemic, all hopes are shattered. Restaurants and […]

“Hello? Hello? Do you hear me there?”   Somporn, do you hear me? Would you like me to call again?   “Yes, yes. I do. The signal is not so good here. What’s the matter?”   Where are you? In the forest?   “There would be no signal in the forest. I came to the […]

Have you heard of the wonder of Thai massage? The hands that heal your body, your pressure points, your soles, and maybe your soul too. Hands of a masseuse transfer energy to your muscles, and give life back into your exhausted body. The money flow in the Thai massage industry accounts to as high as […]

  “Fffwwwwwwhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeueeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuueeeee!” There goes the sound of heaven when someone steps on the yellow line. Just a step and the traffic cop blows his whistle. Oh god, who steps on the yellow line again? Oh? It’s me. A girl from Nakhon Phanom who just got into a university in Bangkok. What a developed city, I […]