วันจันทร์ที่ 15 พฤศจิกายน 2564
Remarks By H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-Cha, Prime Minister of Thailand at ABAC-Leaders' Dialogue
Remarks By H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-Cha, Prime Minister of Thailand at ABAC-Leaders' Dialogue
Topic 2
ABAC Chile asks the following question to Prime Minister:
“COVID-19 has had an acute, negative impact on the most vulnerable in our communities, including women, small businesses and Indigenous people. ABAC believes that to safeguard the future, we must regain the ground that has been lost and unlock the full potential of these disadvantaged groups. At the same time we face increasingly dangerous climate change and the need to embrace the transition to a low-carbon economy. What tools should we be using to address these inclusion and sustainability challenges?”
Thank you for the question. I would like to thank Prime Minister of New Zealand and also the Chair of ABAC. I am pleased to meet all of you today and answer your questions.
For Thailand, we are aware that the world is facing many challenges. From deep-rooted inequalities, environmental degradation, climate change to an imbalance in our way of life and business conduct. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the situation compounded by recovery that has been uneven. Finding the right tools to address these challenges will be extremely important for APEC going forward.
Thailand attaches great importance to vaccination and I am pleased to inform that Thailand has now administered more than 83 million doses. In this month, we expect to inoculate altogether more than an accumulated amount of 100 million doses. In addition, we also attach importance to accelerating the resolution of problems together, so that we can reopen our countries and stimulate tourism in a safe manner, especially as we do not know yet when the COVID-19 pandemic will be over. We give importance to the multilateral trading system, women entrepreneurs, vulnerable groups as well as digital transformation. Thus we will choose to use the tools that are appropriate to manage the current challenges and enable us to move forward towards APEC’s future.
As one of the 12 founding members of APEC, Thailand believes that the current pandemic has caused devastating effects to all economies across the world. This has provided an opportunity to rethink how we define economic growth and how to improve its resiliency and subsequently identify which tools APEC can use in this regard. If we can address this question, we will have the answer to how we can fill in the gaps that are missing.
APEC’s contribution to the world’s economy is significant, accounting for $53 out of $84.5 trillion or over 60% of the world’s GDP. APEC structural reforms, a change of mind set and approach to economic growth can trigger and turn the world’s attention to these solutions.
Thailand believes that in order to achieve growth that is robust, resilient, sustainable and inclusive, we need a paradigm shift that encompasses not just GDP growth, exploitation of natural resources, business rivalries and comparative advantage and not focusing on “me first.” But we should thrive for balance and harmony in all parts of society, between economies, and with nature. This balance and collaborative partnership are central to Bio-, Circular-, Green Economy or the BCG Model. With this, our end goals are well-being, prosperity and human security, which will further balance our inclusiveness and embrace diversity. The Bio-, Circular-, Green- Economy can be applied to all sectors, be they production or consumption sides.
We all recognise the important role of the private sector in driving recovery and economic growth. Governments need to ensure that appropriate structural reform measures are in place to provide incentives and address chokepoints for businesses. Strong collaboration and commitments from all sectors, in particular Public-Private-Partnership (PPP), is key to achieving a sustainable, inclusive and responsive future. The government will support the private sector in terms of improving regulations to support investment. Thus our joint investment between the government and private sector is key to achieving a sustainable, inclusive and responsive future. Together we can build on our rich biodiversity through innovations and technology. Most important, we can work together to maximise the use of our precious resources with a view towards achieving zero waste in the production process. In addition and equally important, businesses can work towards environmental sustainability by harnessing on innovative biotechnology in our agricultural and industrial productions. These applications are also in line with Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices.
Lastly, in pursuing a low carbon APEC region, we need serious cooperation between producers and consumers, from production to conservation, efficient use of energy, waste and pollution reduction, leveraging innovation and technology, preparing for adaptation and fair and just transition.
As an incubator of ideas and a forum that prioritises collaboration with the business community, APEC is in a good position to push forward our collective efforts to bring about inclusive and sustainable economic growth in line with Bio-, Circular-, Green- Economy Model. And through our strong collaboration, APEC can take a leading role on climate for the wellbeing of the People, Place and Prosperity, so that the APEC region can be leader on issues such as climate change for the survival of planet earth and for the sustainability of the world.
Thank you.
Mr. Hiroshi Nakaso ABAC Japan asks Prime Minister the following question:
"In your view, what role should APEC play in facilitating the transition to a
low-carbon economy and how can the business sector support this role?"
Thank you Mr. Nakaso for your question from Japan.
So far, there have been ongoing efforts within the APEC workstream to advance transition to a low-carbon economy, but there is certainly more work to be done in this area.
The collective voice from the COP26 Summit last week has revalidated the fact that we need to reaffirm our commitment to sustainable growth and lower our carbon emissions.
For Thailand, we are committed to addressing climate challenges and lowering our carbon emission. We aim to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by or before 2065.
In our efforts to reach these goals, we will increase production of Electric Vehicles (EV) to 30% of the total vehicle production by 2030 and promote the use of EV to 15 million or one third of the total vehicles by 2035 in order to support the clean energy transition. We will increase the forestation area from 32% to 55 % to absorb greenhouse gas.
Thailand believes that APEC can also have a unified voice and a collective goal to affirm our commitment in this regard. During our host year, Thailand will endeavour to propose a list of APEC common environmental goals based on Bio-, Circular-, Green- Economy Model or the BCG.
At the same time, the private sector is essential in our collective and collaborative effort to advance APEC’s transition to a low-carbon economy. Businesses, large or small, can play their role. Every effort counts from investing in renewable energy, addressing the Sustainable Development Goals, managing waste, to furthering innovations as well as human rights and businesses.
Thank you.