The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) organized the opening ceremony of the Social Development Expo 2025 (SDx 2025) under the concept "Demographic and Climate Crises." The event is being held from September 17-18, 2025, with Mr. Anukul Peedkaew, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, presiding over the opening ceremony and delivering a special keynote address. The ceremony was attended by ministry executives and related agencies, foreign embassies accredited to Thailand, United Nations agencies, international organizations, network partners, the general public, and media representatives at Ballroom Hall 1-4, 1st Floor, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok.
The Social Development Expo 2025 (SDx 2025) under the concept "Demographic and Climate Crises" serves as a national and international platform to strengthen cooperation among network partners from all sectors of society, both domestic and international, for preparation and management of the challenging issue of "overlapping crises: demographic structure and climate change." These crises impact all target groups, particularly vulnerable populations, while communicating the ministry's key policies for protecting the welfare of vulnerable groups from overlapping crises. The event features numerous engaging activities including knowledge exchange with national and international experts from United Nations agencies such as UNDP, UNESCAP, UNFPA, UNICEF, World Bank, APCD, and ASEC, as well as international organizations. Activities include seminars, discussions, and World Cafe dialogues to collaboratively seek solutions to overlapping crises. The event also features educational exhibitions, workshop activities for souvenir making, and a marketplace showcasing products from vulnerable groups and ministry network partners, providing opportunities for equal participation in society with human dignity.
Mr. Anukul stated that global development trends in the 21st century have emphasized "equality and sustainability" as mainstream principles. However, current situations continue to generate increasing "inequality" across multiple dimensions, particularly among vulnerable groups including children, women, older people, persons with disabilities, low-income individuals, ethnic groups, and migrant populations. These groups also face various crises occurring across regions and countries worldwide, similar to Thailand's current confrontation with overlapping demographic and climate crises, including economic crises. The demographic crisis comprises three components:
The demographic crisis has severe impacts across multiple dimensions, including increased fiscal burden, reduced economic growth potential, increased government burden for older persons' care, numerous school closures, over 1.02 million children dropping out of the education system, fragmented families, older people living alone, younger generations avoiding parenthood, human trafficking, and online crimes.
Regarding the climate crisis, Thailand ranks 30th globally among countries vulnerable to climate change impacts and disasters. Thailand faces four major threats: floods, droughts, extreme heat, and coastal erosion. Currently, the country confronts increasingly severe natural disasters causing damage to lives and property, particularly among vulnerable groups. Notable examples include flooding and landslides in northern regions (Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces) since late 2024, unprecedented in their severity. The climate crisis severely impacts multiple areas, including high-temperature heat waves affecting older people and persons with disabilities at risk of heat stroke, migration to escape disasters and seek urban employment leaving children and older people abandoned in communities, declining agricultural and livestock productivity, and food insecurity among vulnerable groups.
Mr. Anukul outlined the ministry's solutions to demographic and climate crises through two key policies:
(1) Appropriate Welfare Services for All Age Groups:
- Expanding standardized neighborhood childcare centers
- Developing proposals for retirement age extension
- Laws promoting employment of older people and persons with disabilities
- Developing caregivers and protecting the rights of older people
- Developing inspiring disability leaders program (TOP10)
- People's Welfare Management Acceleration Centers (PWMAC)
- NEXT Model Communities
(2) Disaster Care for Vulnerable Groups:
- Establishing Disaster Vulnerable Groups Care Management Centers
- Developing National Adaptation Plans (NAP) for climate change, with MSDHS involvement in settlement and human security
- Creating the ministry's 2025 Disaster Vulnerable Groups Care Management Plan covering pre-disaster, during-disaster, and post-disaster phases
- Developing social protection policy proposals responding to climate change in collaboration with the Thailand Environment Institute Foundation
- Strengthening vulnerable populations and communities against climate change project with the World Bank
- Improving government advance fund spending criteria for emergency disaster relief in collaboration with the Comptroller General's Department
- Developing affordable housing by the National Housing Authority
- Providing GO BAG survival kits containing essential items for vulnerable groups during disasters
Mr. Anukul emphasized Thailand's commitment to driving innovation and technology development to address challenges from overlapping crises through continuous integrated cooperation with network partners across all sectors. This is evidenced by innovations displayed at the event, including accessibility facilities for persons with disabilities and older people, age-appropriate housing design, technology and robotics for older persons' care, agricultural product processing for added value (creative agriculture), and area-based management models for all age groups (NEXT Community Project).
"The overlapping crises of demographic structure and climate change represent global challenges affecting all populations, albeit differently. We believe every country has experiences to share and adapt. Today's event provides a crucial opportunity for proactive policy-making to prepare and adapt to emerging changes. This gathering of all sectors-government, private sector, civil society, international organizations, and mediaalong with voices from ASEAN children and youth who will shape the future world, creates momentum for knowledge and experience exchange to develop concrete, sustainable, and context-appropriate policies and implementation approaches for each country," Mr. Anukul concluded.
The public is cordially invited to participate in the Social Development Expo 2025 (SDx 2025) under the concept "Demographic and Climate Crises" from September 17-18, 2025, at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok. Today, "Overlapping Crises: Demographic Structure and Climate Change" are no longer distant concerns. We must collectively manage and find solutions, as this responsibility belongs not to any single individual or organization alone.