🇹🇭 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) students were welcomed to Thailand, set against the backdrop of bustling Bangkok, where the social business sector is taking off. As part of a program collaboratively run with Kenan Foundation Asia, students explored social business and health, visiting the hashtag#ZeroBahtShop, ARSA, the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), Museum of The Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine, and the Bureau of Reproductive Health, Ministry of Public Health where they were met with enthusiasm and warmth, and were introduced to operational details and contributions to an equitable society.

Yunus Thailand has officially announced its partnership with the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) to promote women's empowerment in Southern Thailand through a pilot project in Satun called "Seaweed Social Business." Six months after the implementation of seaweed cultivation toolkits in the communities of Tutaelum, Kabang, and BorchedLuk—selected for being among the main coastal areas of Satun affected by climate change and high rainfall—the initiative has made significant strides in alleviating poverty among women. With 50 local women now engaged as seaweed entrepreneurs, this project is fostering empowerment, generating employment, and providing passive income opportunities. The CFLI has been instrumental in funding research and training, ensuring that the women have the necessary knowledge and resources to succeed in this endeavor.

Food insecurity is a significant global issue, with an estimated 828 million people worldwide suffering from hunger as of 2021 (FAO, 2021). In Thailand, particularly in Satun province, approximately 15% of the population faces undernutrition, which severely impacts health, education, and economic productivity (National Statistical Office of Thailand, 2022). Malnutrition can lead to detrimental effects on community resilience and well-being, with global data indicating that it contributes to about 45% of deaths in children under five years old (World Health Organization, 2021). Addressing these issues requires innovative, localized solutions.

Last week, Yunus Thailand had the privilege of presenting the White Paper on Catalysing an Innovation Ecosystem for People-Centred Justice in Southeast Asia on the second day of the UN Regional Conference on People-Centered Justice, held in Bangkok from 11-13 November. The regional conference gathered over 200 participants from across the Asia-Pacific region with a common vision of achieving just societies by leveraging people-centric approaches. The regional conference provided a space to gather wider insights from experts in various sectors across Southeast Asia and beyond during the panel discussion and a world cafe session organised by the UN Development Program’s Judicial Integrity Network for ASEAN.