On 29 March 2023, UNCTAD and Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) met at the sideline of the 26^th Session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) to sign an agreement for the “STI Capacity Building Program on Female Researchers and Entrepreneurs to Promote the BCG Model” which will bring 15 women entrepreneurs and researchers from developing countries to Thailand in August 2023 for training on Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model.

The STI Capacity building program is designed to harness principles of the BCG economic model, which encourages alternative and local development strategies that link knowledge on science, technology, innovation to biodiversity and cultural diversity. This in turn, would enhance the internal strength of developing countries and drive them towards sustainability.

Call for applications to the program is expected to be made in April 2023, and successful applicants will be announced between May and June 2023. The participants will afterwards travel to Bangkok, Thailand in August 2023 where they will learn from BCG experts and visit BCG and female-led enterprises, including technology enterprises and social enterprises, to enhance their understanding of the BCG model and              the benefits it can bring about to the companies.

At the signing, Ms. Patamawadee Pochanukul, TSRI’s president and Ms. Shamika N. Sirimanne, UNCTAD’s director of technology and logistics, noted how concrete cooperation initiatives such as the STI capacity building program, would assist recovery of the global economy, particularly in the South. The program further highlights the role of women and realising their potential in the field of STIs.

Ambassador Suphatra Srimaitreephithak, Thailand’s permanent representative to the United Nations Offices and other International Organizations noted how the project would “ensure cohesion of policies, coordination of works, and complementarities of practices among developing countries.” The program could also potentially extend, in the future, to developed countries interested in the project.