17 July 2025: A new joint report “Readiness to Implement the Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection: Thailand”, by  the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), and the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, Thailand, highlights achievements and opportunities to foster a more inclusive, integrated, and climate-resilient social protection system in Thailand.

The social protection system in Thailand has evolved over recent decades to expand coverage, including achieving universal health coverage. Over 70% of the population is now covered by at least one social protection scheme. Nevertheless, key gaps persist across the lifecycle , particularly for children, mothers of newborns and workers in case of work injury. Informal workers, comprising up to 65% of the workforce, continue to face limited access to protection. Current investment in social protection is just 4.9% of GDP, well below global and regional benchmarks. Challenges remain in achieving a more cohesive and efficient social protection system. 

The report highlights the need for an overarching policy framework or common definition of social protection to coordinate across ministries, between central and local governments, and across schemes and improve service delivery, reduce overlaps and increase efficiency, and ensure continuity of entitlements across statutory entitlements. It demonstrates existing good practices, such as from social health protection, as well as existing mechanisms that could be leveraged to strengthen systems. The report emphasizes the need to reframe investments in social protection as a springboard that enables upward mobility and promotes climate resilience, while also protecting groups in vulnerable situations.

The report is one of the first to examine the interlinkages between social protection and climate change in Thailand. It highlights the importance of a comprehensive social protection system to foster individual and system-wide resilience to climate change, the need to strengthen coordination and integration of social protection with environmental, economic and climate policies, underpinned by an integrated and centralized information system. 

The findings were also examined at a national consultation with over 100 stakeholders from government, civil society, academia, and the UN. Experts at this consultation also noted gaps with regard to social protection and climate change and room for improvement especially in areas relating to the development of concrete action plans; stronger coordination with social protection policies; and introduction of just transition measures by economic sectors, as well as for different population groups and regions. 

Drawing on these findings, the report outlines key recommendations for a more future-ready social protection system in Thailand, in line with the 12 national actions under the Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection in Asia and the Pacific. 

For more detailed analysis and recommendations, view the report at https://unescap.org/kp/2025/readiness-implement-action-plan-strengthen-regional-coordination-social-protection-thailand.

The report of the national consultation can be accessed at: https://unescap.org/kp/2025/report-national-consultation-readiness-implement-action-plan-strengthen-regional.

For more information, visit: https://spot.unescap.org or contact escap-spot@un.org