Thailand
The guiding principles of “people-centered development” and the “philosophy
of sufficiency economy,” which were in previous Five Year Plans for Thailand,
are also included in the Eleventh National Economic and Social Development
Plan 2012–2016 (National Economic and Social Development Board 2011). The
plan envisions a happy society with equity, fairness, and resilience. The key
development strategies are to create a just society, develop a lifelong learning society,
strengthen the agriculture sector and food and energy security, restructure the
economy toward quality growth and sustainability, achieve regional connectivity,
and manage natural resources and the environment toward sustainability. Among
other things, these strategies are aimed at better utilizing the country’s economic
and social capital. The plan also aims to improve the quality of human resources
through better access to resources and through a fair distribution of development
benefits. The Government of Thailand has set a goal of including all people,
especially those in the informal sector, under the national welfare system by 2016.