• Most Thai farmers still have a misconception that the more resources are used in the rice field, the greater the products will be.
• Sustainable Aromatic Rice Initiative (SARI) – Thailand Project supports Thai farmers in northeast of Thailand on Sustainable Rice Cultivation with the Laser Land Levelling (LLL) technique and drum seeder technology.
• These water-and-energy-saving technologies will help farmers use water more effectively and reduce their costs for pesticides, petrol and labour.

• At present, only 19 per cent of palm oil worldwide is produced in line with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standard while in Thailand, only 2 per cent of sustainable palm oil has been produced.
• Sustainable Palm Oil Production for Bioenergy, a joint project between the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and GIZ Thailand, aims to push for wider adaptation of the RSPO standard among oil palm small-scale growers in the South.
• The project has supported the RSPO manual, RSPO memberships for farmers, audit assessment and markets for RSPO certified growers.

• The “Safe Use and Handling of Flammable Refrigerants” is the first training course organised in Thailand.
• King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB) organises the training to prepare technicians, vocational teachers and chief trainers to handle the flammable refrigerants safely.
• By the year 2020, about 200 trainers are expected to be trained throughout Thailand.

• The project ’Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter’ is now working with seven countries in East and South East Asia.
• The project supports a transition towards a circular economy for plastics to reduce plastic waste leakage into the sea.
• Its activities cover the management of plastic waste, sustainable consumption and production as well as the reduction of litter from sea-based sources.

• Discussions emphasise the importance of enhanced cooperation to implement the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in Thailand’s water management.
• Integrated climate and risk information as well as data sharing among agencies are key to the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation.

• The Office of National Water Resources and the Thai-German Climate Programme - Water assessed the capacity development needs of River Basins.
• River Basin Committees (RBCs) prioritised geographical and climate prediction data as key to succeeding in water resources management.
• RBCs need to develop communication techniques, coordination skills, stakeholder management and knowledge of climate funding sources.

• The ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2019 aims to prepare ASEAN members for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
• With ASEAN facing skilled labour shortages, investment in skills-based training is needed.
• The cooperation of the private sector with governments and educational institutions is crucial to success in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

• The Regional Cooperation Programme to Improve the Quality and Labour Market Orientation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training initiated the Skills Development Award together with ASEAN Business Advisory Council.
• The first ASEAN-wide winners of the Skills Development Award are Dicoding from Indonesia and Sea Lion Co. Ltd. from Myanmar.
• This award is evidence of the strength of labour skills to cope with Industry 4.0 and competition in the ASEAN market.

• The meeting aimed to review the revised Regional Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Teacher Standard.
• It helped enhance key competencies in the fields of changing world of work, life-long learning, green skills and vocational disciplines.
• The specified competencies will enable the TVET departments to create a road map and study programmes to produce qualified TVET teachers.

• The Healthcare Accreditation Institute of Thailand (Public Organization), GIZ Thailand and B. Braun (Thailand) Ltd. organised “Capacity Building for Senior Hospital Management for Healthcare Personnel Safety”.
• The training incorporated the operation plan for occupational safety through hand hygiene, safety in chemotherapy and safe infusion methods.
• The training will result in the establishment of a framework, guidelines and policy on healthcare personnel safety in the pilot hospitals.