Locations
Bangkok, Thailand – 20 February 2025 – The Thailand Policy Lab, an innovation of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), marks four years in its journey today with PIX5.
This event celebrates new and inclusive approaches to Thai policymaking in an uncertain world. It is set to bring together over 1,000 policymakers from across the country and beyond on how to navigate the policy challenges and opportunities associated with Thailand’s evolution as an upper-middle-income country.
PIX5 introduces the Thailand Policy Lab Handbook on Policy Innovation and the Policy Hackathon Playbook, drawn from the Lab’s four-year hands-on experience, to expand access to the latest ideas innovations policy making for practitioners across the country.
Since its creation, TP Lab, as it has come to be known, has tackled complex policy challenges from universal healthcare and population planning for an aging society to youth mental health, placing those closest to the problem at the center of solution design. For example:
- Foresight, data analytics, and design services supported the National Health Security Office’s five-year action plan to enhance inclusive public health services.
- In education and mental health policymaking, policy users—such as youth—were engaged in co-designing solutions to place them at the center of policy development, leading to the introduction of school-based mental health support measures.
- Diverse demographic groups joined focus groups to redefine the concept of family and design policies that respond to the country’s rapidly changing population trends.
The Policy Innovation Manual introduces Public Policy Process Reimagined: 8 Elements in Action, which focuses on systemic intervention, while the Hackathon Manual outlines actionable steps to unpack problems and develop solutions collaboratively through a ‘hackathon’ approach. Both manuals draw insights from the Lab’s experimentation, implementation, and capacity-building experience.
Niamh Collier-Smith, UNDP Resident Representative in Thailand
Niamh Collier-Smith, UNDP Resident Representative in Thailand, said “At UNDP, we are committed to creating space for just-in-time learning, for testing ideas, and generating impactful, local solutions that are designed by and resonate with the countries and communities that they aim to serve. I congratulate the foresight of the Royal Government in creating TP Lab four years ago with UNDP. It is a clear illustration of Thailand’s leadership in policy innovation. Traditional, linear approaches to designing policies can struggle to keep pace with the uncertainty and complexity of today. This is why TP Lab’s investment in new ways of working is so important. UNDP looks forward to continuing this critical partnership.”
Suriyon Thunkijjanukij, Senior Advisor on Competitiveness Development and Public Policy Innovation, Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)
“PIX5 is more than just an event—it is a space for people from diverse generations and sectors to come together, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. Our goal is to develop and innovate Thailand’s public policy process to better address the real needs of the country, both now and in the future. At this event, we will share key lessons and insights from Thailand Policy Lab’s work over the past four years, providing an opportunity for all stakeholders to brainstorm and co-design new approaches that will transform the public policy process. Together, we aim to create policies that are responsive to our rapidly changing world and truly reflect the needs of the people.” Suriyon Thunkijjanukij, Senior Advisor on Competitiveness Development and Public Policy Innovation, Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)
In 2020, UNDP and NESDC established the Thailand Policy Lab in 2020 to enhance the inclusiveness, effectiveness, and efficiency of public policymaking in Thailand, guided by the Lab’s core principles: systems thinking, people-centered approaches, learning-oriented methodologies, and action-driven strategies.
The Thailand Policy Lab remains committed to developing inclusive, responsive solutions in an agile manner while fostering a learning platform for policy innovators and expanding the knowledge base for inclusive and effective policymaking.
Book Download:
Thailand Policy Lab Handbook (available in Thai and English): https://thailandpolicylab.com/thailand-polic-lab-handbook/
Policy Hackathon Playbook
(available in Thai and English): https://thailandpolicylab.com/policy-hackathon-playbook/
###
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tiffany Chen
Policy Experimentation Analyst
tiffany.chen@undp.org
Karnklon Raktham
Head of Communications
karnklon.raktham@undp.org
