LocationsMeet ‘Sornsawan Phongphao’, a green business expert and BIOFIN National Biodiversity Finance Coordinator
May 21, 2024
Q1. Tell us about yourself: What’s your educational background/professional experience?
My name is Sornsawan, and I am a National Biodiversity Finance Coordinator of BIOFIN in Thailand. I am in flourishing Bangkok with a BA in Italian, and an international MA in Economics from Chulalongkorn University. I was fortunate during the international MA to attend the Economics of Sustainability Exchange Programme at Nagoya University in Japan. Ask me about this experience – it was amazing! I was a former customer-oriented marketer in various sustainable businesses.
Q2. What made you apply to work with UNDP Thailand?
Nothing brings me more pleasure than helping others by providing innovative solutions, which explains much of my career portfolio. Life in green businesses makes me realize that a deep understanding of finance for nature would be necessary if I am serious about contributing to society. As a result, I decided to begin a new chapter of my career with the United Nations Development Programme, thanks to my background in economics and partnership management.
Q3. What are your activities or main responsibilities? What is a day at the office like?
I am a part of a wonderful Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) leading one of its flagship finance solutions titled ‘Enhancing Effectiveness and Biodiversity Impact of Local Budgets in Thailand’ – one that reverses barriers including lack of resources, expertise, and coordination between local and national biodiversity efforts to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts at the sub-national level.
There is no true ‘typical’ day for me at work, which I like about it. BIOFIN is about unlocking new knowledge, skill, and experience, and uncovering more and different edges of myself. Every day, I have stepped into new challenges, worked it out, and moved forward. Also, it is so inspiring to meet enthusiastic stakeholders of the project onsite and play a part in their transformations and innovations which fuel livelihood for people. To me, there is nothing more exciting and interesting than building a project from scratch and BIOFIN allows me to have ownership to do tasks that draw upon my genuine attributes.
Q4. What are some of the challenges you encountered while working at UNDP Thailand? How did you overcome it?
Working at UNDP is dynamic I would say. So, learning a new skill or adjusting your skillset to stay effective in your role is crucial. If my skills become outdated or needed an update, I will take on the challenge, either through on-the-job training, online courses, or by asking for more learning opportunities at work. Staying proactive in handling obstacles is the key.
Q5. Tell us about your favorite moment with UNDP Thailand
My greatest moments at work have always been related to engaging with stakeholders and creating a positive impact on people’s livelihoods. I can sense the meaningfulness when the team was facing a complicated situation and actively working through it together.
Q6. How does this position benefit your career path/choices within the UN or beyond?
Given the unique methodology of BIOFIN, I have myself involved since the beginning in producing the policy recommendation on biodiversity finance. Also, I can get inspiration because it delivers on the ground, as we heard about tourist fee collection for biodiversity management from Koh Tao to name a few. As the National Biodiversity Finance Coordinator, I could create tangible value where I bring positive change, preserve nature, create job opportunities, and protect livelihoods. Plus, collaborating with different stakeholders ranging from the government to the community allows me to develop my problem-solving skill during the project implementation which is particularly important for leaders in any industry.
Q7. What SDGs are you helping to implement through your position?
I reckoned that my work doesn’t only support national goals but also aligns with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 – Good health and well-being, 5 – Gender equality, 6 – Clean water and sanitation, 11 – Sustainable cities and communities, 13 – Climate action, 14 – Life below water, 15 – Life on land, and 17 - Partnership to achieve the goals. It also supports the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, mobilizing resources to promote sustainable development and biodiversity conservation worldwide. According to BIOFIN’s Biodiversity Expenditure Review, the key findings show that the bulk of biodiversity finance in Thailand comes from the government budget, yet a proportion of the figures is less than 1 per cent of Thailand’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP). Imagine at the minimum 10% of 7,850 Local Government Units in Thailand will be trained by BIOFIN and able to implement guidelines with budgets reflecting biodiversity activities, it can be a ripple effect on addressing the biodiversity finance gap for the country.
Q8. What piece of advice would you give to those who are considering applying to #JoinALifeChangingMission with UNDP?
If you believe in a meaningful job that can bring change to society, I do not see why you would not apply to #JoinALifeChangingMission with UNDP!
Q9. Give us three words that describe UNDP Thailand
Walk the talk.
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If you would like to be a part of the catalyst of change and would like to join a life-changing mission with UNDP, visit https://www.undp.org/careers for more information and follow us on our social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, to stay tuned for the latest updates and insights from UNDP Thailand.
We give people not only fish but also teach them how to fish to eat for a lifetime.Sornsawan Phongphao, BIOFIN National Biodiversity Finance Coordinator