Feb 5, 2010 – Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva set up the National Social Enterprise Committee and presided its first meeting at the Thai Government’s House. 

(Disclaimer: ChangeFusion is working closely with the office of the prime minister and other partners in setting up the committee, it is also a member of the committee)

The Prime Minister said that mission of the National Social Enterprise Committee is to promote sustainable development by employing His Majesty the King’s self-sufficiency practices.

Part of His Majesty the King’s self-sufficiency theory emphasizes local cooperation and generosity among business sectors which aligns directly with the concept of social enterprise.

Social enterprise has a unique model that allows entrepreneurs to generate income while simultaneously helping to solve social and/or environmental problems.

Social enterprise can be considered as an advanced economic model which will ultimately lead to a more sustainable, harmonious society that understands the value of working to find solutions where all stakeholders benefit.

The unique model of social enterprise gives the entrepreneurs a space for creativity. Therefore we can see that existing social enterprises’ scope of work varies from communal alternative energy, eco-tourism, micro-credit, sustainable agriculture, supportive housing for the poor, fair trade, career promotion for the physically handicapped, creative media for social/environmental causes all the way to ICT for development.

The concept of using sustainable business principles to help solve societal problems is gaining momentum worldwide, especially within Europe. The British government has shown a keen interest in the issue and has in turn supported more than 55,000 social enterprises across the country.

According to the UK-based Social Enterprise Coalition, there are over 62,000 social enterprises in the UK contributing £24billion to the UK economy.  In addition to the financial benefits, their activities have greatly contributed to the social and environmental development of the country and the world beyond.

Through cooperation with the British Council, Thailand has been fortunate enough to have access to experts in this field who are sharing their knowledge, resources and experiences to help grow the social enterprise sector in Thailand.

The Prime Minister added that therefore the government is creating a social enterprise master plan as he believes that growth in the social enterprise sector will lead to sustainable development of Thailand’s economy.

The work of the National Social Enterprise Committee will focus on several key areas, including creating awareness and understanding of the ideas surrounding social enterprise development, capacity building, strategy and policy development, financial management skill building, and an increased accessibility to financial support for social enterprises.