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The Royal Institution and the Sustainable Development*

Professor Emeritus Yongyuth Yuthavong, PhD
Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Thailand

Sustainable development is extremely crucial for the future of the earth and humanity.
Over the years, human’s attempt in nature has failed and ironically resulted in deterioration of the

earth and environment. The situation is compounded by the fact that we also strive to improve

our living conditions. It is now widely recognized that it is essential for us to take this seriously
to halt deterioration in all aspects and to create the world and societies for a sustainable future
or we will face more severe disasters than ever.

The world community has agreed to cooperate for a sustainable development as stated

at the United Nations in 2015 to achieve 17 goals (each with subgoals total 169) by the year
2030. The contents include the economy and human society as well as all dimensions of world
environment. They are 1) ending poverty, 2) terminating hunger, 3) promoting good health and

well-being, 4) supporting quality education, 5) ensuring gender equality, 6) providing clean water

and sanitation, 7) encouraging affordable and clean energy, 8) supplying decent work and
economic growth, 9) improving industry, innovation, and infrastructure, 10) reducing inequalities,
11) building sustainable cities and communities, 12) inspiring responsible consumption and

production, 13) solving climate problem, 14) caring for marine life, 15) nurturing life on land,

16) strengthening peace, justice, and strong institutions, and 17) cooperating to achieve
long-lasting objectives.
As the year 2030 is approaching. The United Nations reports some progress in the

above goals albeit slower than expected. Only 15% of the all activities have met the goals,

48% are slower than expected, and the remaining 37% shows no signs of progress, some even
deterioration. (UN, 2023; Sachs et al., 2023)

* This is an English version adapted from the article with the same title in Thai published in the book
“The Royal Institution and Academic Advancement of the Nation” (สถาบัันพระมหากษััตริย์์กับัวิิวิัฒนาการทาง
วิิชาการของประเทศ). The English version was provided by Professor Dr. Sanya Sukpanichnant, an associate
fellow, Academy of Science, the Royal Society of Thailand. English language editing was provided by
Dr. Paiboon Mahaisavariya.

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