Showing 1 - 10 of 48
Why climate finance is no longer enough
Oped, Laura Carvalho, Published on 11/11/2025
» With the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, kicking off, it is clear that the world's widely shared commitment to a just energy transition is falling by the wayside. In the year since governments signed on to the agreement at COP29 to scale up climate finance -- with a goal of mobilising $1.3 trillion (42 trillion baht) annually by 2035 -- wealthy countries have been retreating from their pledges. Worse, these signs of bad faith are coming just as the costs of climate adaptation and decarbonisation in developing countries are mounting.
Keeping universal healthcare strong
Oped, Amanee Hamu, Thongchai Napim, Manatchaya Chuyingsakultip & Kullaporn Unnanon, Published on 24/09/2025
» For 23 years, Thailand's universal healthcare scheme, better known as the "gold card", has protected millions from financial ruin, a remarkable achievement that has earned worldwide praise. Yet, the system is not perfect.
Abbot's dramatic fall from grace
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 01/09/2025
» Faith built his empire. Fraud destroyed it. Luang Por Alongkot's fall from grace leaves Thai Buddhism reeling, demanding long-overdue reform.
Unholy identity crisis
Oped, Editorial, Published on 27/08/2025
» Allegations against Phra Alongkot -- the former abbot of the famous Wat Phrabat Namphu in Lop Buri -- have not only revealed a crisis of faith in Thai Buddhism, but have brought the issues of identity theft and impersonation to the forefront.
Sustaining healthcare in volatile times
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/08/2025
» Health care is pivotal for human well-being. Yet in today's precarious world, it is pressured by diminishing resources, demographic variables, warfare and violence, and environmental degradation. Sustaining health care thus requires insightful planning and implementation, no less for Thailand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regions.
High rates hurt public healthcare
Oped, Serah Makka and Rosemary Mburu, Published on 14/07/2025
» May's 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) -- the annual meeting of the World Health Organization's member states -- ended on a self-congratulatory note. From an agreement on pandemic preparedness to increases in assessed contributions to the WHO, there were plenty of achievements to tout. But there was an elephant in the room, hiding behind a banner reading "One World for Health": the high borrowing costs faced by African countries.
Flat fare flaw
Oped, Postbag, Published on 10/07/2025
» Re: "20-baht flat rate fare gets the nod", (BP, July 9).
Stepping up HIV fight
Oped, Editorial, Published on 30/06/2025
» The recent news of Gilead Sciences' groundbreaking new HIV preventative drug, Lenacapavir, offers a beacon of hope in the fight against HIV. With a remarkable 96% efficacy in reducing HIV infection and the convenience of only two injections per year, Lenacapavir holds the potential to be a true game-changer in the global effort to halt the transmission of HIV.
Why faith is indispensable to global development
Oped, Alaa Murabit, Published on 04/06/2025
» For nearly two decades, I have worked at the intersection of development, health, and security. In roundtables with heads of state, emergency briefings, and donor forums, I have noticed a glaring pattern: faith-based actors are often excluded from global strategies. When present at all, they are sidelined, treated as symbolic figures rather than as genuine partners. This isn't just a blind spot. It's a strategic failure.
Foreign aid, the powerful US soft power, is gone
Oped, Jeffrey Frankel, Published on 23/05/2025
» 'Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." When Joni Mitchell sang that line in 1970, she was lamenting the destruction of the environment, but the sentiment applies to many issues. Today, we can add official development assistance (ODA) to the list.