Proper management of natural resources, reduction of disparity in property ownership between rich and poor as well as public-private partnership are crucial to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), said discussants at an international conference yesterday.

The governments and other authorities concerned should remain cautious in initiating any development project so that it does not cause environmental degradation, they viewed.

They were speaking at the conference on “Sustainable Development Challenges in Asia” at a hotel in Bangkok.

Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Nation Multimedia Group, Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation, Royal Initiatives Discovery Foundation, CH Karnchang Public Company Limited and Institute of Asian Studies of Chulalongkorn University jointly organised the programme.

Delivering the keynote speech, Stefanos Fotiou, director of Environment and Development Division of UNESCAP, said, “We need to ensure efficient management of our national resources like water, oil and energy for achieving the SDGs.”

The governments are responsible to promote development programme. But peoples' participation is very much important for its implementation, Fotiou added.

Lamiya Morshed, executive director of Yunus Centre in Bangladesh, said social business can play significant role in achieving SDGs because it involves community people in upgrading their lifestyle.

Furthermore, social business ensures access to education, health care, technology and information for the marginalised people.

Disnadda Diskul, secretary general of Royal Initiatives Discovery Institute of Thailand and Monica Sy, a senior official of Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation of Taiwan, also spoke at the conference, attended by representatives from different Asian countries.