C3 Lab Launches in Thailand to Tackle Food, Biodiversity and Climate Challenges

National stakeholders, government ministries, civil society and development partners convene in Bangkok to shape a new model of collaborative, systems-level change.

September 13, 2026

BANGKOK, 10 September 2026 — Collaboration for Complex Challenges (C3) Labs held its Thailand Country Lab Inception Workshop in Bangkok on 9 September, bringing together more than 30 participants from government, civil society, the private sector, academia, and development organisations to begin shaping a new approach to the country’s food, biodiversity, and climate challenges. C3 Labs is an initiative led by UNDP, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Innovation Window.

The full-day workshop, hosted by the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) and UNDP Thailand at the Bangkok Regional Hub, marked the formal launch of the C3 Thailand Country Lab, a 12-month Fellowship and Collaboration Lab designed to invest in the relationships, trust, and collaborative capacity needed to make systems change possible.

Thailand has committed to Net Zero by 2050, which will mean doing things differently. Whether you are an expert on climate, nature or food, whether you own a business, run a farm, or design laws and policies, people will need to work together to connect the dots and drive change, and fast. That is what C3 LABS and its new fellowship programme are designed to do: bridging UNDP’s commitment to drive innovation through the Thailand Policy Lab and the Global Environment Facility’s investment in collaboration for complex challenges. Niamh Collier-Smith, UNDP Resident Representative in Thailand

Photo of a woman in a light cardigan speaking into a microphone beside a projected slide. — Niamh Collier-Smith, UNDP Resident Representative in Thailand

Participants explored provisional thematic focus areas identified through C3’s baseline research: the connections between water and food systems; burning and haze; and coastal livelihoods and biodiversity. Through participatory mapping and structured dialogue, stakeholders tested these propositions against their own field experience, contributing local knowledge, institutional perspectives, and emerging priorities to shape the Lab’s direction.

Participants from national ministries, provincial government, civil society organisations, research institutes, and development agencies worked in small groups to map connections across institutions and initiatives, identify where collaboration could unlock implementation, and surface challenges that cut across existing institutional boundaries.

Group of people seated around a table in a conference room, smiling; others stand in background.

Two women present; one speaks into a microphone as slides appear on two screens.

Group of professionals seated at desks in a conference room, attending a seminar.

man with a microphone delivering a lecture in a conference room.

Group of professionals seated around a conference table in a glass-walled meeting room.

Group of professionals at a conference table inside an office, a man raises his hand.

Photo: group of professionals in a conference room around a table with colorful sticky notes.

Photograph of four people brainstorming with sticky notes on a table in a bright meeting room.

"OPDC’s role in C3 Labs is to bring together stakeholders across sectors, help address legal and regulatory barriers, and promote more integrated, place-based ways of working. By enabling agencies and partners to move beyond institutional silos and work toward shared goals, OPDC aims to turn collaboration into practical solutions that deliver tangible benefits for people and communities." said Ms. Onfa Vejjajiva, Secretary-General, OPDC.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Areepan Charoensuk, Senior Advisor, OPDC, said "The food, biodiversity, and climate nexus cuts across the mandates of many government agencies — and that is precisely why it has been so difficult to address at scale. The C3 Thailand Lab creates a structured opportunity for government and partners to work across these boundaries in a sustained way. OPDC is committed to supporting this process."

Photograph of a woman in a blazer giving a talk with a microphone, screens in the background. — Areepan Charoensuk, Senior Advisor, Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC)

Drawing on Thailand’s strong academic and applied research tradition, as well as the practical expertise of provincial authorities, community forest networks, and civil society organisations, the C3 Labs Fellowship brings together approximately 30 practitioners, policy leads, and researchers who will work together over 12 months while remaining connected to their existing roles and institutions. The workshop provided a first opportunity for prospective Fellows and key stakeholders to shape the Fellowship’s composition, focus, and ways of working.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

50+ participants from government, civil society, academia, private sector, and development partners
Participatory mapping of Thailand’s food–biodiversity–climate nexus across institutions and initiatives
First engagement with prospective Fellows to shape the Thailand Country Lab Fellowship cohort
Evening launch reception: wider stakeholder outreach and relationship-building, 17:00–19:00

“FAO has long supported food systems transformation in Thailand, and we know that the missing ingredient is rarely technical knowledge alone. It is the ability to connect that knowledge across institutions and scales, while building the trust needed for collective action. C3 Labs is an important initiative in strengthening this connective tissue.” said Robert Simpson, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.

The workshop closed with an evening launch reception attended by a wider group of stakeholders, offering an opportunity for informal introductions and relationship-building. The C3 Thailand Country Lab will now move into the next phase of co-design, Fellowship recruitment, and deeper stakeholder engagement, informed by the insights generated during the inception workshop.