On August 21, 2025, Professor Dr. Piyamitr Sritara, President of Mahidol University, delivered a welcome address at the seminar, followed by Mr. Eric Arndt, Director of the Asia Regional Office, The Rockefeller Foundation, who officially opened the event titled “Locally Rooted, Resilient Futures: Sharing Best Practices in Community Engagement for Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience.”

On this occasion, Asst. Prof. Dr. Thatchavee Leelawat, Vice President for Kanchanaburi Campus, joined the opening ceremony and participated in the panel discussion on the topic “Enterprise with Purpose: Social Businesses and NGOs Driving Local Impact.”

Additionally, Dr. Wimonmas Boonyangyuen, Lecturer in Environmental Engineering and Disaster Management, and Mr. Tiwa Sudprasert, Assistant Village Headman of Ban Samakkhidham Community, Kanchanaburi Province, joined another panel discussion under the theme “Connecting Practice to Policy: Ecosystem for Community-Based Development.” Several lecturers from the Kanchanaburi Campus were also in attendance.

The seminar was held at the Ballroom, The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel, Bangkok. It was jointly organized by the Division of International Relations and the Division of Planning, Mahidol University, as a platform for sharing experiences across academia, social cooperative education, and Thai NGOs. The event aimed to foster collaboration with communities, exchange best practices, and explore real-life experiences in addressing climate change.

Participants included experts from various sectors—government, private, civic, and social—who discussed the challenges and obstacles to achieving sustainable development at the community and societal levels.