Sophon leads forum on 'Low Quality Low Births' crisis

Khaosod•Politics•1d ago

Reader Briefing

Sophon Sarum presided over a national forum at the Parliament to address the population structure crisis and propose legal amendments to improve population quality.

•The 'Low Quality Low Births' national forum took place on September 15, 2026, at the Parliament.
•The event was organized by the Secretariat of the House of Representatives with participation from four ministers and the private sector.
•The forum aimed to brainstorm solutions for population quality and prepare draft laws for submission to the House of Representatives in the current session.
•The discussion focused on birth attitudes, maternal and child benefits, equal education, and legal protections for mothers and children.

Overview

•On September 15, 2026, Sophon Sarum opened the House of Representatives Meets the People project featuring the national forum 'Low Quality Low Births' at the Parliament.
•Sophon Sarum collaborated with the Secretariat of the House of Representatives to create a platform for multi-sectoral cooperation to resolve the population crisis.
•Sophon Sarum mentioned that Thailand must create attitudes that encourage people to have children and ensure born children grow up with quality.
•Sophon Sarum compared Thailand's drug addiction statistics of 4 million cases to Vietnam's 200,000 cases and noted Vietnam's approach to keeping children in the education system.
•Thailand's aging society status includes a population aged 60 and above at 21.70%, children aged 0–14 at 15.90%, and a total fertility rate of approximately 1.0 per woman.
•The decline in fertility and population structure is stated to affect the labor force, economy, welfare systems, and long-term national development.
•Conclusions from the brainstorming session will be compiled into a report for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to push as policy.
•Draft laws arising from the integration of this work will be proposed for consideration by the House of Representatives during the current session.

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Key Entities

Person

Sophon Sarum(โสภณ ซารัมย์)

President of the Parliament and President of the House of Representatives.

Yotchanan Wongswat(ยศชนัน วงศ์สวัสดิ์)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.

Pattana Promphat(พัฒนา พร้อมพัฒน์)

Minister of Public Health.

Nikorn Somklang(นิกร โสมกลาง)

Minister of Social Development and Human Security.

Varawut Silpa-archa(วราวุธ ศิลปอาชา)ℹ️

Minister of Industry.

Suphachai Chearavanont(ศุภชัย เจียรวนนท์)ℹ️

Senior Vice Chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group.

Place

Parliament(รัฐสภา)ℹ️

The venue where the 'Low Quality Low Births' national forum was held.

Buriram Province(จังหวัดบุรีรัมย์)ℹ️

The location of the implementation of projects in 6 districts.

Vietnam(เวียดนาม)ℹ️

A country cited by Sophon Sarum regarding education systems and drug addiction statistics.

Organization

House of Representatives(สภาผู้แทนราษฎร)ℹ️

The legislative body where draft laws regarding population quality will be proposed.

Secretariat of the House of Representatives(สำนักงานเลขาธิการสภาผู้แทนราษฎร)

The organizer of the national forum 'Low Quality Low Births'.

Charoen Pokphand Group(เครือเจริญโภคภัณฑ์)ℹ️

A leading private sector organization that participated in the national forum.

Cabinet(คณะรัฐมนตรี)

The body to which the final report from the brainstorming session will be submitted.

Ministry of Public Health(กระทรวงสาธารณสุข)

One of the ministries overseeing the First 1,000 Days of Life Project.

Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation(กระทรวงการอุดมศึกษา วิทยาศาสตร์ วิจัยและนวัตกรรม)ℹ️

One of the ministries overseeing the First 1,000 Days of Life Project.

Policy

First 1,000 Days of Life Project(โครงการมหัศจรรย์ 1,000 วันแรกของชีวิต)

A project under the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.