On 20 November 2024, Dr. Orathai Phubunlap Gunaseelan, Chargé d’affaires, a.i., of the Royal Thai Embassy in Astana, participated in the 7th Plenary Session of the CICA Business Council, where she delivered a statement on “Thailand’s Perspectives on Empowering Women in SMEs Development.” This statement is aligned with Thailand’s commitment to upholding the CICA’s Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), specifically in the capacity of coordinator and co-coordinator in the priority areas of Sustainable Development and the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), respectively.

In her address, Dr. Orathai emphasized the importance of empowering women in the development of SMEs across the CICA region, particularly in the context of the global challenges that women entrepreneurs face. She concluded by informing about Thailand’s upcoming seminar on “Women’s Role and Contribution to SMEs Development among CICA Member States”, to be held in the middle of 2025, aimed at fostering collaboration among CICA Member States in addressing the challenges faced by women in SMEs. The seminar will serve as a platform for advancing impactful discussions, exchanging ideas, learning about successful stories of women in SMEs among the CICA Member States. During the seminar, the participants will be provided with study visits to Thai women-led SMEs in Thailand.