Thailand, 2009

On behalf of the

delegation of the Kingdom of Thailand, I should like to

extend to you, Mr. President, our sincere

congratulations on your election to the presidency of

the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. You

may rest assured of the full support and cooperation of

my delegation.

We live in one of the most challenging times in

our history. As in the period before the founding of the

United Nations more than 60 years ago, the world is

again facing great challenges. Conflicts and tensions

remain in many parts of the world; terrorists attack;

poverty, disease and hunger still affect many; our

supply of traditional sources of energy is dwindling;

and climate change is transforming the very

environment in which we all live. Added to this set of

issues, the current global financial crisis makes for a

future that seems bleak. But, like our forebears more

than 60 years ago, we also live in hope for a better

future. And a large part of this hope today rests upon

the United Nations.

Despite criticism, we must never doubt the fact

that the world has been better off with the United

Nations than it would have been without it. I say this

because overcoming the challenges we have faced and

are facing demands multilateral cooperation. The

United Nations has been the bedrock of such

multilateral cooperation, as well as what the great poet

Lord Tennyson termed a “parliament of man”. And it is

this parliament of man which provides a forum in

which we can meet and discuss remedies to common

challenges, as well as respond to the concerns of our

constituents — the citizens of the world.

In the interdependent and interconnected world,

no one nation, not even the biggest and the most

powerful, can go it alone. But at the same time, no

single nation should be left behind in our pursuit of

peace, prosperity and the protection of human rights.

Just as we join hands to face common challenges, we

must also extend our hand to those less fortunate, pull

them towards a brighter future and give them the

opportunity to enjoy the fruits of globalization.

Thailand stands ready to extend a helping hand.

We stand ready to share our experiences and the

lessons we have learned from our own financial crisis

in 1997. We believe that our nation’s remedies to our

problems can be shared and should contribute to the

formulation of international remedies to common

global challenges. Central to our belief is that peace,

security, development and human rights are intertwined

and must reinforce each other so that all three pillars

are sustainable. This view is also central to the United

Nations.

Thailand believes that moderation is the key to

sustainability. We want to see moderation instead of

excessive greed, which is the cause of the economic

crisis; we want to see moderation instead of

overconsumption, which is the cause of environmental

degradation; and we want to see moderation instead of

extremism and selfishness, which are the causes of

conflicts around the world. We must therefore curb our

excesses, live within our means and use our resources

wisely.

This idea of moderation is an important pillar of

the “sufficiency economy” philosophy of His Majesty

the King. This philosophy should not be understood or

misunderstood as advocating an inward-looking

approach. Rather, it teaches us that economic

development and modernization must be better

balanced and take into account the well-being of the

people and their economic, social, political and

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environmental needs, so that the country is resilient

and protected from both external and internal shocks.

His Majesty himself has applied his philosophy in

practice, initiating numerous royal projects for the

betterment of his people and country. His Majesty has

been rightly regarded by the international community

as the “development King”. His Majesty received the

United Nations Development Programme Human

Development Lifetime Achievement Award in

recognition of his achievements as well as of his

sufficiency economy philosophy, which has gained

increasing resonance worldwide. And many of His

Majesty’s projects are being replicated in many parts of

the world.

The recent global financial crisis has shown that

sufficiency economy is not merely a philosophy, but

can also be translated into concrete action. Due to the

lessons learned from the 1997 Asian financial crisis,

most of Thailand’s financial institutions have escaped

the direct impact of the current crisis, thanks to their

more prudent style of investment. Entrepreneurs have

managed to weather the storm through rational

decision-making and more careful risk management,

two of the key principles advocated by His Majesty’s

philosophy.

My Government’s socio-economic policy is

guided by His Majesty’s philosophy, which has been

incorporated into our national economic and social

development plan. Development for us is not just about

the rate of growth, but also about the quality of that

growth. Not only have we boosted Government

spending and investment to jumpstart the economy, but

we have also set up social safety nets, made

educational reform a priority and upgraded our health

and welfare services.

We have prioritized investment programmes and

action plan to increase strength and to provide greater

economic opportunities for people at grass-roots level.

We have also laid the foundation for long-term growth

and competitiveness in Thailand’s various sectors,

including agriculture, health care, education and

tourism. In short, we have made Thailand’s

development a people-centred approach and Thailand’s

economy more immune from external shocks.

As the Chair of the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN), Thailand has led regional

efforts to address today’s financial crisis and to create

immunity for East Asia as a whole. We are expediting

the multilateralization process of the Chiang Mai

Initiative, under the ASEAN+3 framework, comprising

ASEAN member States, China, Japan and the Republic

of Korea. The aim of this exercise is to build regional

financial stability through a region-wide self-help

substantive reserve pooling arrangement. This will

come into effect very soon. As a region, we have also

continued to liberalize trade and reject all forms of

protectionism. We believe that these efforts can serve

as examples for other regions to follow.

Today’s financial woes affect not only a nation’s

economy but also the development and welfare of its

people. This crisis exacerbates the problems that

already exist, such as poverty, hunger and energy

shortages. Nowhere is this more strongly felt than in

the developing world, and Thailand is no exception.

Although we have already attained the Millennium

Development Goals in hunger and poverty alleviation,

much remains to be done. Thailand understands well

the challenges developing countries are facing and is

prepared to share with others our experiences in

managing and overcoming these challenges.

As a major agricultural economy, Thailand stands

ready to contribute to the solution of the world food

and energy crises. We are a major food exporter with

strong experience and capability in developing

alternative energy, especially biodiesel and ethanol. We

aim to ensure a balance between growing energy and

food crops so that both needs are sufficiently

addressed.

Another pressing concern that can only be

successfully tackled through global cooperation is

climate change. My Government is convinced that the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change is the core for international negotiations and

cooperation in this area, guided by the principles of

common but differentiated responsibilities and

respective capabilities.

In this connection, Thailand is honoured to host

the United Nations climate change talks which will

take place next week in Bangkok. We will spare no

effort in ensuring that this round of negotiations will

make tangible progress towards a successful

Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December.

Earlier this week, the Secretary-General

convened the Summit on Climate Change. We welcome

the commitments expressed by major economies during

the Summit, in particular in setting clear goals and

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targets for their action. I am also pleased to see the

Group of 20 pledging itself to spare no effort to

achieve a successful outcome in Copenhagen.

For its part, my Government has vigorously

pursued environmentally friendly growth. That is why

we have announced alternative energy as our national

agenda and invested significantly to boost development

in this field, including in energy crops. Moreover, one

of Thailand’s hallmarks is its strong biodiversity, from

which Thailand and its local communities have drawn

benefits through innovative economic activities and

products. While we seek to benefit fully from our rich

biodiversity and natural resources, we also aim to

ensure that they are sustainable, regenerated and

replenished.

It is not enough to ensure that the economic needs

of the people are met. Their political needs are just as

important. And there is no better political system than

democracy to ensure the people’s freedoms and rights.

It is my Government’s clear policy to sow the seeds of

sustainable democracy by strengthening our democratic

institutions, engaging civil society, ensuring human

rights and promoting good governance and the rule of

law. Democracy is not just about majority rule, but also

about respect for minority rights.

At the regional level, under Thailand’s

chairmanship, ASEAN has made great strides towards

making people the centre of the organization’s

development, as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter.

Human rights issues are now at the forefront of

ASEAN’s agenda. Collectively, we have played an

active role to create the ASEAN Intergovernmental

Commission on Human Rights, which becomes active

this October. We are committed to doing our utmost to

ensure that that body fully lives up to expectations.

Promotion of gender equality and the

empowerment of women are also important to

Thailand. Besides our national effort on this matter, I

am pleased to add that ASEAN is also in the process of

establishing an ASEAN commission on the promotion

and protection of the rights of women and children.

This mechanism will play an important part in

enhancing and strengthening the ASEAN human rights

framework as a whole.

At the international level, Thailand is party to

core international human rights conventions, and we

are strongly committed to the principles enshrined in

the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Thailand’s candidature for a seat on the Human Rights

Council for the 2010-2013 term is further testament to

our commitment to enhance human rights

internationally.

Thailand has consistently rendered humanitarian

assistance to those in plight wherever they may be. We

have steadfastly contributed to the World Food

Programme. We have offered our helping hand to those

in need. Our humanitarian commitment was clearly

evident during Cyclone Nargis that befell Myanmar, as

Thailand became the logistics hub for the massive

international relief effort for that country.

Sustainable economic, political and social

development is not a mere goal in itself. It ultimately

ensures long-lasting peace and security. That is why

ASEAN is moving towards becoming not only a

political-security community but also an economic and

sociocultural one by 2015. These three pillars reinforce

each other. Within this political-security community,

Thailand and its fellow ASEAN members are ready to

enhance cooperation, from dispute settlement to

conflict resolution and from peacekeeping to post-

conflict peacebuilding, especially with regard to

cooperation on training for emergency preparedness

and humanitarian assistance. We hope that our regional

efforts will help contribute to peace and security not

only regionally, but also internationally.

Thailand itself has played a significant role in

peacekeeping operations worldwide. In the past two

decades, Thailand has provided nearly 20,000 military

troops, police officers and civilian staff in support of

United Nations peacekeeping missions on all

continents around the globe, including Cambodia,

Timor-Leste, Burundi and, soon, Darfur. We will

continue to do so where our contributions can

strengthen the overall capacity of the United Nations.

As a member of the Peacebuilding Commission,

Thailand also strongly believes in building the right

socio-economic and political conditions for sustainable

peace in countries emerging from conflict and internal

strife. We can play a greater role in ensuring

international peace and security. That is why Thailand

has presented its candidature for a non-permanent seat

on the Security Council for the period 2017-2018. As a

medium-sized developing country, we can represent the

interests and concerns of developing countries not only

in Asia, but worldwide.

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Over the past four days, we have heard

statements, one after another, which seem to point

towards one conclusion, that is, that we are living in a

“challenging period”. And perhaps it is a period in

which multilateralism is once again being put to the

test. But we also have before us a historic opportunity

to act together to right our past wrongs and to make the

right decisions for the future. How we act today is

purely our choice — a choice that will be judged by

our children tomorrow and our grandchildren in years

to come.

Our forefathers chose to establish the United

Nations over six decades ago. We must now make sure

that the United Nations — a symbol of true

multilateralism — continues to be relevant, efficient

and effective in responding to the evolving challenges

as well as in ensuring development, freedom, human

rights, and peace for all. In that regard, we support

United Nations reform that will lead us towards those

goals.

Let us use our gathering here to remind ourselves

of what the United Nations stands for. And let us seize

this opportunity together to lay down a stronger

foundation for a new era of peace and prosperity for

humankind.