Thailand, 2010

Please allow me, Sir, to

extend to you, on behalf of the delegation of the

Kingdom of Thailand, our wholehearted congratulations

on your election to the presidency of the General

Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. You can rest assured

of my delegation’s full support and cooperation.

We live in a world of divides. Although the

predominantly ideological divide of the Cold War has

ended, new divides have come to the fore — politico-

security, socio-economic, digital or even based on

beliefs. Such divides present challenges to peace,

security, prosperity and human dignity. Overcoming

them requires that nations work together as one;

overcoming them requires a United Nations.

But the effectiveness of such international

cooperation depends upon the strength and willingness

of individual nations themselves. Thailand is such a

nation, willing and ready to cooperate with

international partners to help bridge such divides and

help the world cross into a better future.

Of course, we are under no illusions about

Thailand’s own difficulties and our own current

divides. But history has shown that Thailand is a

resilient country, and its people are capable of

overcoming whatever challenges are thrown before

them. Thailand remains a functioning democracy, but

we are a relatively young one. Like many other

democracies, ours will develop and mature with time.

The Thai Government is committed to that and to the

principles of democracy, the practice of good

governance and respect for human rights.

Have no doubt that our Government is resolutely

working to heal the political and social divisions in my

country. We are working to address any legitimate

socio-economic grievances, with a view to bringing

back national unity and confidence. We have launched

a national reconciliation plan and set up independent

committees, led by eminent persons with the utmost

integrity, to propose ways to reform the country and its

democratic institutions. We will bridge our country’s

divide.

Human rights remain the cornerstone of the

Government’s policy. We are looking into any

wrongdoings in the past and will ensure that they do

not recur and that justice is done. To that end, we have

set up an independent fact-finding commission to look

into the tragic events earlier this year. Other

independent organs, such as our human rights

commission, also play a key and active role in

safeguarding human rights.

The Thai Government well recognizes that some

political grievances mainly arise from the economic

disparities in our society. That is a serious issue, and

the Government is working to bridge economic and

social gaps. We are creating social safety nets through

our universal health-care schemes and by providing 15

years of free education, training programmes for the

unemployed and support for low-income earners,

farmers, the elderly and people with disabilities. Our

stimulus packages will benefit not only the overall

economy but especially those who are economically

and socially disadvantaged and disenfranchised.

Despite our troubles, the Thai economy remains

robust, as it and our exports continue to grow steadily.

However, we are not complacent, as much remains to

be done. We need to better spread economic and social

well-being and vitality throughout Thailand, which will

also contribute to the reconciliation, trust and stability

of the country. To that end, we seek to strengthen

Thailand’s creative economy by utilizing our rich

cultural and historical heritage and the creativity of

both urban and rural Thais to add more value to Thai

products and services, so that our productivity and

competitiveness are enhanced and our wealth more

widely spread.

I think we have proven to the world the strength

of our national character and the resilience of our

nation. Despite the tragic incidents, Thailand has

continued to move forward, not merely for the benefit

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of the country but also for that of the international

community. It is evident that we remain an active and

responsible Member of the United Nations, ready to

enhance our present partnerships and build new ones to

help create a better future for the world.

I will now expand upon how Thailand has

contributed, and can further contribute, internationally

to help bridge the world’s divides.

Many a conflict, whether inter- or intra-State,

stems from development disparities and the suffering

caused by economic injustice. The world is divided,

not simply into have and have-not countries but, rather,

into have-more and have-less ones, and into North and

South. Thailand therefore believes that in bridging the

development gap, global economic growth should be

balanced and inclusive, regional economic cooperation

and integration should be enhanced and the

disadvantaged and dispossessed should not be left

behind.

The recent global financial crisis served as a

valuable wake-up call for all, reminding us to live

within our means. Thailand believes that people-

centred development, moderation in economic

behaviour and the optimal use of limited resources —

as stipulated in His Majesty the King of Thailand’s

“sufficiency economy” philosophy — are essential if

we are to have sustainable economic development and

growth. Thailand has embarked upon that path, and we

urge others to follow.

The financial crisis has also alerted us to the

necessity of better global governance and the need for

reform of international financial institutions, with due

consideration for the interests of developing nations, as

they are the ones affected the most. Countries must

work more closely together to better coordinate fiscal

and monetary policies and to improve the regulation of

financial institutions.

On our part, Thailand has engaged actively in

regional and international forums such as the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the

ASEAN+3 process, the Group of 20 (G-20) and the

United Nations. As ASEAN Chair, Thailand was

invited to the G-20 Summits in London and Pittsburgh

last year to share ASEAN’s experiences and lessons

learned from the 1997 financial crisis.

Thailand believes that regional initiatives like the

Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization, the Asian

Bond Markets Initiative and the ASEAN Economic

Community would all help to complement ongoing

global cooperation to achieve balanced and sustainable

growth, as well as to promote a resilient international

financial system that also addresses the concerns of

developing countries. We believe that ASEAN, through

the ASEAN Chair, will continue to contribute to the

forum its relevant experiences in achieving those goals.

As a developing country itself, Thailand stands

ready to help others in need. We believe in greater

South-South cooperation, for it is fellow developing

countries that best understand what is required to help

push development forward. We are also active in

building partnerships between the developed and

developing world, providing a bridge between them

through triangular cooperation by adapting technology

from developed countries to match the needs of

developing ones. We have achieved most of the

Millennium Development Goals, and we stand ready to

share our knowledge and experience, especially in

alleviating poverty and improving well-being in other

countries.

We have already done so in our region by

cooperating with our neighbours to improve social

welfare and build essential infrastructure. Through the

Thailand-initiated Master Plan on ASEAN

Connectivity, the initiative for an ASEAN Integration

Strategic Framework, the East-West Economic

Corridor, the Greater Mekong subregion projects and

bilateral cooperation, we have striven to promote

greater technical cooperation in the region and to

create and upgrade transport and telecommunication

networks to facilitate greater economic activity. Such

initiatives ultimately help narrow the developmental

divide within the region.

Of the problems of development, food security

ranks as one of the most important. For people to live,

mouths must be fed. As a major food exporter,

Thailand can contribute to ensuring greater food

security. We also believe in greater regional

cooperation. The ASEAN Plus Three emergency rice

reserve stands as a model for other regions to emulate.

Climate change is undeniable. It is happening

now. We are all experiencing its effects, which have

exacerbated the world’s woes, including food scarcity

and natural disasters. Thailand is a developing country

actively pursuing voluntary climate-change mitigation

efforts. We plan to increase our forest area through

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reforestation and afforestation, as well as our

renewable energy usage. Indeed, our eleventh national

social and economic development plan, for the years

2012 to 2016, now being drafted, aims to move

Thailand towards becoming a low-carbon society.

We are also aiming for green economic growth,

with energy used more efficiently and wisely. But the

developed world must also play its part in helping

others become better equipped to fight climate change.

Greater technology transfer is thus a must. We

sincerely hope that the sixteenth Conference of the

Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change, to be held in Cancún, will lead to

more concrete and comprehensive results in our fight

against climate change.

Development is linked to human security, which

is linked to human rights. People must have freedom

from want as well as from fear. But while fundamental

human rights are universal, how they are guaranteed

and promoted differs from country to country in

accordance with different belief systems and cultures.

Thailand believes that we should bridge such

differences by working together towards a more

common understanding of human rights and how they

must be protected. To this end, forums such as the

interfaith dialogues and the Alliance of Civilizations

are invaluable contributions to greater common

understanding.

I stress again that human rights are a core

principle of the Government of Thailand and its foreign

policy. Thailand’s election to the Human Rights

Council for the years 2010 to 2013, and its election by

acclamation to the presidency of the Council in June, is

clear testament to the faith of the international

community in Thailand’s active and positive role in

promoting and protecting human rights. As a member

of the Human Rights Council, Thailand aims to

reinvigorate the Council to address more effectively

human rights problems worldwide. To this end, as

President of the Council, we hope to see the review

process through to completion by next year. We believe

the Council should adopt a more even-handed approach

through greater cooperation and engagement with the

concerned countries themselves, to establish greater

dialogue between States as well as regions and to try to

forge consensus among them.

Instead of offering mere criticism and the

imposition of values seen as foreign, we must reach out

to persuade the countries concerned to understand that

human rights are shared values and common to all.

Only through true engagement can the Council have a

real impact on the betterment of people’s lives and

ultimately help pave the way towards peace. Only then

can we ensure that the rights of man do not again fall

hostage to the wrongs of humankind.

Thailand has striven for this regionally as well.

Under Thailand’s chairmanship of ASEAN from July

2008 to the end of 2009, the ASEAN

Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights was

created to protect and promote human rights and to

uphold human dignity. We have also contributed to

setting international human rights norms in the area of

improving the lives of female inmates, through Her

Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol’s, the

draft United Nations rules for the treatment of women

prisoners and non-custodial measures for women

offenders, which have been submitted for the

Assembly’s consideration (see A/C.3/65/L.5).

Thailand has also rendered humanitarian

assistance to preserve human well-being and dignity

injured by natural disasters, not only in nearby places

such as Myanmar, China and Pakistan, but also as far

afield as Haiti and, most recently, Chad. We remain

ready to offer our facilities as a staging centre for

humanitarian assistance in our region.

The flames of war can be sparked for many

reasons, but none are as combustible as the security

divides and power imbalances, real or perceived, that

exist between nations as well as within them. Thailand

believes that global disarmament and non-proliferation

are essential in order to level the security playing field,

to dispel that sense of an imbalance of power and

security. The United Nations must continue its active

role to that end, but major Powers and regional entities

must also do their fair share: the Southeast Asian

Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty is a good case in

point.

Thailand supports international efforts towards

the disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of

mass destruction. We have consistently abided by the

relevant Security Council resolutions and are gravely

concerned about the threat of the spread of such

weapons to terrorists. That is why Thailand has

recently joined the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear

Terrorism.

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The maintenance of international peace and

security is a serious and costly endeavour, and history

has shown that the international community has often

acted too late, enforcing and keeping the peace rather

than making it. We believe that more should be

invested in peacemaking and preventive diplomacy,

which are much less expensive than peace enforcement

and peacekeeping. It is much better to hold talks than

to wage war. It is also far less likely for a community

of nations to wage war within itself. That is why

ASEAN is steadfastly becoming a community:

economically, socially, culturally and politically.

But in cases where peacekeeping has been and is

necessary, Thailand has also done its part. In the past

two decades, we have contributed nearly 20,000 troops,

police officers and civilian staff to United Nations

peacekeeping operations worldwide: from Cambodia

and Timor-Leste to Haiti and very soon Darfur in the

Sudan. Thailand has also recently sent a counter-piracy

task force to assist international efforts in patrolling

and protecting ships from pirate attacks in the Gulf of

Aden area. These are our contributions to the

maintenance of peace and security worldwide, and we

are prepared to do more. Rest assured that as long as

there is peace to be kept, the Thais will be ready to

help keep it.

However, peacekeeping alone is not enough. The

conditions for sustainable peace must be built in post-

conflict societies to ensure that blood is not shed again.

We believe that sustainable development is crucial to

perpetual peace. This is what Thailand is working for,

by helping lay the foundations for peace through

development during the peacekeeping phase — from

the transfer of agricultural know-how in Timor-Leste to

the building of essential infrastructure in Burundi. We

have also striven for this goal through our membership

of the Peacebuilding Commission. Thailand envisages

that body playing a greater role in ensuring sustainable

peace worldwide.

Thailand itself is poised to play a greater role in

ensuring international peace and security. We have

presented our candidature for a non-permanent seat on

the Security Council for the term 2017-2018, for which

we ask members’ invaluable support. Thailand aspires

to work closely with our international partners to

ensure that the path towards war is never trodden

again, but is rerouted towards peace.

While we believe that the Security Council has so

far played an indispensable role in maintaining

international peace and security, we also believe that

the Council should be adjusted to better reflect world

realities in order to tackle today’s global challenges

more effectively. Thailand envisions a Security Council

working with greater efficiency, transparency and

engagement with concerned parties, be they countries,

regional organizations or other United Nations bodies.

We believe that, through such reforms, the Council

would become more effective in maintaining peace and

security worldwide.

Thailand is wholly committed to the United

Nations and its lofty ideals. Since the birth of the

Organization over six decades ago, Thailand has

worked closely with the United Nations to advance

peace and security, development and human rights

around the world. And we will continue to do so. In

spite of our problems, our commitment and

determination have never wavered.

As a medium-sized and middle-income

developing country, Thailand is ready to engage

with — and serve as a connection between — North

and South, East and West. As a country with substantial

experience in addressing today’s problems, we are

ready to help narrow the international gaps in

development, human rights and security. Thailand

believes that the time to act is now, and we stand ready

with our partners to act as a bridge between worlds and

to help bridge the world’s divides.