On behalf of
the delegation of the Kingdom of Thailand, allow me
to congratulate the Honourable Mr. John Ashe on his
election to the presidency of the General Assembly at
its sixty-eighth session. My delegation stands ready to
render our full support and cooperation.
I would also like to express our appreciation
to the outgoing President, Mr. Vuk Jeremi., for his
exceptional leadership during the previous session.
I am particularly grateful for his contributions to the
second Asia-Pacific Water Summit, held in Chiang
Mai, Thailand, earlier this year.
Thailand is committed to the United Nations.
Our faith in the principles and values it stands for has
never wavered. The United Nations three pillars of
security, development and human rights continue to
inspire and motivate us. When the 50 founding States
came together in San Francisco in 1945, the world had
high hopes for the United Nations. The United Nations
was created in response to the demands of a different
time, after millions of lives had been lost in a conflict
between States. Today, it is conflict within States that
takes the heaviest human toll, as we have witnessed in
the unfolding events in Syria.
As we look ahead to the post-2015 future, we must
not shy away from asking the hard questions. We must
ask ourselves whether multilateralism has lived up to our
expectations, be it in security, trade or the environment.
We must ask how we Member States can do better in the
face of critical challenges. That is because ultimately,
the success of the United Nations depends on all of us.
With such a diversity of viewpoints, it is all the more
important for us to work together to find the unity and
consensus we need.
The challenges facing us are particularly clear
in the case of Syria. On 21 August, we learned that
chemical weapons had been used against innocent
civilians in Syria. Despite widespread condemnation
and outrage, the United Nations was initially unable
to act and the Security Council was deadlocked. We
therefore welcome resolution 2118 (2013) on Syria,
adopted yesterday by the Security Council. We urge
Syria to ensure the full and effective implementation of
the resolution, and to allow monitoring and enforcement
by the international community. It is our hope that the
Security Council, especially its permanent members,
will continue to work to find a durable political solution
for the sake of the Syrian people.
In setting the stage for the post-2015 development
agenda, we must recognize that development cannot
take root without peace, security, democracy and
human rights. The three pillars of the United Nations
must be developed together and nurtured together. To
strengthen the United Nations, we need to seek ways to
achieve unity and consensus on the issues that matter
most. In the area of security, this means thinking of
new, creative ways to respond to the changing threats.
For instance, when States fail to protect their own
populations, or even cause them harm, all our words
will amount to little unless matched with action.
But what kind of action would make the most
difference on the ground? When and how is it most
effective? There are no simple answers. It is on such
issues that the world looks to the Security Council for
leadership. Too often, however, the Council is paralysed
just when action is most needed. Overcoming deadlock
and achieving consensus must be a central objective of
Security Council reform.
The United Nations is, of course, much more than the
Security Council. Unity and consensus are also needed
on development. Thailand believes that sustainable
development must be at the heart of the United Nations
agenda. The world has made great strides in tackling
poverty and hunger, thanks in no small part to the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but all of
us still need to make a final push on the MDGs. That
would enable us to tackle the deep-rooted poverty that
still afflicts the so-called bottom billion.
Following the MDGs, the post-2015 development
agenda must provide both continuity and a new source
of hope. To build on the MDGs, Thailand believes
that we should place special emphasis on the needs of
the most vulnerable countries. That includes conflict
and post-conflict societies, as well as those of least
developed countries, landlocked developing countries
and small island developing States. If we fail to do so,
millions will be left behind.
The most pressing challenge to sustainable
development that demands our concerted action is
climate change. For a number of countries, particularly
small island developing States, climate change strikes
at the very heart of survival. For much of the world,
climate change is also linked to another important
challenge — food security. Extreme weather can cause
great damage to agriculture. The impact will be felt
not only in food-producing countries, but worldwide.
That is why we need to work together to put in place
systems — better weather prediction technology,
better storage silos and more resilient strains of staple
crops — that will mitigate the impact of climate change.
Those are areas where countries should help one another
by sharing their experiences and know-how.
Thailand believes that, if development is to be
sustainable, it must be people-centred. We welcome
the Secretary-General’s report “A life of dignity for
all: accelerating progress towards the Millennium
Development Goals and advancing the United Nations
development agenda beyond 2015” (A/68/202), which
puts people at the centre of the development agenda.
People need to be given the chance and the tools to
make the most of their potential. This can happen if we
focus more on promoting human security, for instance
through education and health care. On education, we
believe that the Secretary-General’s Global Education
First Initiative is an important contribution to the post-
2015 development agenda and deserves the support of
all stakeholders. Health is also very much a development
issue. When people are unhealthy, it imposes a cost on
State finances and can even undo development gains.
As we look to the post-20l5 future, we must not
limit our goals to specific health challenges. We should
now set our sights on the more general objective of
universal health care. Initiated by the administration
of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra 10 years
ago, Thailand has been implementing a programme
that charges only $1 per doctor’s visit. This universal
health-care scheme is universal in its coverage of
treatments, ranging from common illnesses and
chronic diseases to lifesaving surgeries. Statistics have
shown that through this programme, around 300,000
households have been saved from falling into poverty.
Even non-Thai nationals, especially migrant workers
from neighbouring countries are also benefiting from
universal health care, making it truly universal.
The socioeconomic impact of this programme has
therefore been tremendous. Those who benefit most
from our universal health care have been the poor
and the vulnerable. By working to empower the most
vulnerable among us, we ensure that development
is more inclusive. We believe that the model could
be adapted to other developing countries, and we are
willing to share the lessons we have learned from our
experience.
We also believe that women, children, the elderly
and persons with disabilities must be treated fairly and
encouraged to participate fully in all aspects of life.
Particularly in situations of conflict, vulnerable groups
are often at the greatest risk of violence. We therefore
support the United Nations initiative to end sexual
violence in conflict. We also commend the United
Kingdom for its leadership in realizing the Declaration
of Commitment on this important issue.
To provide an environment that facilitates unity
and consensus, the international community must
also forge a new global partnership. This new global
partnership must rest on a common agenda for action. It
will need to involve States — in particular like-minded
States — the United Nations, regional organizations,
civil society and other stakeholders. In South-East
Asia, the process is well under way. The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations is strengthening its partnership
to become a community of over 600 million people by
the end of 2015. Regional discussions on the post-2015
agenda are also complementing ongoing global efforts.
As a moderate, medium-sized country with an open
society, Thailand is ready to work with all countries
and partners. We want to do our part in helping
bridge the gaps in communication, understanding and
opportunity.
That is why we have put forward our candidacies to
the Security Council for the term 2017-2018 and to the
Human Rights Council for the term 2015-2017. We are
keen to help build bridges to connect all stakeholders
in a more cohesive, action-oriented global partnership.
Building a global partnership means forging a common
agenda for action on our most important challenges. It
means reaching out beyond our borders, beyond our
region and beyond our comfort zone.
Thailand has been building bridges not only within
Asia, but also with Africa and Latin America. We
believe that developing countries everywhere need
to come together in a spirit of partnership to make
their voices heard. What is more, that same sense of
partnership must also cross the development divide,
embracing developed and developing economies alike.
Since the beginning, the United Nations has been
a force for good. As its membership has grown and
the issues have become more complex, we have now
reached a crossroads. Whether the United Nations takes
the right path rests on our ability to achieve consensus
and to act together in a meaningful manner. Now is
the time for us to set aside our outdated assumptions
and our differences. Our common future depends on
our ability to come together to forge consensus on the
new realities before us. The way forward is not through
politics as usual, but through constructive dialogue and
mutual respect. With goodwill and common purpose,
the international community can once again rise to the
challenge. Together, we can fulfil the promise of the
Organization and the loftiest goals toward which we,
the Member States, have always aspired.