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.