At the General Assembly Hall, UN Headquarters, New York City, U.S.A., Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin delivered Thailand’s Statement at the UNGA78 General Debate in the theme “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”, which Thailand focuses: “Investing in peace, people, and planet for our common future.”
Government Spokesperson Chai Wacharonke disclosed gist as follows:
The Prime Minister highlighted Thailand’s new chapter in its democracy, and the Government’s commitment to strengthen democratic institutions and values in the country, and to uplift the well-being of Thai people. Thailand will play a proactive and constructive role in partnership with the international community, and to forge closer ties and greater prosperity through commerce, investment, and trade agreements, leading to the betterment of all. The country also intends to work closely with all nations to meet multiple global challenges head on, be it, promotion of sustainable peace and human rights, conservation of global environment and ecosystems, and sustainable development, which require multilateralism and the spirit of international cooperation.
On sustainable peace, Thailand welcomes the Secretary-General’s efforts in establishing a New Agenda for Peace, which the country believes will spearhead the effort to revive multilateralism and enhance the UN’s role as a platform for the achievement of global peace. The country reaffirms commitment to maintaining peace and inclusivity. It is our belief that through the development of multilateral relations based on mutual trust, understanding, and respect, lasting peace between nations will be achieved.
According to the Prime Minister, sustainable peace and development is undeniably linked with respect for human rights, human dignity, and freedoms. To this end, the Thai government is working to advance equality and justice, especially for the most vulnerable and the marginalized through strengthening the rule of law and increasing transparency within the government. The Thai Government will ensure that the law is fair, strictly enforced, and applied to everyone equally. Thailand is the ASEAN candidature for the Human Rights Council (HRC) for the term 2025-2027. This reaffirms the country’s sincere commitment to the advancement of human rights at home and abroad, and to ensure that the Human Rights Council is well-equipped to address new and emerging human rights challenges and contribute positively to the international community.
Since its inception in 2002, Thailand’s Universal Health Coverage has ensured that all Thai citizens are entitled to essential preventive, curative, and palliative health services at all life stages. In the coming years, the Government plans to further invest to upgrade the Universal Health Coverage to improve the quality of the program and to give patients the freedom to choose the healthcare provider best suited for them, regardless of who they are. This will ensure that access to high-quality health services will continue to be a universal right for all. Thailand is also of the view that the global health architecture should be reformed and strengthened, ultimately culminating in the ‘pandemic treaty’ that sees a more resilient, responsive, and future-ready global public health infrastructures.
Sustainable development is essential in ensuring peace, prosperity, and progress. In this regard, Thailand welcomes the SDG Summit which reaffirms that sustainability is the only way forward to protect the planet and people’s well-being. Yet, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, by most benchmarks, still proves elusive, as only 12% of the goals are on track. This is why the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development must be reinvigorated. The government plans to enact policies to stimulate job creation and provide financial support for low-income families and other vulnerable groups. In addition, Thailand has been a strong advocate for a more balanced, people-centered, and sustainable path to growth. The Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), the country’s long-standing locally-driven development approach, has consistently been applied to promote balance in all aspects. Building on the SEP is the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model, which leverages science, technology, and innovation to advance economic growth, while conserving the environment and ecosystems.
The Prime Minister also emphasized the issue of environment and climate change, adding that the climate crisis is one of the most urgent threats, in line with the Secretary-General’s statement that “the era of global warming has ended, and the era of global boiling point has arrived.” Collective and immediate action is required to mitigate its adverse effects on humanity. Thailand welcomes the Climate Ambition Summit to accelerate climate action that will mitigate the destructive impact of the climate crisis, especially food insecurity and malnutrition. As a leading exporter of food and agricultural products, Thailand is suffering from the effect of global climate change and the effect of El Niño. To ensure food security for the world, the country is working hard to improve water management systems and farming techniques.
The Prime Minister also advocated Green Finance Mechanism, through issuance of Sustainability Bond, and Thailand Green Taxonomy to boost growth and investments in environmental and social projects, while contributing to the effort to address the challenges of climate change. The country is also determined to deliver on its pledge: 40% Green House Gas emissions reduction by 2040, carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065, by mainstreaming climate actions in all economic activities. The National Energy Plan has integrated climate targets by enhancing energy efficiency, increasing the share of renewable energy, making a modal shift of transport through domestic electric vehicles production.
In closing, the Prime Minister invited every nation to be more ambitious in the goals, increase effort, work together, and share expertise and learnings in order to address these challenges, and expressed Thailand’s expectation for the Summit of the Future to foster a better future for all, based on the reinvigoration of multilateralism, with the UN at the helm, in the global push towards sustainable peace and sustainable development. (PRD)
