On 9 January 2020, Mrs. Pornpimol Kanchanalak, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in the United Nations Security Council Open Debate under the topic “Towards the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations: Upholding the Charter of the United Nations to Maintain International Peace and Security” at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. The Open Debate was organised under the Vietnamese presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the term January 2020. The meeting was chaired by His Excellency Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

 

The Open Debate was an opportunity for UN Member States to discuss matters relating to international peace and security as well as the importance of the UN Charter and role of the UNSC under UN framework. It was also participated by high-level representatives from member states and international organisations, for example, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders; Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and    

the Grenadines; and ministerial-level representatives from Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Ukraine and Kenya.

 

Mrs. Kanchanalak delivered a statement on behalf of Thailand, highlighting the importance of (1) a people-centric approach in line with the principle of the Charter of the United Nations (2) the reaffirmation of a diplomatic approach in resolving disputes and conflicts (3) mechanisms designed to prevent and respond to conflict that must evolve to effectively address new and non-traditional security threats (5) the promotion of integration between peace and security mechanisms under the United Nations, allowing for unified and efficient actions.

 

The Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs also met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam at the sideline of the Open Debate. She expressed Thailand’s support for Vietnam’s Presidency of the UNSC in January 2020 and also Vietnam’s membership of the UNSC for the year 2020-2021.