The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted health security through the promotion of 3H-society namely healthy, high standards, and hygienic as well as Bio, Circular and Green Economy (BCG economy) during the virtual 17th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) on 21 January 2021

On 21 January 2021, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, participated in the virtual 17th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), hosted by Turkey, under the theme ‘the New Normal and Healthy and Safe Tourism’. The Meeting, joined by all 35 ACD Member States from all regions in Asia, has adopted the Ankara Declaration which provides future direction of the ACD cooperation to facilitate a timely post-pandemic recovery and sustainable growth.

In order to achieve these goals, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted two important areas of cooperation: (1) the promotion of 3H-Society, which are ‘healthy’ population, ‘high standards’ in economy, and ‘hygienic’ and sanitarily clean society, aimed at accelerating the recovery in tourism sector in a sustainable manner, and (2) the promotion of Bio, Circular and Green Economy (BCG) economy in compliment to the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, as to promote food and energy security as well as strengthen the supply chain.

In this connection, the Meeting also adopted the Ankara Declaration as the Member States’ intent to reinforce closer cooperation under the ACD framework, and to jointly set the direction of future cooperation in all six pillars as well as to strengthen the ACD Secretariat.

The ACD was established in 2002, as an initiative of Thailand, to be a pan-Asia cooperation and policy dialogue forum to promote understanding and mutual trust among Asian countries, drawing strength from the diversity of all Member States.