On 5 February 2013, the Cabinet endorsed the appointment of Dr. Seree Nonthasoot as Representative of Thailand to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) for the term 2013-2015, succeeding Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree who served as the first Representative of Thailand to AICHR for the term 2009-2012.

Established in 2009 as part of ASEAN’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms under the Article 14 of the ASEAN Charter, the AICHR operates in accordance with the Terms of Reference (TOR) as endorsed by the ASEAN Leaders during the 15th ASEAN Summit held in Thailand. According to the TOR, each ASEAN Member States shall appoint a Representative to AICHR who will serve a term of three years and may be re-appointed consecutively for only one more term.

In order to promote transparency and encourage public participation in the selection process of the Thai Representative, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed a Selection Committee of nine members representing various sectors such as the public sector, academia, civil society and media. After reviewing all of the of candidates’ applications and completing the interviews with the prospective candidates, the Selection Committee nominated Dr. Seree Nonthasoot as the Representative of Thailand to AICHR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted the said nomination to the Cabinet for endorsement.

Dr. Seree Nonthasoot received his doctoral degree in Law from the University of Oxford. He concurrently holds the positions of Senior Executive Vice President of the Institute of Research and Development for Public Enterprises and Legal Counsel, State Enterprise Policy Office, Ministry of Finance. Dr. Seree has experience in working with AICHR as a member of the Drafting Group for ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) which was later adopted by the ASEAN Leaders during the 21st ASEAN Summit in November 2012 in Phnom Penh.