On 5 February 2013, the Thai 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 during 2009-2012.

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

             In order to promote transparency and encourage public participation in the selection process of the Thai Representative, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established a Selection Committee of nine members representing the public sector, academia, civil society and the media. After reviewing the applications and completing the interviews with the prospective candidates, the Selection Committee decided to nominate Dr. Seree Nonthasoot to AICHR. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs then submitted the nomination to the Cabinet for endorsement.

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