September 2, 2013, at the Plaza Athenee Hotel, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yingluck Shinawatra gave an opening remark at the Special Lecture Series on "Uniting for the future: Learning from each other’s experiences” which was held to enable the public to learn from world leaders and acknowledged experts who have had hands-on participations and experiences in the promotion of democracy and peace building in many countries. Keynote speakers of the special lecture were Mr. Tony Blair, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, Former President of Finland; and Ms. Priscilla Hayner, Senior Advisor, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. Gist of PM Yingluck’s remark is as follows:

PM Yingluck welcomed all the participants of the first Special Lecture Series on "Uniting for the future: Learning from each other’s experiences”, and expressed her appreciation to the distinguished speakers who had given their valuable time to share their experiences, as well as the Devawongse Varopakarn Institute of Foreign Affairs, and the Institute of Security and International Studies of Chulalongkorn University for hosting this important event. According to PM Yingluck, this lecture was aimed as an open platform for the sharing of experiences, ideas, and even personal stories, so all can learn from one another to create unity for peace and prosperity of the Thais. She believed that this first lecture and future forums would provide a basis towards practical approaches that can be implemented. Sharing views on ideologies was important but in the end words must be put into practice for sustainable solutions.

PM Yingluck stated that democracy was now at a crossroad, and there were still attempts to suppress the people’s freedom in places all over the world. According to PM Yingluck, “Democracy guarantees the rights and liberties of the common individual. Democracy encourages individual talent to flourish, allowing equal economic opportunities to take root. And democracy respects diversity and allows any differences to be resolved in a peaceful manner.”

She also mentioned the importance of unity in achieving sustainable peace and stability and as the basis of sustainable economic and social development for all nations and regions. The key was for all to work towards a future built around a secure foundation of democracy, which was not only the system, but also a culture where all citizens respect each another’s views and where the rule of law is enforced and respected by all.

PM Yingluck believed that all Thais would benefit from international experiences, both successes and failures, and hoped the lessons learnt from other countries would be inspirational in reflecting more on what was best for the country. According to PM Yingluck, this would allow the Thai people to take steps forward together in a democratic manner in order to unite for the future of the next generation.

source: Government House