On 26 September 2013at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, participated in a meeting that the ASEAN Foreign Ministers held with the President of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Secretary-General.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister underlined that the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda and the ASEAN Post 2015 Vision should be interactive, complementary, and mutually reinforcing.  He also added that the Post-2015 Development Agenda should place people at the center of sustainable development and include such issues as poverty eradication, environmental protection, inclusive and equitable growth, as well as good governance and women’s empowerment. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong said that he saw the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive Partnership as a mechanism by which the post-2015 Development Agendas of both ASEAN and the UN could converge.  He proposed that certain areas of cooperation be prioritized, under the theme of People-Centered Sustainable Development, and that such areas could cover actionable issues such as universal health coverage, disaster management, food security, as well as narrowing development gaps and combating illicit drugs.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister also encouraged stronger cooperation between the ASEAN and UN Secretariats. He also asked for more capacity-building activities to improve skills as well as enhance networking and interaction between the two Secretariats.