On 6 March 2014, H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, addressed the 25^th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.  The Permanent Secretary reiterated Thailand’s commitment to promoting and protecting human rights at the national and international levels.  He also shared his vision on ways to improve the work of the Council through (1) support for a culture of constructive dialogue in the Council; (2) promotion of preventive approaches in the field of human rights, with emphasis on technical cooperation and capacity building for member countries; (3) united response to urgent human rights situations through constructive dialogue with countries concerned; (4) improvement of the recommendations on human rights under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism; and (5) advocacy for the connection between human rights and the post-2015 Development Agenda.

During his participation in the current session of the Council, the Permanent Secretary also met and discussed with H.E. Mr. Baudelaire Ndong Ella, President of the Human Rights Council and Permanent Representative of Gabon to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Ms. Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Ms. Janet Lim, Assistant United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) for Operations.

Link to webcast of Permanent Secretary's statement