On 7 July 2014, Mr. Krerkpan Roekchamnong, Ambassasor and Deputy Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, attended the general discussion on girls’ and women’s right to education , organized by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women – CEDAW) during its fifty-eight session in Geneva, Switzerland.  Views and suggestions from the participants at this general discussion will be used in the formulation of a general recommendation on girls’ and women’s right to education in the context of Article 10 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Convention).

In his statement at the general discussion, Ambassador Roekchamnong argued that a common misconception that women must be treated exactly like men and according to male standards constituted a hindrance to effective implementation of CEDAW Article 10.  He stressed that women are more vulnerable to poverty, marginalization, abuse, and exploitation. This vulnerability, he urged, must be acknowledged and responded to in order to achieve a real equality between men and women.
   
Ambassador Roekchamnong called for stronger efforts to improve the availability of and access to education for girls and women.  He pointed out the need to create new and improve educational facilities, both co-educational and single-sex institutions, to accommodate female students with special needs such as the setting up of nurseries in educational institutions, to establish part-time study programs for those who cannot enroll full-time, to provide vocational trainings for those who cannot enter the mainstream academic programs, and to facilitate the disadvantaged groups of women and girls such as those in the rural areas, with disabilities, and living with HIV/AIDS. 

Ambassador Roekchamnong concluded his statement by underscoring that CEDAW Article 10 must be implemented in tandem with other articles and alongside other international human rights instruments.