On 21 May 2015, H.E. General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered the opening remarks at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) 2015 at the United Nations Conference Center, Bangkok. The Forum was attended by the Vice President of Iran and Ministers from over 20 countries such as Tonga, Pakistan, Japan, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Tajikistan, as well as high-level representatives from international organizations such as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  
         In his opening remarks, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed  the importance of this year’s Forum as it will reflect the Asia-Pacific region’s priorities and perspectives for the ongoing global processes to deliberate the post-2015 development agenda. He also addressed regional challenges such as disaster risk reduction, ageing societies and migration. Special development needs of the region’s least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and Small Island Developing States must remain among the region’s priorities. Deepening regional integration and connectivity were highlighted as key to narrowing development gaps within the region. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also reaffirmed Thailand’s readiness in sharing experiences on sustainable development based on His Majesty’s the King's Sufficiency Economy Philosophy.
         With the theme of “Strengthening integration, implementation and review for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific”, the outcome of this forum will contribute substantively to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) under the auspices of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to be held at the end of June 2015 in New York.
         The APFSD is a forum for Member States of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) to exchange perspectives on the Post-2015 development agenda and sustainable development goals in the context of the Asia-Pacific region.

Last year, Thailand and UNESCAP co-hosted the inaugural APFSD in the City of Pattaya.
 

******************************************

21 May 2015