On 5 - 6 September 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Thailand’s Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, sent a Thai youth debate team to participate in the AICHR Youth Debates on Human Rights at Tembusu College, National University of Singapore. Two members of the team; Mr. Doldej Schuett, second year student from Thammasat University and Ms. Rawiporn Rangponsumrit, fourth year student from Chulalongkorn University, won the best speaker awards from the said event.

The AICHR Youth Debates on Human Right is one of the AICHR’s priority programmes 2015 which aims to promote greater awareness of human rights among ASEAN youth, and provide a platform for young people of ASEAN to exchange ideas and perspectives on various human rights issues. Each ASEAN Member State nominated 3 university-level students to participate in the event. The participants debated on topics revolving around good governance, the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), the role of youth vis-à-vis human rights, and the issue of death penalty.

This was the second AICHR Youth Debates on Human Rights. The inaugural installment was organized by the Philippines in 2013.  Next year, Malaysia will be hosting the Third AICHR Youth Debates on Human Rights, and Thailand is proposing to host this event in the year 2017.