On Thursday 21 September 2017, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand attended the ACD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Sidelines of UNGA72. The meeting was chaired by the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran and attended by 34 high-level representatives from 34 Member States.

                The Meeting witnessed the handover of ACD Chairmanship from the United Arab Emirates to the Islamic Republic of Iran (September 2017 – September 2018). The ACD Secretary General, with the support of the Prime Movers of the ACD cooperation pillars namely, (1) Connectivity, (2) Interrelation of Food, Water, and Energy Security, (3) Science, Technology, and Innovation, (4) Education and Human Resource Development, (5) Culture and Tourism, and (6) Promoting Approaches to Inclusive and Sustainable Development reported on the progress made in 2017. The Meeting also discussed the 16^th ACD Ministerial Meeting and the 3^rd ACD Summit to be held in Tehran in 2018.

              As the Prime Mover of the Promoting Approaches to Inclusive and Sustainable Development pillar, Thailand hosted the 1^st Working Group Meeting on Promoting Approaches to Inclusive and Sustainable Development on 21 August 2017 and the International Training Course on Microcredit and Sufficiency Economy during 20 August – 2 September 2017. Thailand also informed the meeting of her intention to host the International Training Course on Sufficiency Economy and its application at the community level in July 2018. Moreover, at the Meeting, Thailand joined the United Arab Emirates and other Member States as the Co-Prime Mover on Energy. In this regard, Thailand will host the ACD Meeting on Energy back-to-back with the 7^th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable in Bangkok in November to further support the dynamism of this Pillar.

             The ACD was established in 2002 to discuss cooperation and promote understanding among Asian countries, drawing strengths from the diversity of each 34 member states. Thailand held ACD Chairmanship during September 2015-September 2016. Thailand hosted the 2^nd ACD Summit on 10 October 2016 in Bangkok.