H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, attended the 37th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC-37) at the United Nations Office at Geneva on 28 February 2018. 

 

On this occasion, the Foreign Minister delivered a statement at the High-level Segment of the HRC-37 highlighting Thailand’s recent developments on human rights and reflections on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), as well as visions on strengthening the work of UN human rights mechanisms.

 

The Foreign Minister reiterated the importance Thailand attached to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the promotion and protection of human rights as mutually reinforcing. The Minister also shared Thailand’s progress on human rights, especially the announcement of the “National Agenda: Human Rights as a Driving Force of Thailand 4.0 towards Sustainable Development (2018 – 2019)” and various social measures and legal reforms to promote and protect human rights and to leave no one behind.

 

With the UDHR as an inspiration, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shared reflections on further actions on human rights such cooperation between all relevant stakeholders, the focus on prevention of human rights violations, fostering human rights awareness from an early age at all settings. The Minister also stressed the importance of the need to respect the rights and reputation of others, as well as not infringing upon the rights and interests of people at large who enjoy peace and stability and the benefit of public order. The UN human rights mechanisms also need to be strengthened to approach challenges in a holistic manner and bring concrete impact on the ground.

 

The Foreign Minister also met with Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to exchange views on displaced persons in Thailand and the region, and discuss issues on the situation in Rakhine as well as the repatriation of Myanmar displaced persons in Thailand. The High Commissioner praised Thailand’s efforts in eradicating statelessness and urged Thailand to maintain a long tradition of providing humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers.