H.E. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, is scheduled to attend the 16^th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), which will be held on 1 May 2019 in Doha, State of Qatar.

The State of Qatar, as the current Chair of ACD, will host the Ministerial Meeting under the theme “Partners in Progress”. The discussion will focus on (1) Moving forward the 6 pillars of cooperation, (2) Establishment of the Asian Community by 2030, (3) Raise awareness of ACD and consolidate partnership with other International Organisations and Cooperation Frameworks in sub-regions and Asia, (4) Take stock of the progress of all cooperation activities organised by ACD member states, and (5) Strengthening the ACD Secretariat. The Ministers will also adopt the Doha Declaration as the outcome document.

Pursuant to the hosting of the latest ACD Summit (2^nd ACD Summit) by Thailand in October 2016, this meeting will be a good opportunity to follow up on the initiatives set forth by the Summit and translate the Summit’s outcomes into concrete action, as well as highlighting Thailand’s role as the Initiator and Coordinator of ACD. Thailand is also the Prime Mover of ACD cooperation pillar on “Promoting Approaches to Inclusive and Sustainable Development” and Co-Prime Mover of the “Interrelation of Food, Water, and Energy Security” pillar.

The ACD was launched in 2002 as an Asian regional policy discussion platform to promote understanding, mutual trust, and inclusive cooperation utilising the diverse strengths and potentials of ACD members. Currently, there are 34 members from all sub-regions of Asia. ACD has 6 pillars of cooperation, namely (1) Connectivity, (2) Science, Technology and Innovation, (3) Education and Human Resources Development, (4) Interrelation of Food, Water, and Energy Security, (5) Culture and Tourism, and (6) Promoting Approaches to Inclusive and Sustainable Development.