On 26 August 2024, Mrs. Eksiri Pintaruchi, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs delivered remarks on behalf of the Foreign Minister during the opening session of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Bangkok Roundtable, which is held under the theme “Future of the World: From the Perspective of Asia” at Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok. The meeting was attended by about 30 high-level representatives from the public and private sectors, international organizations, and academia in Asia, including Mr. Ban Ki-moon, BFA Chairman and former UN Secretary-General.

The objective of this meeting is to deliberate on ways to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs, in the lead up to the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. At this occasion, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs highlighted the role of Asia in strengthening regional and sub-regional cooperation, which will in turn strengthen the multilateral system with the UN at the center. The Permanent Secretary also reiterated Thailand’s trust in the UN, and emphasized Thailand’s role as bridge builder in promoting synergies between regional frameworks: ASEAN, APEC, BIMSTEC, ACD, GMS and Mekong initiatives to support multilateralism.

BFA is a forum of Asia initiated in 2001, with Thailand as one of the founding members. BFA serves as a platform for leaders/high-level representatives from the public and private sectors, international organizations and the academia to exchange views on the region’s and the world’s pressing issues, placing emphasis on promoting economic growth and sustainable development in the region.