Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed the importance of “Balance of all Things” to build back better in the post COVID-19 era at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

On 25 September 2021, H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, delivered a pre-recorded statement at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA76), encouraging the international community to embrace “hope” to overcome multi-dimensional challenges, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to build a better world under the context of the “Next Normal”. The Prime Minister emphasized the need to put people at the center of development and to ensure that no one will be left behind. He called for the further strengthening cooperative efforts under multilateral fora, a call that resonates in the UN Secretary-General’s “Our Common Agenda” report.

The Prime Minister stressed that COVID-19 vaccines and medicines should be considered global public goods. He also emphasized the importance of achieving the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to ensure that all people can access quality health services and called for collective efforts to support the work of the World Health Organization (WHO), including the call for a Pandemic Treaty.

On climate change, the Prime Minister pointed out that the unbalanced growth and development have led the world to face growing threats from natural catastrophes. He therefore urged the international community to turn crisis into opportunity for a transformative reset to a “Balance of All Things”, particularly focusing on eco-friendly development. The Prime Minister further mentioned that Thailand has been working on a National Energy Plan with an aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2065-2070 by enhancing cooperation on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) with the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) being developed as a regional hub for innovative economy and green industries.

The Prime Minister underscored that amidst the post COVID-19 pandemic recovery, the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) and the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model (BCG) are key instruments for the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, the Prime Minister pointed out that the BCG model constitutes a balanced and sustainable approach to development, encompassing economic, social and environmental aspects through application of technology and innovation that are connected to global supply chains. Furthermore, he emphasized that Thailand attaches great importance to the promotion of global food security.

On peace and security, the Prime Minister urged the international community to join hands to build a peaceful environment by promoting trust and solidarity. He also reaffirmed Thailand’s concrete contributions to the promotion of peace and stability as well as support for complementarities between the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Moreover, the Prime Minister highlighted Thailand’s continued support for the United Nations peacekeeping operations and indicated that Thailand has pledged financial contributions to alleviate the humanitarian situations in Myanmar, Afghanistan and Haiti.

As December 2021 will mark the 75th Anniversary of Thailand’s membership in the United Nations, the Prime Minister reiterated Thailand’s commitment to be a responsible, reliable and constructive member and a development partner of the United Nations across all 3 pillars of the UN and a reliable host country for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and over 40 UN offices.