On 29 October 2010, Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of Thailand, attended the 3rd ASEAN - United Nations Summit in Hanoi, Viet Nam, with the participation of United Nation Secretary — General, Mr. Ban Ki - moon.
The Meeting expressed satisfaction with the progress of ASEAN — United Nations cooperation, especially in the joint operation to assist Myanmar in restoring the country after the Cyclone Nargis’ disaster, which demonstrated the capacity of the two organisations in working together at a time of crisis. The ASEAN leaders also expressed their appreciation for the support of the United Nations in the area of reducing development gap in ASEAN and hoped to collaborate closely with the United Nations for addressing other emerging challenges such as energy security, climate change, and infectious diseases.
On this occasion, the Thai Prime Minister proposed to establish a rapid deployment centre at U - Thapao airbase to serve as food deport in time of crisis. He called on the United Nations to strengthen and deepen its partnership with ASEAN in narrowing development gap which is fundamental to achieving ASEAN Community - building as well as attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through the existing development agencies based in Thailand such as Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Mekong Institute, and Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC). He also reaffirmed Thailand’s support for the “1,000 Days: Change a Life, Change the Future”, the initiative by U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, to promote infant and maternal health and nutritional well-being.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th