On 15 November 2010 from 10.00 to 11.00 hrs at Plaza Athenee Hotel Bangkok, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, as a key note speaker, delivered a speech at the first day of the Asia Board of Directors Meeting of World Food Programme, held in Bangkok on 15 — 19 November 2010, upon the invitation of Mr. Amir Abdula, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP).
The Asia Board of Directors Meeting is the internal executives’ meeting of WFP held annually in Bangkok to discuss issues and obstacles related to WFP duties and common policies. The Asia Board of Directors includes executives of WFP headquarter, director of WFP regional office in Bangkok and directors of 14 WFP offices located in Asian countries namely Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, North Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Timor L’este and the Philippines. Every year outstanding individuals are invited to deliver a speech on experiences and role related to the WFP areas of work and participate in discussion on relevant issues.
For this year meeting, Foreign Minister Kasit shared with them Thailand’s important role as donor and active participant under United Nations framework in providing humanitarian assistances to those affected by natural disasters, food shortage crisis etc. Besides, Foreign Minister Kasit also informed the meeting of Thailand and ASEAN’s preparedness for tackling regional natural disasters. The meeting also discussed way and means to improve connection among agencies concerned for better cooperation on natural disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.
Foreign Minister Kasit confirmed Thailand’s strong partnership with WFP and expressed Thailand’s readiness and willingness to continue providing humanitarian assistances especially under the framework of trilateral cooperation, technical cooperation for exchanges of knowledge and technology. In response to the disaster management, Foreign Minister Kasit expressed Thailand’s readiness by offering U-TAPAO International Airport to be the disaster management training center and logistic port for disaster relief operation.
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