Your Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,
Ms. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
and Executive Secretary of ESCAP,
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to extend, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government and the people of the Kingdom of Thailand, my heartfelt congratulations to the United Nations on its 66th Anniversary as well as the 62nd Anniversary of the United Nations’ presence in Thailand. More importantly, it is a great honour to have Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn grace the celebration of this important event once again.
The United Nations Day is an opportunity to reflect on the contributions of the UN to our world. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a world without it. Without the UN, who would send peacekeepers to areas of tension or channel development to areas of poverty? Without the UN, who would promote global cooperation to help the underprivileged, the marginalized and the vulnerable? We have been able to meet these challenges, and more, with the United Nations at our side.
Here and now, the challenge we face is natural disasters on an unprecedented scale. For the past weeks, this Government and I have been working at the frontlines of the floods that have brought so much loss and suffering. Our neighbours are also suffering. We can meet this challenge only through cooperation and partnership.
Following my recent conversation with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, I am confident that we can rely on our long-time partner the United Nations, through its offices here in Bangkok, to support our efforts to alleviate the suffering, plan for recovery, and promote capacity-building, risk mitigation and better disaster management. I am also hopeful that we can enhance regional cooperation, so that we can be better prepared for future disasters, as part of an ASEAN Community that is people-centered.
Your Royal Highness,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
From a new member of the United Nations in 1946 to host country to over 30 offices of UN agencies today, Thailand’s support for the UN spans over six decades. This will continue in the decades to come. In the meantime, let us give greater prominence to Bangkok as a UN city, in tandem with the city’s role as a commercial hub of the region. I look forward to working closely with the United Nations to build a better life for all -- in this country, in this region and beyond.
Thank you.
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