On 17 November 2011, Mr. Kriangsak Kittichaisaree, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Commonwealth of Australia, was elected as a member of the International Law Commission (ILC) for the term 2012- 2016, with 128 votes, during the Sixty-sixth Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The ILC was established by the United Nations to promote the progressive development of international law and its codification. The members of the ILC are tasked by the UNGA to draft proposals on various issues of international law and meet annually at the United Nations Office in Geneva. The members consist of 34 individuals from five regional groups, who possess recognised competence in international law and are elected by the General Assembly to serve a five-year term. In this election, the Asia-Pacific regional group had eight seats available, contested by 13 candidates.
Ambassador Kittichaisaree is an imminent expert on international law and his academic works are widely recognised both domestically and internationally. He was a visiting professor in international law at many renowned universities. His previous positions include Deputy Director-General of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, Director-General of the Department of International Organizations, Permanent Representative of Thailand to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Recently, he has been elected as Chairman of the Working Group on Administration of Justice at the United Nations for an unlimited term.
His election to the ILC is evidence that his knowledge and expertise is well recognised in the field of international law. Thailand’s presence in the international arena will also be promoted, enabling the Kingdom to play an important role in the development of international law. In the past, Thailand had two members in the ILC: Dr. Thanat Khoman during 1957 — 1959 and Professor Sompong Sucharitkul during 1977 — 1986.
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