Statement by H.E. Jullapong Nonsrichai,
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand
at the High Level Segment,
22nd Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC)
Geneva, 27 February 2013
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Mr. President,
Madame High Commissioner,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
It is a great honour for me to speak before the Human Rights Council today, On behalf of the Royal Thai Government, I wish to express our appreciation for the important leadership that has been provided by both the President of the Council and the High Commissioner. In our view, the Council has continued to build upon its stature.
We thank the High Commissioner for her report, identifying some of the key issues for us. Thailand sees that human rights must go hand in hand with democracy and economic development. And certainly there is important work to do in strengthening democratic institutions around the world to ensure respect for human rights. We must all join in this crucial work to enhance the sustainability of our efforts.
Thailand notes that important progress on human rights has been recorded over the past few months.
The agenda for disabled persons and the elderly has been advanced, And Thailand as a member of the core group is proud to be the first country to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure.
But there have also been setbacks, and the situations in many regions including Mali demands the Council's urgent attention.
The dire situation of the Syrian people remains our grave concern. While the Council must unequivocally condemn the ongoing violation of human rights and call on all sides to put an end to violence in all forms, it will be up to the Syrian people to determine their own destiny.
But we have seen positive advances in Myanmar. As Myanmar is gearing toward further economic and administrative reforms, it is incumbent upon the international community to support the reforms in concrete terms. Words acknowledging the positive steps to enhance Myanmar's human rights situation must be supported by deeds to support continued progress and build capacity.
Indeed, many violations of human rights occur around the world due to States' lack of capacity. Instead of condemning lack of progress, we should seek to constructively engage States. Thailand believes that more attention should be given to technical assistance and cooperation in enhancing human rights.
And we also believe that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights must be given sufficient resources from the UN regular budget as well as voluntary contributions. And to reiterate our position, Thailand will work with partners to build on the resolution on enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity building in the field of human rights first introduced by us at the Council's 18th Session.
Capacity building is also needed at the regional level, where in my own region ASEAN has also made advances with the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights. Thailand reiterates that we should not see the Declaration as an end in itself, but as part of an evolving process and a means to better human rights promotion and protection in the region.
As well as building capacity, we must also seek ways to utilize the tools available to their fullest, In this regard, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) remains one of the most constructive mechanisms of the Council to address human rights situations without selectivity. This is why we must go the extra mile to preserve its universal nature.
Mr. President,
Moving to broader themes, it has been 20 years since the international community adopted the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. And 20 years on, we now have the opportunity to reflect on how far we have advanced the broad-based and comprehensive approach that we agreed upon in Vienna.
Overall, the balance between work on economic, social and cultural rights and on civil and political rights needs to be improved. They must go hand in hand. On a positive note, we have seen the proliferation of actors at all levels, including vibrant national institutions and regional bodies which Thailand will continue to promote.
But we must also look ahead with an even broader perspective. This is a critical time for all of us as we approach the year 2015.
The international community must make the final push to realize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and advance consultations on the post 2015 development agenda, In particular, Thailand believes that the international development agenda should continue to place people at the centre. The challenge is how to integrate normative dimensions into the agenda in concrete and measurable terms to ensure rights-based and equitable societies for all.
Mr. President,
Thailand is proud of our membership in the Council. Over the past two years, we have shown strong engagement in all aspects of the Council's endeavours. At the same time, we have been inspired by our membership to improve upon human rights work at the national and regional levels. I will touch upon a few highlights.
First, Thailand has continued work to withdraw reservations to human rights instruments as part of our UPR pledges. Meanwhile, we are also fulfilling our Council election pledges by expediting the submission of treaty reports, with three reports submitted in the last six months alone. Two others are close to submission.
Second, on following up our standing invitation to all Special procedures, the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation visited Thailand last month. We hope to receive the Special Rapporteur on torture during 2014.
And third, on ensuring the rights of vulnerable groups, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has played a strong advocacy role for the transformation of women and children's lives through health and socio-economic empowerment, including through the National Women's Development Fund. Just last week, concerned agencies were instructed to improve their work flow in protecting vulnerable groups.
Meanwhile, we hope to build on our resolution in the General Assembly on strengthening collaboration on child protection within the United Nations system.
Fourth, on meaningful participation in the UPR, we are now collecting inputs from the various agencies to form a consolidated plan of action for implementing the accepted recommendations and pledges.
But we are also aware that there are human rights concerns that we will need to address.
The Thai Government is continuing to address the situation in the Southern Border Provinces in a multifaceted way by engaging local communities. Human rights violations in the area will not be condoned and all violators will be held to account. But the international community should also condemn those who are perpetrating violence.
The Government is also determined to better manage and improve the conditions of migrant workers and address allegations of human trafficking. There is much work in progress. We will keep the Council updated.
Mr. President,
2013 will be a year of activism for Thailand's international engagement, including on human rights. And we will share more information about the proposed Conference on Democracy and Reconciliation with you later. Finally, with our commitment to human rights and democracy both at home and abroad, Thailand will stand for election to the council once again for the term 2015 - 2017.
I thank you, Mr. President.
statement_un_27_feb_13.pdf
