Statement
by
H.E. Mr. Surin Pitsuwan
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand

Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the people and Government of Thailand, I should like to extend my warm congratulations to Your Excellency Mr. Harri Holkeri upon your election to the Presidency of the 55th Session of the General Assembly. I am confident that under Your Excellency's able guidance, we shall be able to build upon the momentum generated by the Summit and enjoy a successful and results-oriented General Assembly Session.

I should also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to His Excellency Mr. Theo-Ben Guirirab, Foreign Minister of Namibia and President of the 54th Session, for his leadership and tireless efforts throughout the past year. His wisdom and dedication to the tasks of our Assembly enabled him to serve as an effective bridge between the past Session and the Millennium Summit, thus laying a firm foundation for our work this year.

On this occasion, may I, on behalf of the people and Government of Thailand, extend a warm welcome to Tuvalu on her admission as the newest member of the United Nations family. We look forward to working with you in advancing the objectives and principles of this august body.

The dawn of the new millennium is a time for both justified celebration of as well as sombre reflection over the achievements and shortcomings of the United Nations during the past fifty-five years. As we review the UN's track record, I cannot but recall the very first words written in the UN Charter, namely, "We the Peoples of the United Nations." These few simple words convey an idea of overwhelming significance-that it is the people of our respective nations who represent the core raison d'etre of this foremost assembly of humankind. It is the peoples who should be the primary beneficiaries of every resolution that we adopt and every programme that we launch.

As we proceed with the first General Assembly of this millennium, we should ask ourselves the question: have we indeed put peoples at the centre of all our deliberations and activities? Have we done enough to ensure that the ordinary people, both men and women, young and old, benefit from all our initiatives and actions, collective as well as individual?

But we need to do more. We need to adopt a fresh mind-set that places the interests and welfare of peoples, the peoples of our countries and those of other nations, at the centre of our policies in socio- economic development and in maintaining international peace and security. We need to keep in mind that promoting the interests and welfare of peoples requires that we also promote human rights and fundamental freedoms. We need to work collectively to translate commitments made at the Millennium Summit and in other fora into concrete results that reach people directly.

People-Centred Development

Although the recent economic and financial crisis has brought devastating consequences for millions of people across the Asia-Pacific region, it has helped re-focus the attention of govemments on the need to protect the most important of any economy's assets, namely its people. The crisis, in exposing the inadequacies of national social safety nets in protecting the welfare of vulnerable peoples, has raised many difficult questions. In essence, how can one pursue sustainable development and even attempt to attain economic prosperity when basic needs of people cannot be fulfilled and the potentials of people not developed?

The idea of putting People at the centre of development efforts is not new. But its application has been far from widespread. As various countries slowly recover from this economic and financial crisis, the value of pursuing people-centred development has become even greater. This paradigm of development sees development as a means to promote people's welfare and interests rather than an end in itself It looks beyond quantitative indicators of growth and focuses more on how to nurture the capabilities of people in society so that they are empowered and are able to make positive contributions to a country's development efforts. And it needs to be forward looking by also taking into account the interests and welfare of future unborn generations.

Mr. President,

As part and parcel of the efforts to pursue people-centred development, there needs to be a premium attached to tackling those issues, national and transnational, that have a direct impact on people's welfare. I should therefore like to highlight three issues in particular that affect the very essence of the welfare of peoples: drugs and narcotics trafficking, HIV/AIDS and poverty alleviation through sustainable development.

One of the most unfortunate consequences of globalisation is the "globalization" of the drugs and narcotics problem. Illicit production and trafficking in narcotics erode the economy's resources, generate a host of social problems, and sap the human potential. These effects are shared, from the most rural and remote of villages to the most modem metropolises. It is a global social problem that affects people directly, both users and non-users. While all types of drugs and narcotics are a menacing threat to society, we hope that the international community would give equal attention to the growing threat of methamphethamines as to heroin and other drugs. The small size and low costs of production of methamphethamines make them readily accessible to all sectors of society and therefore difficult to suppress.

Thailand has spared no efforts in tackling the drug and narcotics problem at the national level and is at the forefront of regional and international cooperation to meet this challenge with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). To this end, I am pleased to announce that Thailand and the UNDCP will be hosting the International Congress on "In Pursuit of a Drug Free ASEAN 2015: Sharing the Vision, Leading the Change" in Bangkok on 11-13 October 2000. We hope to establish an effective coordinating mechanism to tackle the drugs and narcotics problem along all fronts and at all levels, and we hope that you will support us in these endeavours.

Mr. President,

We are gratified that the global problem of HIV/AIDS which is affecting an increasing number of people in our societies has been given due attention at the Millennium Summit. But international efforts will have to be strengthened and sustained if the international community is to make a dent in a problem that has already affected more than 36 million people worldwide and is reaching epidemic proportions. We are honoured that Thailand has been cited as one of the success stories in tackling the HIV/AIDS problem in the developing world. Nevertheless, the sustainability of successful national efforts requires strong support and cooperation at the regional and multilateral levels, and effective partnerships with non-governmental organisations, including the private sector. In this connection, we hope that regional and international cooperation in preventing and alleviating the HIV/AIDS problem will emphasise the exchange of AIDS- related technologies and state-of the art techniques for the prevention and alleviation of HIVAIDS, as well as sharing of knowledge on affordable HIVAIDS related drugs. We call on the United Nations Secretary- General to enhance his efforts in coordinating international action against HIV/AIDS. We also support the proposal for a Special Session of the General Assembly to be convened in 2001 to address the problem of HIV/AIDS.

Uplifting peoples from abject poverty and endowing them with appropriate means to lead productive lives are the best guarantees to long-term social stability and provide a secure foundation for future prosperity and international peace. Poverty reduction is thus at the core of peoplecentered development and the first step in promoting a more just and equitable global order. The 10th Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD X), which Thailand hosted on 12-19 February 2000, drew particular attention to the risks of marginalisation of the poorest countries in the global economy and of the most vulnerable groups within both developing and developed countries. UNCTAD endeavours to build a new consensus on how to have greater equity and greater participation by all in the international economy in this era of globalisation. In line with the "Spirit of Bangkok" emerging from UNCTAD X, Thailand, as President of UNCTAD X, very much appreciated the initiative of Japan, during the G-8 Summit in Okinawa and the G-8 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Miyazaki in July this year, to invite representatives from developing countries as well as regional and international organizations to meet with G-8 leaders as a means to strengthen North-South cooperation. We are also very appreciative of China's initiative to hold a genuine dialogue on African development. We are convinced that these initiatives are a step-forward in the right direction.

I was astounded to learn that fewer than 2% of the world's population is actually connected to the internet despite all the hype, and 80% of the world population have never heard a dial tone. If such discrepancy in information technology and/or digital divide are not reversed soon, the developing world will be left far behind the rest of the world. Thailand believes we should act in concert to maximize the benefits of IT and ensure that they are spread to those at present with limited access. To this end, Thailand fully supports the Okinawa Charter of the Global Information. Society to bridge the international information and knowledge divide. We also welcome the contributions of the private sector, such as those of Global Digital Divide Initiative of the World Economic Forum and Global Business Dialogue on E-Commerce. We hope that more similar initiatives would be forthcoming so that we, especially the developing world, would overcome the digital divide.

Debt problems are also recognized as a serious obstacle to the pursuit of economic and social development, and all countries should be assisted in managing their debt obligations, including through a debt- standstill. Thailand therefore also supports the convening of a High-level International Intergovernmental Event on Financing for Development next year at the highest possible level and hopes that feasible and effective measures can be agreed upon to generate greater international financial assistance to support sustainable development and to address poverty. In this connection, we see great value in securing the active participation of the international financial and trade institutions and the private sector as well as the NGOs concerned..

However, the most effective way to ensure poverty reduction and promote sustainable development is to empower peoples with the capacity to help themselves. And there is no better way to achieve this than through education and training. Thailand thus attaches great importance to human resources development (HRD). Our efforts are not confined to the national level but also on a regional basis. We have been at the forefront in promoting HRD in the Mekong Subregion, for we sincerely believe that the upgrading of the human potential is the best way to fight poverty and ensure closer regional cooperation and sustainable development.

Human Security and Human Rights

Mr. President,

International peace and security begin at home. If we are able to pursue an allencompassing notion of security that places the security of peoples at the apex of our considerations, if we can secure for people freedom from want as well as freedom from fear, then the likelihood of threats to international peace and security would be drastically reduced. Human security and people-centered development are two sides of the same coin: they each promote the welfare of peoples in different ways and reinforce one another at the same time.

It is gratifying to note that the concept of human security is gaining ground even though the debates on what constitutes human security are by no means over. Thailand believes that human security can only take firm root if the basic needs of peoples are fulfilled and that peoples are free from social and economic threats to their well being. How can we begin to talk about human security, let alone international peace and security, when 1.2 billion people in the world live on less than I US dollar a day, about 90 million children are out of school at the primary level, and about 1.2 million women and children under 18 are trafficked for prostitution each year?

We therefore advocate freeing people from want-by meeting effectively and collectively the challenges posed by poverty, illiteracy, infectious diseases, famine, natural disasters, social unrest and disintegration. These are in fact the very same goals that we need to achieve in promoting people-centred development.

The achievement of human security also requires the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. One cannot have support for human security and effectively pursue people-centred development if one is unable to ensure that people are protected from the worst forms of abuse, suffering and deprivation. One cannot claim to put people at the centre of development efforts if one is unwilling to create political conditions whereby people are able to pursue their lives free from threats to their dignity and personal safety. One cannot expect to develop the human potential to the fullest or make people effective contributors to economic development if they cannot have the intellectual freedom to pursue their hopes and dreams for the future.

Thailand therefore calls upon the international community to renew its commitment to promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, in order to ensure that people's interests and welfare are indeed at the centre of our policies. It is with this conviction that Thailand commits itself to playing an active and responsible role within the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Drawing strength and inspiration from our most democratic constitution to date, we will continue to give our full support to the efforts of the United Nations to the protection and promotion of basic human rights, freedoms and dignity. In this connection, Thailand also calls upon the international community to redouble its efforts to assist displaced persons wherever they may be. As host to 100,000 displaced persons and over a million illegal economic migrants, Thailand attaches great importance to this issue and hopes that it would be resolved comprehensively and soonest.

While we seek to promote international peace and security from within by building support for the adoption of the human security paradigm amongst nations, we should also redouble our efforts from without. We should engage in prompt and effective collective action at the regional and multilateral levels to create conditions of peace and stability.

At the Millennium Summit, many leaders have spoken of the need and urgency of Security Council reform. In line with the increased membership of, and.mounting challenges to, this world organization, Thailand, for one, supports the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership of the Security Council, based on the principle of equitable geographical representation, efficiency and readiness to share the responsibilities.

Furthermore, Thailand fully supports the reform of UN peace operations to ensure its effective conduct and thus the credibility of the UN itself. As I have mentioned during the Millennium Summit, we strongly support the Brahimi Report on UN peace operations, for we believe the recommendations therein are achievable and practical steps toward the strengthening of UN peace operations worldwide. I need also to add that peace operations should be prompt and nonselective as well as being comprehensive in nature.

Thailand is therefore honoured to play an important part in UN peace-keeping efforts in East Timor through the contribution of over 900 Thai peacekeepers and the role of Lieutenant-General Boonsrang Niumpradit, Force Commander of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). At the same time, Thailand has always been conscious of the value of regional cooperation in fostering peace and stability, and strongly supports regional efforts at confidence-building and promoting preventive diplomacy. In this connection, we are proud that the 7th Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) which was just recently concluded in Bangkok in July saw the admission of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK). We warmly welcome the DPRK's participation in the ARF, the only regional forum that brings together all the key countries in the Asia-Pacific region. We are confident that this would strengthen the momentum for regional peace and security.

It is our fervent hope that at this first General Assembly Session of the 21st century, fiftyfive years after the UN held its first meeting, we, the government representatives of member states, can move forward in fulfilling our promises made in the 'UN Charter to serve the interests of "We the Peoples of the United Nations." More than ever before, we need to remind ourselves that it is the peoples of our respective nations that are at the centre of all our efforts, whether it is to pursue social and economic development, maintain international peace and security, or promote human rights and fundamental freedoms.

For if we do not fulfill our tasks in advancing the cause of protecting the welfare of our peoples, who will? If we cannot adequately promote and protect the interests of the peoples of the United Nations, then is it time to consider other ways by which the peoples of the United Nations, indeed our peoples, can interact directly with the United Nations?

Now is the time. Let us rededicate ourselves to the task we had set out to accomplish fiftyfive years ago. Let us strive to become what we were always meant to be a truly representative body for "We the Peoples of the United Nations," in the defense of their welfare and in the advancement of their interests, above all else. Let us resolve and pledge to each other that we shall be even more united, better prepared, and more resilient to meet the challenges of the new millennium together.