Cabinet informed of Thailand’s bid for seat on UN Human Rights Council
The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday informed the Cabinet about its bid for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), deputy government spokeswoman Trisulee Trisaranakul said.
The ministry reported to the Cabinet its quest for a seat on the HRC for the 2025-2027 tenure.
Election for new HRC members will be held at the UN headquarters in New York City in October 2024.
Trisulee said the Cabinet also acknowledged a draft declaration of the Thai ambassador to the UN that would be announced during the 77th UN assembly in September about the intention to bid for the HRC seat.
Thailand last held an HRC seat from 2010 to 2013. The Kingdom contested for another term for the 2015-2017 tenure but failed to get elected.
The Foreign Ministry informed the Cabinet that the contest for the HRC membership would affirm Thailand’s determination to protect human rights.
After Thailand held the membership the last time, the country has progressed a lot in its role in international human rights. For example, the country has ratified core human rights treaties and has pushed for enactment of laws in the country to be in line with its human rights commitment. Thailand declared human rights a national agenda for 2018 and 2019, the spokeswoman said.
She said Thailand had also become an example of countries that had been successful in protecting health and social rights of vulnerable groups during the Covid pandemic.
If Thailand is elected as an HRC member, it will show that the Kingdom enjoys the trust of the international community regarding human rights.
If elected, it would be a crucial time for Thailand to play a role on the world stage during a time of international crises, the spokeswoman said.
