Thailand ‘pulls its weight’ as UN’s regional hub
During his first trip to Thailand as president of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Miroslav Lajcák said he wanted to highlight Thailand’s role as a regional hub for the United Nations.
What did you do during the one-day trip in Thailand?
I came here to demonstrate the importance of Bangkok as a regional hub for the United Nations. I addressed 74th Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and I also met the UN family.
It’s a very rich UN presence here and UNESCAP itself is a regional coordination mechanism. The third dimension of the visit is the bilateral cooperation between the UN and Thailand.
Could you elaborate on the bilateral cooperation with Thailand, and the role of Thailand in the UN?
Thailand is very visible and the Bangkok UN is very active and constructive. Thailand is taking an active part in practically everything the UNGA is doing. Active participation in multilateral conversations at the GA on sustainable development, peace and security.
I would also like to mention two initiatives that are identified with Thailand namely World Soil Day and World Wildlife Day which were adopted as a result of initiatives from Thailand.
In 2016 Thailand was also the leader of an important and influential group of G77. And Thailand is also open to share its positive experience with other countries.
Thailand is now under a military regime. How do you assess the situation of human rights and democracy here?
It’s not the role for the president of the General Assembly to criticise the member states. But on human rights issues, there are nine key human rights instruments adopted by the UN and Thailand has signed eight and ratified seven which demonstrate the country’s commitment to human rights.
What did you address at the UNESCAP session?
Inequality and the importance of addressing this problem.
Inequality can be a driver of many problems including conflicts. The region is dynamic and an engine of economic growth yet 400 million people in the Asia Pacific are affected negatively by inequality.
Lifting these people out of poverty is one of the important tasks for governments and the United Nations.
It’s very clear that if we do not address the issue of inequality, some people may benefit from it. In other words, rich people will be richer but this is a short-term thing, because in the end everyone will suffer.
Some people used populism and said they were solving the problem of inequality while others see populism as problematic. How do you see populism? Populism is an issue that is discussed everywhere, and it is interesting to examine what is populism. For me, populism is irresponsibility. Politicians are the ones who are quick to criticise but are unable to offer solutions. So the best proof of populism is to ask the people to stop criticising and offer alternative solutions.
At the same time, politicians must be able to reach out to the voters, to the people to speak a language the people understand. Sometimes this is labelled as populism which I don’t think it’s right because one of the problems of our civilisation is politicians and institutions have become too distanced from people.
Therefore it’s very important politicians do not run away from difficult or sensitive issues.
In the region, Rohingya is a big issue. What are the latest plans for the UN to support a solution and what actions need to be taken?
Within the UN system, it is the UN secretary-general and the UN Security Council who address this issue. The secretary-general recently visited Bangladesh and Myanmar. They visited the camp and talked to key people in Myanmar.
They issued a statement about the visit and the priority here is a safe return that guarantees a decent life for these people. And the secretary-general has appointed a special representative for Myanmar. We have one more instrument in place.
How can Thailand take part in the help? Thailand has been helpful including providing the humanitarian assistance.
When addressing this sensitive issue the role of neighbouring countries is always most important. The regional organisation, in this case Asean, is crucial and of course the knowledge of the situation, of the problem, should help the UN define the right strategies for dealing with the issue. So we are grateful for the constructive role Thailand is playing.
How do you see the development on the Korean Peninsula?
I see the current development positively ... I hope the momentum will last and it will be turned into a political process, a process that will lead to verifiable denuclearisation and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.