Statement by the Delegation of Thailand

H.E. Mr. Sek Wannamethee,

Ambassador and Permanent Representative

Agenda Item 3: General Debate

39^th Session of the Human Rights Council

Friday, 14 September 2018

Mr. Vice President,

Thailand welcomes the briefing by the ECOSOC President. We see value in this briefing and hope that it will continue in the future.

The HRC should strengthen the two-way, mutually reinforcing linkages between human rights and the 2030 Agenda. Thailand supports stronger synergy and interaction between the HRC and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The HRC should continue to incorporate the SDGs into its work and provide more space for States and relevant stakeholders to share their good practices and challenges on promoting synergy and policy coherence between human rights and the SDGs, to operationalize the principle of leaving no one behind. Such discussion should be one of the Council’s contributions to the HLPF.

The HRC should also support national efforts on realizing the SDGs based on each State’s human rights obligations, and on localizing the SDGs, such as by promoting multi-stakeholder engagement at the local level, including with vulnerable groups.

In closing, Thailand wishes to echo the words of the UN Secretary General in his annual report and the High Commissioner for Human Rights in her oral update, which stressed the need for multilateral cooperation. International cooperation is indispensable for the effective implementation of States’ human rights obligations and the SDGs.

Thank you.