Thailand’s proactive contribution in the maintenance of international peace and security has always been the cornerstone of Thailand’s multilateralism diplomacy. Thailand became a member of the UN since 1946 and have always been committed to the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter.
The Royal Thai Embassy in The Hague is entrusted with the forefront role in representing Thailand in various intergovernmental organisations in this legal capital of the world. We have closely followed the legal development arise from International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court (ICC), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), and contribute to international efforts in these organisations, as a responsible nation, to promote international rule of law where our international obligations allow.
Siam, as known as that time, became a Contracting Party to the Permanent Court Arbitration (PCA) in 1899, only after one year since its inception, through the ratification of the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes 1988. Since then, Thailand contributed to the works of PCA through our National Group and Thai legal experts in the Specialised Panels concerning environment and outer space. Such engagement to international law on global issues has also in turn benefit Thailand’s national legal development.
As a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 2003, the Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of Thailand to the OPCW together with the Office of the National Implementation for Chemical Weapons Convention (Department of Industrial Works, Ministry of Industry) to ensure national effective implementation of OPCW. Over the years, Thailand has hosted a number of national and regional capacity building programmes to raise awareness and implementation of OPCW.
Thailand and its people benefit from legal capacity building programmes offered by international organisations in The Hague, particularly the Hague Academy of International law has been an institutional training ground for the Thai diplomats and Thai civil servants with legal backgrounds to gain international legal exposure on emerging global and regional issues.
As for HCCH, the Royal Thai Government is grateful for the support for Thailand to become a Member State of the HCCH by unanimity of the votes cast by the HCCH Member States. Thailand is currently Party to two HCCH Conventions (Abduction and Adoption Conventions).