People's voices, especially youth, need to be heard at the United Nation's Summit of the Future later this year, and their perspectives incorporated in the final communique prior to its signing, human rights activist Vitit Muntarbhorn said on Monday.
He was speaking at a seminar held to help Thailand prepare for this year's September summit.
The Summit of the Future is a high-level event which brings world leaders together to forge an international consensus on how UN member states can help bring about a better future.
This year's summit, which will be held at the UN's headquarters in New York on Sept 22-23, will conclude with the signing of a "Pact of the Future" outlining the participants' commitment to sustainable development and financing for development; international peace and security; science, technology, innovation and digital cooperation; youth and future generations; and transforming global governance.
While the event is meant to reiterate the global commitment to international cooperation, Mr Vitit doubted the summit would be able to save multilateralism, which is currently on the wane amid rivalries between the world's major powers.
He said while the Pact of the Future is meant to provide a basis for wider stakeholder engagement, the pact's drafting process lacks inclusivity.
"It's always the executives of ministries who are represented [at these meetings], but the people have no opportunity to mke their voices heard," he said.
The human rights activist urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage youth groups to improve their chances of being heard on the international stage.
He suggested the government engage existing institutions, such as the Thailand Youth and Children Council, instead of setting up a new one for the purpose, as participants of the summit have been urged to hold more gatherings prior to the meeting to get more input from youth.
“We have all kinds of children's councils all around Thailand, but are they here [at the seminar]? Young people should be the ones sitting in this seminar, and they must have access to the UN.
“Don't just listen to the ministry’s voice. Common people’s voices must be able to reach the UN in order to keep the spirit and promise of the UN charter, which begins with the phrase 'We the People',” he concluded.
Vitit: 'Voices must be heard'
