UNESCO to deliver message of condolences for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova and UNESCO Chairperson Michael Worbs will deliver a message of condolences for Thailand’s late monarch on September 26 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.
The speech will be delivered on the first day of an International World Peace meeting, which UNESCO permanent delegates from Buddhist organizations will attend on 26-28 September. The meeting will be chaired by Thai Ambassador to France and permanent Thai delegate to UNESCO H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow.
The International World Peace meeting is organized by the World Fellowship of Buddhists, the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris, and the Office of the Thai Permanent Delegation to UNESCO. It will be attended by delegates from Buddhist organizations from around the world, including China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, and Nepal.
Earlier this year, Ms. Bokova met Thailand’s Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, and the Minister of Education and Chair of the National Commission for UNESCO, Dr. Teerakiat Jareonsettasin, in Bangkok on 29 August 2017. The Prime Minister thanked the Director-General for UNESCO’s recognition of the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, introduced and promoted by Thailand’s late King, His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej, as a holistic vision that can guide progress towards sustainability.
Concurring on the need to search for common responses to global challenges, from climate change to violent extremism, the Director-General shared the relevance of UNESCO’s "soft power” approach. Because it challenges classic growth patterns and calls for changing mindsets and for empowering the most disadvantaged, she said the late King’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy resonates deeply with UNESCO’s vision.
In addition, on the occasion of her visit to Thailand for the International Symposium on Girls’ Education in STEM on 28 and 29 August 2017, the Director-General lay a wreath at the Grand Palace to pay tribute to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving constitutional monarch, who passed away in October 2016.