Member states should uphold the UN Charter and strengthen multilateral institutions, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said during a UN Security Council (UNSC) open debate in New York on May 26.
Speaking at the UNSC Open Debate on "Upholding the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the UN-Centered International System", Mr Sihasak said Thailand congratulates China on its leadership during its presidency of the Security Council and commended China's initiative in convening the debate.
Eighty years ago, when the UN was created from the ashes of World War II, its founders understood a profound lesson that when competition among nations is left completely unchecked, eventually everyone becomes less secure, including the powerful, he said.
"That is why they built an international system grounded not in power, but in rules. And not only in national interests, but in the understanding that cooperation ultimately serves everyone's interests," Mr Sihasak said.
Today the challenge, he said, lies not just in conflicts and instability, but in the gradual erosion of confidence in the international system with the United Nations at its core.
Thailand believes the United Nations must remain the cornerstone of the international system and the foundation of global order and multilateralism.
To this end, all member states should focus on three practical approaches, Mr Sihasak said. "First, member states must demonstrate stronger collective responsibility by exercising restraint and upholding the rules and principles that underpin international peace and security."
Major powers, indeed, carry particular responsibility, he said. "Their actions shape confidence in the system itself. But smaller and middle powers must also have a stronger collective voice in defending the principles of the Charter."
The legitimacy of the international system cannot rest solely on the preferences of the powerful. It must also reflect the confidence of the wider international community, he said.
