Opening Message from H.E. Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand
at the Human Security Workshop on HIV/AIDS
Hotel Epsom Manotel, Geneva
25 July 2005

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As the present Chair of the Human Security Network, I am pleased to learn about this important and timely Workshop. The issue of HIV/AIDS has always been close to the heart of the Network. This is because no matter how one looks at the challenge posed by HIV/AIDS, one cannot but see that it is essentially a challenge for humanity as a whole. How we fare will have direct implications for untold human lives and their livelihoods, today and in the future.

HIV/AIDS continues to take the lives of about three million people a year while putting nearly 40 millions infected people in jeopardy of deteriorating health and discrimination. Equally alarming is the fact that young people increasingly make up over half of new infections. Unless we succeed in preventing and reversing the current infection rate of our future generation, our common future would be adversely affected in a profound and far-reaching manner.

HIV/AIDS affects us all, one way or another. One may turn a blind eye and dismiss its potential threats assuming that all would be fine and well. This business-as-usual attitude is still prevalent in many places around the world. We know deep in our hearts that this is a dangerous attitude with serious consequences. I am heartened to learn that a lot has been done and we have achieved many successes. Be that as it may, I believe that much more needs to be carried out. It is our collective responsibility to see to it that we are up to the challenge. The future rests in our hands.

The challenge posed by HIV/AIDS is multi-faceted and demands a coordinated response from all stakeholders. It matters less how one characterizes the challenge of HIV/AIDS in relations to the concept of human security. What matters more is for us to recognize the fact that it is not sufficient to look at the challenge from a single paradigm with a single set of prescriptions. For those whose lives have been affected by the epidemic, the theoretical division between the “freedom from want” and the “freedom from fear” paradigms bears little meaning. In real life, HIV/AIDS is in itself a cause and an effect of mutually reinforcing dynamics between “want” and “fear”. We need to tackle it resolutely on both fronts.

Thailand is not spared from the devastating impacts of the epidemic. We have learned important lessons from it. Early recognition of the problem and prompt response by both the authorities and the general public are imperative to put the epidemic in check. Progress has been made on many fronts, particularly in the areas of advocacy, counselling and prevention. Access to affordable medicine and treatment has been extended to all citizens.

Despite positive developments at home, Thailand realizes that HIV/AIDS is by no means an isolated phenomenon in this so-called “global village”. International cooperation at various levels is therefore vital. In this regard, the Human Security Network, as a network of like-minded countries from all continents, is well positioned to be a potent agent for change.

There are many examples of cooperation among the Network countries. A case in point is the meeting on human security and HIV/AIDS, hosted by Thailand in 2002. This meeting was the first of its kind aimed at creating awareness and understanding of the human security implications of the problem among countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region with high HIV infection rate. Last year, the Network also submitted a Joint Statement on HIV/AIDS to the Second Asia-Pacific Ministerial Meeting on HIV/AIDS at the Fifteenth International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. And just last month, Thailand, as the Chair of the Network, in collaboration with the UNDP, organized a Workshop on HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care in Nairobi, Kenya to share best practices and to map out a common strategy with African countries. The second workshop of this kind in Africa is scheduled to be held by the end of this year and will focus on the challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Network can nevertheless do much more in the future. I am confident that discussions during this Workshop in Geneva and recommendations derived from it would provide a clear and structured framework for the identification of concrete areas for collective action in the future.

I see great potential in each and every member of the Network. By pooling resources and sharing experiences and capacities in accordance with our respective comparative strengths and interests, the Network, in collaboration with UN agencies concerned and the civil society, can bring about positive change to the lives of millions around the world. This is what I believe constitute a partnership for human security. This partnership can be manifested in various forms—be they bilateral, trilateral or multilateral.

I would like to thank all of you for participating in the Workshop. I hope you find it thought-provoking and fruitful. I wish you every success in your deliberations.

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