On 26 September 2018, H.E. Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Deputy Permanent Secretary took part in the High-level Plenary Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons which was chaired by the President of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly and attended by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

            The High-level Plenary Meeting aimed to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, which the United Nations declared as 26 September of every year, in order to raise awareness about the threat nuclear weapons pose to humanity and the need for their elimination. Many Member States and International Organizations  participated in the meeting, giving statements that emphasized their commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as the importance of the relevant international agreements, such as the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The Deputy Permanent Secretary gave Thailand’s remarks, reaffirming the importance of inclusiveness in nuclear disarmament negotiations and the TPNW as Thailand recently hosted a regional workshop to promote the Treaty in August 2018.

            Following the Meeting, the Deputy Permanent Secretary attended the High-Level Ceremony for Further Signatures and Ratifications for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), an event which Thailand co-sponsored along with Austria, Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Nigeria, and South Africa. He witnessed the TPNW signing of Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Brunei Darussalam, Guinea Bissau, Myanmar, and Seychelles, and the TPNW ratification of the Gambia, Samoa, San Marino, and Vanuatu. With this ceremony, the TPNW now has 67 Signatory States and 19 Ratifying States. 50 countries need to ratify the Treaty in order for it to enter into force.