A Thai scholar on Friday called on the international community to build stronger frameworks to ensure that people's right to participate in decisions shaping their lives is fully realized.
Speaking at the 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance in Beijing, Dr. Issara Sereewatthanawut, secretary-general of King Prajadhipok's Institute (KPI), a college dedicated to promoting the development of democracy, pointed to significant gaps between the policy decisions that directly impact people and their ability to have a say in those decisions.
The institute leader highlighted that the forum marks the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, which he said set the world on a path to gradually close these gaps.
"In those 40 years, the declaration gave people something they had never formally had before -- the right to participate in the decisions that shaped their lives. More voices were heard, more communities saw their needs reflected, and the world began to feel, however unevenly, that it had an obligation to respond. Yet, participation is still incomplete. A farmer may never be consulted before a decision is made on his land. A community facing climate change may not have a seat at the table where climate policy is written. A citizen who drafts a law may find it never reaches the parliament floor. The declaration gave everyone the right to participate, but rights, however sincerely proclaimed, do not always find their way to the people they were meant for," he said.
He said this incompleteness is why the world keeps searching for stronger frameworks, citing China-proposed initiatives, particularly the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), which aims to promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system and work together for a community with a shared future for humanity.
"This incompleteness explained why the international community has kept searching year after year for stronger frameworks for China's Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and most recently the Global Governance Initiative, GGI, proposed by President Xi Jinping in September 2025. An initiative that raised questions worth taking seriously about how the global order can be made more just, more inclusive, more genuinely attentive to the people it exists to serve. The GGI articulates five core principle -- sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach and real action that delivers real results. These principles are expressed in Chinese context and their meaning may differ from one country to another. The language, details and methods may not exactly be the same everywhere. However, the core principles and goals are shared," he said.
The two-day forum opened on Thursday with more than 400 participants from over 100 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations.
Thai scholar urges stronger global governance to fulfill right of participation
