Mr President, Secretary General, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. I am honored to speak on behalf of the African group to pay a tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. We would like to express our deepest condolences for the Royal Family, the government, and people of the kingdom of Thailand. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej stood as a pillar of Thailand’s unity and dedicated himself to the benefit and happiness of the Thai people. His Majesty was the leading and guiding spirit behind much of Thailand’s remarkable socio-economic development in the last decades.

His reign of 70 years confirmed His Majesty’s commitment as witnessed through more than 4,000 royally initiated projects from irrigations to flood alleviation and from public health to distance learning. His Majesty’s sufficiency economy philosophy and lifelong development experiences have been widely shared beyond national boundaries as a homegrown approach to achieve sustainable development.

His loss is not only the loss of Thailand, but also the loss of the world. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej will be remembered and revered as the development king. The African group is convinced that the legacy of the late King will continue to inspire the people of the kingdom of Thailand and the international community particularly in their pursuit of sustainable development goals. May His majesty rest in peace. Thank you.