Showing 1 - 10 of 14
Projecting hope for a world in turmoil
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 10/04/2026
» Today, the world is witnessing the most explosive situation since World War II, all too visible in conflicts such as the Iran war.
Sustaining healthcare in volatile times
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/08/2025
» Health care is pivotal for human well-being. Yet in today's precarious world, it is pressured by diminishing resources, demographic variables, warfare and violence, and environmental degradation. Sustaining health care thus requires insightful planning and implementation, no less for Thailand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regions.
Is being born as an LGBTI person a medical issue?
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 30/06/2025
» June is a propitious time to remember the history of lesbian, gay, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and their struggles to overcome discrimination and violence. One of the difficulties confronting them throughout the ages has been how the medical sector and related science view them, and how they should be treated by medical classifications. What is the situation today both locally and globally?
Unpacking China's global influence
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 29/08/2024
» Is China an enigma? If it is difficult to decipher the country on some fronts, there are other elements which are more accessible. While it might be easy to look at its impressive growth in recent decades as diverging from other global players in key areas, there are other areas which are mutually convergent. From the multidimensional panorama of a complex world -- the "multiplex" world, a preferred approach is not to generalise too much but to analyse the specifics of our times for possible confluence.
Rights, freedoms hang in balance
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 30/12/2023
» The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) capped 2023 by celebrating its 75th birthday just before the year's end. As the seminal UN document on human rights, it is closely linked with the four freedoms: namely, freedom of expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Where are we in that long march towards their realisation?
Soft power charms, with a Thai ripple
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 04/12/2023
» The term "soft power" has seeped into international relations and it is now a catchphrase with its own global momentum. Yet it should be recalled that in the 1980s, it was used to describe the nature of a weaker state confronted by the "hard power" embodied by a stronger state.
Having another go at a UNHRC seat
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 03/08/2023
» Thailand is planning to be a candidate in the next round of elections for the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), with voting on the matter due at the UN General Assembly in 2024 for a seat in 2025-2027. What might be the reasonable expectations for this and what might be an appropriate strategy for the nation to be sufficiently self-prepared?
Green energy, economy, equity are key
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 30/11/2022
» The challenge of climate change and environmental degradation is an existential threat which is increasingly recognised in all corners of the globe. Its urgency is all the more pressing because it harbours ill for our children and the next generations in terms of their survival and modus vivendi, unless comprehensive action is taken, anchored on the "whole of humanity and whole of society" approach and premised on effective global-local partnerships to prevent, reduce and rectify harm.
Migration and climate change in Asia
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 17/03/2022
» The close connection between migration, human rights and climate change is increasingly self-evident, as "natural disasters" related to that linkage loom in many parts of the world. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) estimates that about 22.5 million people migrate each year within and across borders because of climate change and weather-linked disasters. These are all compounded by the spread of Covid-19 in terms of lockdowns and other restrictive measures.
Challenges to human rights in Asia
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 12/12/2019
» Cooperation between Europe and Asia offers much-needed opportunities to strengthen human rights education. The opportunities complement the global impetus to propel human rights education exemplified by various commitments in the recent past, ranging from the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education to the World Programme for Human Rights Education and the UN Resolution on Human Rights Education and Training.