Princess Pa in Vienna – through the lens of a fellow diplomat
Sun Thathong
I first became involved in Princess Pa’s work when I joined the Ministry ofForeign Affairs in 2009. I was assigned to be part of a team campaigning for the“Bangkok Rules on the treatment of women prisoners and offenders” to beadopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It was to be a culmination of a
project Princess Pa was professed to be passionate about. I recall being up until
three in the morning in Brazil, defending the inclusion of a paragraph on thesedraft Bangkok Rules in the outcome document of the Twelfth Crime Congress in2010. This would later pave the way for the successful adoption of the rules laterthat year in New York. At that time, I learned a great deal about her personal
motivations and efforts behind the initiative. Her sense of justice made a strong
first impression on me.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha at the 12th session of the Human Rights Council
September 2009, Geneva
Source: Jeff Hoffman, UN

A year after the Bangkok Rules were adopted, I took leave to pursue a law
doctorate in the United Kingdom. It was not until I returned and was posted toAustria in 2018 that I re-encountered Princess Pa’s work. But this time, it was
the fruits of her labour in her capacity as a Vienna-based ambassador during 2012 –2014.
Two years is considered a relatively short time for a posting, but it was enoughtime for her to leave a lasting imprint. And throughout my four years in Vienna, I
came to admire her as a model lawyer-diplomat, whose passion for justice andthe rule of law served Thailand’s interests in many significant ways. From apractitioner’s perspective, I have found this to be deeply inspiring.
Princess’ Road to Vienna
Before arriving in Vienna, I had often wondered how, at such a young age,
Princess Pa would handle the job of being Ambassador of Thailand to Austria,

-2Slovakia and Slovenia, and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the UN andother Vienna-based international organisations. How would she handle looking
after more than 6,000 Thai people in three countries and simultaneously
representing Thailand in several international organisations? To say that the job
was demanding is an understatement and some would say it should have required
decades of experience in diplomacy.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha addressing the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on the Rule of Law,
24 September 2012, New York.
Source: UN

In my view, having a law doctorate from Cornell, a distinguished career as a Thai
lawyer-prosecutor, and prior experience working at the Thai Permanent Mission
to the UN in New York, actually prepared her in more ways than one whencompared with other fellow, career diplomats.
Then I realised one very important factor. Being born a public figure, Princess Panaturally underwent ‘diplomatic training’ since birth. Moreover, as a member ofthe Royal Family, service to her people and compassion for their trials andtribulations was in her blood. The UN had already recognised her skills in
diplomacy when it named her UN Women National Ambassador to Thailand in
2008. The successful adoption of the Bangkok Rules back in 2010 was also inpart the result of her appreciation of and skills in multilateral diplomacy.
Princess Pa had already mastered a diplomat’s essential skills some time before
coming to Vienna. This explains why, despite her relatively short tenure as Thai
Ambassador and Permanent Representative in Vienna, she was able to make suchremarkable contributions, advancing Thailand’s national interests andmultilateral diplomacy.
Leading the leaders
A permanent representative’s main task is to represent their country and promote
its interests at international negotiations. Some may take on extra, voluntaryroles in conducting meetings and chairing decision-making bodies of these-3organisations. I was astonished to learn that, while she was in Vienna, Princess
Pa personally took on a long list of these voluntary leadership positions in several fora.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha chairing the 21st session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice inVienna, 23 – 27 April 2012
Source: UNODC

For the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, a UN body
dealing with crime prevention and criminal justice matters, Princess Pa served aschair of its annual session from 2011 to 2012. For the Commission on NarcoticDrugs, a UN body dealing with drug-related matters, she served as second vicechair of its 2013 annual session and as first vice-chair the following year. For theInternational Atomic Energy Agency, an organisation that seeks to promote thepeaceful use of nuclear energy, she served as vice-president of the 2013 annual
session of the Agency’s General Conference. She also served as vice-chair of theinaugural session (2012) of the General Assembly of the International AntiCorruption Academy, an institution that promotes anti-corruption education.
I had seen other Thai permanent representatives performing similar roles andhave been part of the team serving them, but I never heard of a single permanent
representative taking on such a long list of roles over such a short period of time.
Indeed, being elected to these positions, one after another, was testament not
only to the trust that the Viennese diplomatic circles placed in Princess Pa, butalso to her incredible work ethic and competence. In discharging the above
positions, she helped build bridges, resolve tensions and advance common goals.
In doing so, she raised not only Thailand’s profile, but also the profile of theorganisations themselves.

-4-Princess Bajrakitiyabha met with the UN Secretary-General during the UN General Assembly’s Thematic Debateon ‘Drugs and Crime as a Threat to Development,’ 26 June 2012, New York
Source: UN

Influencing the global agenda
Princess Pa also sought to widen Thailand’s influence in other ways. One was tomake Thailand better known as a hub of international meetings. At the firstsession of the General Assembly of the International Anti-Corruption Academy
in 2012, she conveyed Thailand’s offer to host the Assembly’s second session inThailand the following year, an invitation that the Assembly gladly accepted.
Then in 2014, Thailand hosted two UN meetings chaired by Princess Pa herself –a preparatory meeting for the 13th Crime Congress and an expert group meeting
to develop draft model strategies and practical measures on the elimination ofviolence against children.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha at the ECOSOC panel discussion on crime prevention in the context of post-2015
development agenda, 22 July 2013, Geneva
Source: Jean-Marc Ferre. UN

Another manner in which Princess Pa widened Thailand’s influence was throughactively engaging with relevant actors in promoting Thailand’s causes. In 2013,
Princess Pa joined a panel discussion on crime prevention in the context of thepost-2015 development agenda at an ECOSOC meeting in Geneva. Later in2013, on the margins of the UN General Assembly’s annual session in New
York, she moderated a high-level panel discussion on gender-related killings ofwomen and girls. She also met with the Deputy UN Secretary General to discuss
issues related to the rule of law and sustainable development. Outside the UN,
she delivered speeches at meetings of the Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE), where Thailand is a partner country, to share
Thailand’s experiences in promoting the rule of law, sustainable development,
and women’s empowerment.
Achieving concrete outcomes

-5In less than two years, more than ten resolutions proposed or co-proposed byThailand were successfully adopted by Vienna-based UN bodies. During 20132014, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs adopted five resolutions proposed orco-proposed by Thailand on matters such as alternative development andprevention of drug abuse. During the same period, the Commission on Crime
Prevention and Criminal Justice adopted eight resolutions proposed or coproposed by Thailand on matters such as elimination of violence againstchildren, treatment of prisoners, and criminal justice.
This high number does not in itself indicate unprecedented achievements, giventhat it is common for Thailand to propose and co-sponsor a few (or more)
resolutions at Vienna-based international organisations each year. It does show,
however, that under Princess Pa’s ambassadorship, Thailand continued to beproactive and perform well in Vienna. It is also worth noting that it was during
Princess Pa’s ambassadorship in Vienna that Thailand finally ratified the UN
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its anti-humantrafficking protocol, having been their signatory for more than a decade.
It would be misleading to conclude that Princess Pa initiated and accomplished
all the above tasks by herself. The crucial supporting roles of her staff who
helped to propose agendas, draft speeches, and lobby for support should not beoverlooked. But it would also be naïve not to acknowledge the unique persuasive
power that Princess Pa had over her counterparts, both domestic and foreign.
An inspiration for all
Princess Pa left Vienna and returned to the Thai Attorney General’s Office inOctober 2014. She has since then taken on even more roles such as the UNODC
Goodwill Ambassador for the Rule of Law in Southeast Asia, and carried onwith her royal duties and personal passions. On reflection, I cannot help but
think of Prince Wan Waithayakon – one of Thailand’s greatest diplomats andPrincess Pa’s own first cousin thrice removed – who presided over the UN
General Assembly in 1956. They are known for having a similar grace,compassion, and competence. But while Princess Pa has stepped off the path of acareer diplomat for now, she has already cemented her place as a role model forthe new generation of diplomats, and remains a symbol of empathy and justice
and a source of inspiration for all.

* * * * *-6-Sun Thathong is a Thai lawyer-diplomat, currently serving as Counsellor at theDepartment of Treaties and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs ofThailand. He previously served as First Secretary at the Royal Thai Embassy andPermanent Mission of Thailand in Vienna (2018-2022).