The World Development King

- Long Live The King -

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Speech for Presenting Award to

HM the King

(29/05/2006)

"Your Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand,

The United Nations is honored to present to Your Majesty the United Nations Development Programme's First Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award.

We do this on the auspicious occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of Your Majesty's accession to the throne.

Your Majesty has made an extraordinary contribution to human development.

As the world's "Development King", Your Majesty has reached out to the poorest and the most vulnerable people of Thailand regardless of their status, ethnicity or religion listened to their problems, and empowered them to take their lives in their own hands.

Your Majesty's countless rural development projects have been at the forefront of innovation and benefitted millions of people across Thailand.

They have promoted smallscale agriculture, appropriate farming technologies, sustainable use of water resources, conservation, and flood and drought mitigation.

As a visionary thinker, Your Majesty has played an invaluable role in shaping the global development dialogue.

Your Majesty's "Sufficiency Economy" philosophy emphasizing moderation, responsible consumption, and resilience to external shocks is of great relevance worldwide during these times of rapid globalization. It reinforces the United Nation's efforts to promote a peoplecentred and sustainable path of development.

With this Award, we hope to further promote the invaluable experiences and lessons learnt from Your Majesty's development endeavours, and help draw attention to Your Majesty's visionary thinking beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Thailand.It is our greatest honour and privilege to present to Your Majesty this Lifetime Human Development Award."

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“Sixty years ago, at His Majesty’s coronation in 1946,

His Majesty articulated his overriding goal:

‘We shall reign in righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people’.

Those words encapsulate the commitment of His Majesty to placing the people of Thailand at the very heart of his reign and at the centre of his initiatives,”

While the list of royal initiatives is endless,

His Majesty’s four guiding principles imparted to the people for use in pursuing their lives and development:

"Moderation in conducting one’s affairs,

Perseverance in the face of hardship and suffering,

Individuality in identifying problems and selecting solutions,

and Cherishing the sense of being Thai."

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To learn more of why the 60+ million hearts of Thai people belogns to him

Check at The 60th Anniversary Celebrations.

Proud to be His Thai,

Jarunee J.