Guest Speaker:
Dr Surin Pitsuwan
Secretary-General of ASEAN
Event Date: Tuesday 8th September 2009
Event Time: 5:30 pm-7:00 pm
Event Location:
Bell Gully
Level 21, HP Tower, 171 Featherston Street, Wellington, 6011.
Please note no building access after 6pm.
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Dr Surin Pitsuwan
Dr Surin’s five year tenure as Secretary General of ASEAN, succeeding Mr. Ong Keng Yong, commenced in January 2008.
A veteran politician and academic, Dr. Surin received his M.A. and Ph.D in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. Upon his return from the United States, he spent almost ten years teaching at the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasart University, Bangkok, Thailand. In 1986, Dr. Surin ran for a Parliamentary seat in his home town, Nakorn Sri Thammarat. He has been returned to Parliament eight times since 1986.
Dr. Surin was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand from 1997-2001. He served as Chair of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum from 1999-2000.
Upon leaving the Foreign Affairs portfolio in mid-2001, he was appointed as a member of the Commission on Human Security of the United Nations and an advisor to the International Commission on Intervention and States Sovereignty. He also served on the ILO’s World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.
Prior to assuming his duties at the ASEAN Secretariat, Dr. Surin was a Member of Parliament in the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) of Thailand. He also was a Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party.
Dr. Surin is married with three children.
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan’s full Curriculum Vitae can be accessed at www.aseansec.org/drsurin-biodata.pdf
