"Pitcharat" showcased her vision at the 153rd IPU World Women Parliamentarians Forum, emphasizing disability rights and the Care Economy, while promoting the role of Thai women in peacebuilding.
On 8 Oct 2026 in Arusha, Tanzania, Ms. Pitcharat Laohaphongchana, a party-list MP from the Bhumjaithai Party and Thai parliamentary representative, attended the 42nd Forum of Women Parliamentarians held alongside the 153rd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly from 5-9 Oct 2026 in Arusha, Tanzania. She delivered a speech affirming Thailand's commitment to gender equality, disability rights, and women's security on the international stage.
In the morning session, Pitcharat participated in the debate on the draft resolution "Inclusive social development for all," emphasizing the importance of a gender perspective. She declared Thailand's focus on women and youth with disabilities in all aspects, sharing Thailand's global successes such as applying Universal Design principles in constructing the parliament building, providing sign language live broadcasts, guaranteeing free education, setting a 1% employment quota for disabled people in businesses and government agencies, and allowing disabled organizations direct involvement in policymaking.
The Thai parliamentary representative also called on the IPU to increase the proportion of women parliamentarians with disabilities in a concrete manner following the principle "Nothing about us, without us." She stressed the importance of the "Care Economy" policy to reduce family caregiving burdens, which would unlock women's potential to fully participate in the labor market and society.
In the afternoon session on "Moving from commitment to action: Women’s leadership in diplomacy and peacebuilding," Pitcharat presented Thailand's progress in advancing the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in line with UN resolutions. Thailand has incorporated this agenda into its 20-year national strategy and enacted the 2025–2027 national action plan, focusing on protecting women and children in the southern border provinces while promoting women’s leadership in local conflict management.
Additionally, she revealed statistics of Thai women's international achievements: currently, 66% of Thai diplomats are female, and women constitute 42% of Thai personnel in UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, surpassing UN targets. The Thai military has opened staff college courses to female officers, and parliamentary mechanisms support this through direct community budget allocations and gender-responsive budgeting.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Forum of Women Parliamentarians heard visions from candidates for the IPU presidency. The rapporteur was tasked with compiling gender-related amendment proposals from the day’s discussions to submit to the IPU Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights for further consideration.