EXECUTIVE SUMMARY STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF THAILAND (NHRCT), B.E. 2560 - 2565 (2017 - 2022) 1. INTRODUCTION The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) is a mechanism with mandates to promote and protect human rights in domestic arena. It was established according to Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2540 (1997) and the National Human Rights Commissions Act, B.E. 2542 (1999), with designation of the initiative and background, status, accountabilities, and organizational working guidelines according to standards of attributes of the National Human Rights Institutions (NIs) prescribed in the Principles relating to the Status of National Institution for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (the Paris Principles), including broadly organized the public hearings regarding to the establishment of National Human Rights Commission. Since the establishment of NHRCT until now, Thailand has been under economic, social and political threats that consistently created impacts to spectrum of human rights, particularly situations of political turmoil led to the abolition of Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2540 (1997) and then the announcement of Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2550 (2007) with determination of status of the NHRCT as the Other Statutory Agency. And by the end of 2013, the political turmoil with uncontrolled violence led to the outbreak of power changes with overruling of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) on 22nd May 2014. The NCPO’s Announcement No.11/2557 then was issued with the abolition of Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2550 (2007) but still retains powers and mandates of all Constitutional and Other Statutory Agencies. Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim), B.E. 2557 (2014) was then announced with guidelines for the country reform and drafting of the further Constitution. And Section 35 of the Constitution is laid with principles of cost-effectiveness and necessity for retain those Constitutional and Other Statutory Agencies including the guarantee of their administrative and functional mechanisms with effectiveness and efficiency. Thus, there would be comprehensive consideration on necessity and existing of all agencies including the NHRCT. And despite the establishment and status of the National Human Rights Institution has been viewed and examined through the process with broad public hearings, and within the international arena, the National Human Rights Institution is endorsed and considered as a mechanism to promote and protect human rights in country level in line with International Human Rights Treaties. Nevertheless within all the past constitution drafting processes, there were considerations on necessity and existing of the NHRCT within the Constitution, as per the evidence proofed under the Constitution drafting process in compliance with Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (Interim), B.E. 2557 (2014), there was a consideration of possibility to merge the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand with the other agency. The above situation is a challenge for work of NHRCT and in the past, there were the Strategic Plans of National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, B.E. 2545 – 2550 (2002 – 2007) and B.E. 2554 – 2559 (2011 – 2016) made, but due to the results studied by various academic institutions address that the satisfaction of people regarding to the work of NHRCT Executive Summary: NHRCT’s Strategic Plan (2017 - 2022) Page No. 1 from 14