On 18 August 2025, Thai Red Cross Society, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised the 11th Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Lecture on International Humanitarian Law. The event was graciously presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Executive Vice President of the Thai Red Cross Society.
On this occasion, Mr. Tej Bunnag, Secretary-General of Thai Red Cross Society, delivered a remark highlighting the Society’s auxiliary role to the government in humanitarian operations and its ongoing efforts to promote International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The lecture series was first initiated in 2003 by Mr. Phan Wannamethee, former Secretary-General of Thai Red Cross Society, to commemorate Her Royal Highness’s 48th birthday anniversary. Since then, the lectures have been held biennially in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for over two decades.
This year, the organizers were honored to welcome Madam Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the ICRC and the first woman to hold this position, as the keynote speaker. Her lecture, entitled “Upholding Humanity in Contemporary Warfare”, addressed the growing number of armed conflicts—over 130 worldwide—and the widespread violations of IHL that continue to harm civilians. She also discussed the challenges posed by modern warfare technologies such as drones, autonomous weapons, and cyber warfare, and emphasized the ICRC’s role in humanitarian assistance and advocacy for IHL compliance. Madam Spoljaric Egger called on states to invest in IHL preparedness during peacetime and cited the Thailand-Cambodia border tensions as a case study underscoring the importance of early legal and operational readiness to protect civilians, non-combatants, and civilian infrastructure under IHL.
The event was attended by over 300 participants, including representatives from government agencies, the private sector, diplomatic missions, international organizations, academic institutions, media, and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society delegations from seven Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia Red Cross, Lao Red Cross, Malaysia Red Crescent Society, Myanmar Red Cross Society, Singapore Red Cross, Timor-Leste Red Cross, and Vietnam Red Cross, as well as representatives from the ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
