Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi began his four-year term as Secretary-General of UNCTAD on 1 September 2005, following his appointment by the UN General Assembly. He previously served as Director-General of the World Trade Organization and as Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce. Dr. Supachai received his Ph.D. in Economic Planning and Development from Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

 

Detailed Biography:

Born in Bangkok on 30 May 1946, Dr. Supachai attended school there at St. Gabriel´s College and Triam Udom School. Dr. Supachai received his Master´s Degree in Econometrics, Development Planning and his Ph.D. in Economic Planning and Development at the Netherlands School of Economics (now known as Erasmus University) in Rotterdam.

 

In 1973, Dr. Supachai completed his doctoral dissertation on Human Resource Planning and Development under the supervision of Prof. Jan Tinbergen, the first Nobel laureate in economics.

 

Dr. Supachai began his professional career at the Bank of Thailand in 1974, working in the Research Department, the International Finance Division and the Financial Institutions Supervision Department.

 

In 1986, Dr. Supachai was elected a member of the Thai Parliament and was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance.

 

In 1988, he was appointed Director and Advisor, and subsequently President, of the Thai Military Bank.

 

In 1992, Dr. Supachai was appointed Senator, and that same year he became Deputy Prime Minister entrusted with oversight of the country’s economic and trade policy making. In this role, he was actively involved in international trade policy and represented Thailand at the signing ceremony in Marrakech of the Uruguay Round Agreement in 1994. He was also active in shaping regional agreements, including Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM).
In 2001, he was appointed Visiting Professor of the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne.

 

From September 2002 until August 2005, Dr. Supachai served as Director-General of the World Trade Organization.

 

Following his appointment by the UN General Assembly, Dr. Supachai, began his four-year term as Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 1 September 2005.

 

UNCTAD is the focal point within the United Nations system for the integrated treatment of trade and development, and promotes the development-friendly integration into the world trading system.

 

To know more about Dr. Supachai’s work:

Dr. Supachai’s publications include:

 

• “Globalization and Trade in the New Millennium”, (2001)

• “China and WTO: Changing China, Changing World Trade” (with Mark Clifford), 2002.

 

His most recent speeches can be accessed here