The Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand is one of the seven co-founding members of the AACC. Currently, 21 countries join the Association. The Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand has presided over the AACC since 2023 and will be leading the Association until 2025. In taking this role, the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand will host the 6th AACC Congress between 17th and 21st September 2024 at the Athenee Hotel, Bangkok. Such an event will be an important international academic conference on constitutional law to be held in Thailand attended by the following 14 Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions:

1. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan;
2. The Supreme Court of the Republic of India;
3. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia;
4. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
5. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea;
6. The Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic;
7. The Federal Court of Malaysia;
8. The Constitutional Court of Mongolia;
9. The Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar;
10. The Supreme Constitutional Court of the State of Palestine;
11. The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation;
12. The Supreme Court of the Republic of the Philippines;
13. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Türkiye;
14. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

As for the 6th AACC Congress, its main theme has been developed under “The Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions in Strengthening Constitutional Justice for Sustainable Society”. Professor Dr. Nakharin Mektrairat, President of the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand as the President of the AACC, will have an honor to deliver opening remarks in two sub-events as follows.

(1) The Congress is an international conference under the operative framework of the AACC served as a forum for presentations in the frame of constitutional review, the rule of law, human rights protection, etc., by the AACC members, observers, and guests;

(2) The Board of Members’ Meeting (BoMM) is an executive meeting of the Association leading to a joint decision among the 21 AACC members such as membership acceptance, declaration affirmation, and amendment of the Association’s Statute, etc. The Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand will be responsible of organizing both the Congress and the BoMM.

As assuming over the chairmanship, the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand has determined the main theme and sub-themes of the 6th AACC Congress. “The Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions in Strengthening Constitutional Justice for Sustainable Society” has been developed as the main theme while the following three sub-themes will be examined:

(1) The Role of the Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions in Strengthening Constitutional Justice for Sustainable Society;

(2) The Evolvement of Constitutional Justice for Sustainable Justice in the Changing World;

(3) Constitutional Justice as the Foundation of Sustainable Social Development.

In addition, one of the most significant outputs of the event will be the Bangkok Declaration, which will be prepared by the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand. This historic document will represent the success of the Congress and the BoMM in Thailand. Once the draft of the said Declaration has been drawn up, the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand will distribute it to all the AACC members prior to the Initial BoMM on the eve of the Congress, so that they are able to amend it in line with the purposes of the Congress and the BoMM. This draft – once approved by the BoMM – will be signed at the Final BoMM prior to the closing ceremony of the Congress and will be declared accordingly.

The main theme and sub-themes for the 6th Congress of AACC were chosen for several reasons:
The Role of the Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions in Strengthening Constitutional Justice for Sustainable Society

Firstly, the themes are current and relevant as they align with global trends emphasizing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals were mutually endorsed by 193 member countries on September 25, 2015, and efforts have been underway since 2016 to achieve these 17 goals by 2030. Notably, SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, is relevant to the justice system, aiming to promote peaceful societies, ensure access to justice, and build effective, accountable institutions. Several targets within SDG 16 directly relate to constitutional courts and equivalent institutions, such as promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels, and ensure equal access to justice for all (Target 16.3), ensuring public access to information and protecting fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements (Target 16.10), and enforcing non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development (Target 16.b).

The Evolvement of Constitutional Justice for Sustainable Justice in the Changing World

Secondly, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network's 2023 Sustainable Development Report ranked Thailand 43rd out of 193 countries, leading in the ASEAN region and ranking third in Asia, behind Japan (21st) and South Korea (31st). Among AACC members, Thailand is second only to South Korea. The report indicates continuous improvement in access to and affordability of justice in Thailand.

Constitutional Justice as the Foundation of Sustainable Social Development

Thirdly, no previous AACC, WCCJ, or other regional constitutional court congresses have addressed the linkage between constitutional justice and sustainable development. Therefore, the proposed theme and sub-themes for the 6th Congress of AACC not only reflect a contemporary and globally recognized agenda but also highlight Thailand's leadership in sustainable development within ASEAN and AACC. The congress will serve as a crucial platform for exchanging ideas and practices to achieve collective goals for genuine sustainable development.

On Tuesday, 10th October 2023, Mr. Suttirak Songsivilai, Deputy Secretary General as Acting Secretary General of the Office of the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand, received the flag of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) from Mr. Davaadalai Galbaabadraa, Deputy Secretary General of the ConstitutionalCourt of Mongolia. On this occasion, the Ambassador of Mongolia to Thailand, together withthe executives, officials of the office of the Constitutional Court, and a representative of theConstitutional Court of Mongolia, attended the ceremony as the distinguished witness at the Ceremony Room, 3 Floor, Office of the Constitutional Court, Chaengwattana Road, Bangkok.

The Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand will preside over the Associationfor two years from 2023 to 2025 and host the 6th AACC Congress. Among the seven foundingmembers, the Thai Constitutional Court is a co-founder of this Association by signing the AACC Statute (Jakarta Declaration), dated 12th July 2010. As a forum of constitutional justice in the Asian region, this Association is aim at protecting human rights, preserving democracy, implementing the rule of law as well as enhancing a judicial independence by sharing information and experiences among the members. Currently, 21 countries around Asia join the Association, under which the three Permanent Secretariats are functioning: The Secretariat for Planning and Coordination (AACC PSPC) situated in Jakarta, the Republic of Indonesia; the Secretariat for Research and Development (AACC SRD) situated in Seoul, the Republic of Korea; and the Center for Training and Human Resources Development (AACC CTHRD) situated in Ankara, the Republic of Turkiye.