45. Ms. DENHAM (United Kingdom) thanked the experts for the tributes they had paid to her country and said that she would reply in as much detail as possible to the questions asked. Initial report of Thailand (CEDAW/C/5/Add.51) 46. At the invitation of the Chairperson, Ms. Supatra Masdit (Thailand) took a 47. Ms. SUPRATA MASDIT (Thailand) said it was a privilege for her to represent her Government as the Minister responsible inter alia for supervising the formulation of laws and the adoption of policies designed to promote the status of women and to protect their rights in Thailand. 48. The initial report of Thailand (CEDAW/C/5/Add.51) had been submitted to the Committee in 1987. She would therefore emphasize in her statement certain new facts concerning the status of women which had occurred since then in her country. 49. Thailand had acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1985 but had not yet ratified it. Nevertheless, the provisions of the Convention had been reflected at the national level by basic changes in laws and policies. Proceeding from the general to the particular, she proposed to consider the national instruments responsible for promoting the status of women and defending their rights, national policies in that field, local laws and practices relating to the Convention, the specific problems now arising, the reservations and omissions which impeded the achievement of women's rights and, finally, future trends. 50. Turning to the national instruments for the promotion of the status of women and the protection of their rights, she pointed out that, after the change of government in 1988, a permanent national commission had been set up responsible for the status of women. Its task was to formulate policies and to submit plans for improving the status of women, to help governmental and private bodies to solve the 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a report from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) discussing the status of women in Thailand. The report covers various aspects related to the promotion and protection of women's rights, including national instruments, policies, laws, and practices. The focus is on the rights of women and their empowerment, rather than on economic development, natural resources, or other categories.

**Category**
Education, Humanitarian aid and relief