On 15 December 2025, His Excellency Ambassador Keo Chhea, Permanent Representative of Cambodia to the United Nations (UN), attended the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on the “Leadership for Peace” at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Security Council Open Debate is a meeting held every month to allow UN Member States to participate and express their opinions on topics determined by its president each month.

In the statement, His Excellency informed this Open Debate about civilian fatalities and damages to critical civilian infrastructure resulting from Thailand’s military aggression while underscoring that Thailand’s intensified shelling and airstrikes up to 90 kilometers into Cambodia’s civilian zones constitute a clear act of aggression, not a mere border dispute and not self-defense. 

His Excellency further emphasized that, despite portraying itself as a peace-loving country, Thailand has refused all peaceful solutions; and he highlighted that Thailand has rejected referral to the ICJ, unilaterally suspended the Kuala Lumpur Peace Agreement, declared negotiations closed, rejected any ceasefire, and affirmed its intention to cripple Cambodia’s military capabilities. 

His Excellency also underlined that this crisis underscores theneed for leadership for peace, grounded in international law, called on the UNSC and international community to defend the UN Charter, and cautioned that silence risks normalizing aggression and undermining multilateralism.