From May 28 to 30, 2015 (B.E. 2558), the 12th United Nations Day of Vesak celebration was held at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University in Ayutthaya Province, the ESCAP Hall at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, and Buddhamonthon in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. The celebration was hosted by Mahachulalongkorn- rajavidyalaya University, overseen by the International Council for the Day of Vesak, with support from the Thai Government and blessings from the Supreme Sangha Council. Participants from 85 countries and regions attended the celebration.

The event was held on the auspicious occasion of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 5^th Circle Birthday Anniversary (60^th birthday). His Royal Highness Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand (now His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua) graciously appointed Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati to preside over the Opening Ceremony and deliver the inauguration speech.

The celebration had the privilege of welcoming numerous esteemed Buddhist dignitaries and leaders, including:

• Most Ven. Sanghanayaka Suddhananda Mahathero, Sanghanayaka, Bangladesh Bouddha Bhikkhu Mahasabha/Bangladesh Bouddha Kristi Prachar Sangha, Bangladesh
• H.E. Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye, Chief Justice, Royal Court Justice, Bhutan
• His Holiness Samdech Preah Agga Maha Sangharajadhipati Tep Vong, the Grand Supreme Patriarch of Mahanikaya in the Kingdom of Cambodia
• His Holiness Samdech Preah Abhisiri Sugandha Mahasangharaja Dhipati Kitti Uddesa Pandita Bour Kry, the Great Supreme Patriarch of Dhamma- yuttikanikaya in the Kingdom of Cambodia
• Most Ven. Yan Jue, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China, China
• Ms. Yi Yang, Vice Chief of Office, The State Administration for Religious Affairs, China
• Most Ven. Master Ching Hsin, Rector of Ching Chueh Buddhist Sangha University, Chinese Taipei
• Ven. Dr. Seik Hui Siong, General Secretary, The World Buddhist Sangha Council, Indonesia
• Most Ven. Kakuhan Enami, Inner Trip Reiyukai International (ITRI), Japan
• Masakazu Matsumoto, Vice President, Inner Trip Reiyukai International (ITRI), Japan
• Hiroshi Matsumoto, Inner Trip Reiyukai International (ITRI), Japan
• Madam Nang Shwe Hmone, Wife of the Former Vice President of Burma, Myanmar
• Most Ven. Seck Kwang Phing, President of Singapore Buddhist Federation, Singapore
• Most Ven. Dawuldena Gnanissra Mahanyake Thero, Mahanayaka of Amarapura Chapter, Sri Lanka
• Hon. Nandimitra Ekanayaka, Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka
• Most Ven. Thich Thien Tam, Vice President, Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Executive Council, Vietnam
• Most Ven. Thich Thanh Nhieu, Standing Vice President, Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Executive Council, Vietnam
• Most Ven. Thich Thien Phap, Standing Vice President, Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Executive Council, Vietnam

The celebration focused on the theme with Prof. Dr. Damien Keown, Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK, delivering the keynote address.

Panel discussions explored five sub-themes: At the conclusion of the celebration, participants unanimously adopted resolutions in the Bangkok Declaration as follows: 

• In honor of the 60th Birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, to publish the Common Buddhist Text;
• Also in honor of the 60th Birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, to launch Phase I of the Union Catalog of Buddhist Texts (UCBT), which will be a new UCBT online catalog that will link the online catalogs for all the Buddhist canons; Phase 1 will consist of creating and launching a technically advanced catalog website for the MCU edition of the Pali canon and the MCU Thai translation of the Pali canon;
• In solving world crisis of all forms, to urge all parties concerned to (a) contemplate the interdependence of sentient beings with other sentient beings, and sentient beings with their environment, and (b) promote optimism that, through compassion and wisdom, we can transform crises into opportunities for well-being;
• To urge all individuals, especially those in positions of responsibility, to promote the empowerment of women worldwide;
• To urge all governmental and non- governmental bodies to invest more in education, to promote mindful education, religious diversity, ethical values and spiritual-development, among the young and for society at large, as, for instance, in the Village of the Five Precepts Project in Thailand;
• To promote personal spiritual transformation and structural changes at the social, economic, legal and political levels, through a simple contented lifestyle with virtuous ethical principle, in order to create an ecologically sustainable environmental community that addresses global warming and environmental degradation; to encourage fellow human beings to live with, but not exploit, the Earth; and to urge the world community to promote a greater awareness of the interconnectedness between human beings and the natural environment;
• To commend on the relief efforts for natural disasters and famines, such as the recent earthquake in Nepal, already undertaken by the Buddhist communities worldwide and to further urge them to pull together their resources to promote this practice of compassion in action;
• To urge all the governments and communities within the ASEAN Community, together with their neighbors, to find a solution for the dire situation with the Mekong River and its fragile ecosystem;
• To encourage Buddhist leaders to strengthen their ongoing inter-religious and inter-ethnic and cultural dialogue in order to promote mutual understanding, reconciliation, respect, peace building, and harmony, to create a more integrated society within the ASEAN Community and beyond; and
• In addressing social problems, such as narcotic drugs, ethnic violence and domestic abuse, to employ resources available in the Buddhist traditions, such as the practice of mindfulness, compassion, wisdom, self-responsibility, respect for life and for all people, regardless of social status and gender, as for example, with the use of mindfulness meditation to rehabilitate prisoners.