He was Academic Assistant to the Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and later to the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at Thammasart University from 1985 until 1986. Surin Pitsuwan is a member of the Commission on Human Security, a member of the Advisory Board of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, and a member of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.
Surin at a press conference with Hillary Rodham Clinton
Between 2004-2006, Surin was widely touted as a possible successor to Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, by the international and Thai media, but he did not receive an official support from the Thai government under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra because Surin was affiliated with the Democracy Party, the main Thai opposition party. The Thaksin government decided to endorse the candidacy of its own foreign minister, Surakiart Sathirathai, who ended up placing third behind Shashi Tharoor of India and Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea, the eventual winner. Following the 2006 military coup in Thailand, there was a speculation that the military government would switch Thailand's candidate from Surakiart to Surin. [6] However, the junta ended up not backing Surin.