On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) held a consultation meeting regarding Thailand’s OECD membership with government agencies at NESDC. The meeting aimed to discuss operational approaches with 26 OECD committees in the process of preparing the Initial Memorandum (IM) and Technical Review according to Thailand’s OECD Accession Process Roadmap. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Wanchat Suwankitti, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council, with representatives from 24 ministries/agencies in attendance.
On this occasion, the Deputy Secretary-General discussed Thailand’s recent OECD membership status, noting that on July 10, 2024, the OECD Council approved Thailand’s accession roadmap. The roadmap specifies requirements, conditions, and procedures for Thailand’s membership. During the process, Thailand must prepare an Initial Memorandum to assess its alignment with OECD legal instruments and undergo an in-depth technical review by 26 OECD committees to evaluate Thailand’s commitment and capability to comply with OECD legal instruments, policies, and best practices. Therefore, consultation with relevant agencies is necessary to prepare for the Accession Review, which requires close collaboration with these committees.
The meeting acknowledged the tasks that coordinating agencies must undertake, including: (1) Participating in OECD committee meetings and engaging continuously in committee activities, starting from September 2024 onwards; (2) Preparing the Initial Memorandum, which requires self-assessment of domestic laws, policies, and practices’ alignment with OECD legal instruments, to be used by OECD committees in planning technical reviews with Thailand from 2025 onwards; and (3) Conducting in-depth technical reviews with OECD committees, involving legal, policy, and practice adjustments based on OECD committee recommendations, which will commence after Thailand submits the complete Initial Memorandum to the OECD. The meeting emphasized that coordinating agencies should prepare their budgets for future OECD meetings.
Thailand plans to implement the accession roadmap through the Committee on Thailand’s OECD Membership Implementation, chaired by the Prime Minister, with the appointment order currently pending. Implementation may proceed through three subcommittees: (1) Domestic Implementation for OECD Membership, to establish guidelines and drive policy implementation aligned with the accession roadmap, including monitoring progress; (2) OECD Relations Development, to set policies for enhancing cooperation with OECD in all dimensions, such as seeking membership support from member countries, participating in OECD cooperation mechanisms, and building good relations with member countries; and (3) Legal and Regulatory Alignment with OECD Standards, to study domestic laws’ compatibility with OECD legal instruments and establish policies for their improvement, including expediting and monitoring implementation by relevant sectors.
NESDC plans to invite private sector representatives, including the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries, and the Thai Bankers’ Association, to participate in driving Thailand’s OECD membership through various mechanisms and processes with the public sector, and to support the creation of an integrated multi-stakeholder working network.
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