From November 20-22, 2024, Mr. Danucha Pichayanan, Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council, attended meetings of the External Relations Committee (ERC), Economic Policy Committee (EPC), and discussed the OECD membership process with the Directorate for Legal Affairs. Mr. Saran Charoensuwan, Ambassador to Paris, and Mr. Pakorn Nilprapunt, Secretary-General of the Office of the Council of State, along with staff members, joined the meetings at OECD headquarters in Paris, France.
During the ERC meeting, the NESDC Secretary-General reported on the progress of the OECD-Thailand Country Programme (CP) Phase 2. The program aims to provide Thailand with continuous access to OECD knowledge and best practices. It comprises 20 sub-projects across 4 cooperation areas, with NESDC as the main coordinating agency. Currently, 4 projects have been completed: (1) Maintaining a Sound Economic Policy through the Second Economy Survey, (2) Deepening Collaboration to Promote Responsible Business Conduct, (3) Enabling Clean Energy Financing and Investment, and (4) Reinforcing Anti-corruption Framework. The remaining projects are scheduled for completion by 2025. The CP Phase 2 not only helps elevate Thailand’s standards to OECD levels but also supports the membership process by providing recommendations for improving laws, policies, and practices in line with OECD standards, which Thai agencies can implement domestically. It also provides experience in working with the OECD.
On this occasion, the NESDC Secretary-General highlighted
During the ERC meeting, OECD member countries including the Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Costa Rica, and Japan commended the implementation of CP Phase 2, which supports Thailand’s reform agenda. They expressed congratulations and support for Thailand’s OECD membership process, offering technical assistance, capacity-building for Thai officials, and budget support for temporary staff placements. The NESDC Secretary-General expressed gratitude and emphasized Thailand’s willingness to receive support from OECD members in all areas, particularly on challenges to Thailand’s economic and social development such as enhancing SME competitiveness, supporting carbon market financing and opening, developing decarbonization technologies, improving legal processes, and simplifying government administration.
At the EPC meeting, the NESDC Secretary-General was invited to participate as Thailand’s representative. The meeting involved discussions among senior economic officials from OECD member countries and Accession Candidate Countries to exchange views on global economic trends and propose macroeconomic policy approaches. Key economic issues were also discussed, including labor market overview, particularly the shortage of skilled workers in high-tech sectors, the slowdown in the housing market, and enhancing productivity amidst rapid technological changes and the transition to a low-carbon society. The EPC Secretariat will compile the opinions exchanged to support the preparation of the OECD’s Global Economic Outlook report, scheduled for release on December 4, 2024. The meeting also discussed OECD’s role in setting guidelines for building foundations for long-term economic growth and competitiveness, to inform future structural policy recommendations.
Discussion on the OECD membership process, attended by the Secretary-General of the Office of the Council of State, the NESDC Secretary-General, the Ambassador to Paris, and Thai officials, who met with Ms. Gita Kothari, Deputy Director, Directorate for Legal Affairs and OECD staff. Both sides discussed the approach for preparing the Initial Memorandum (IM), where relevant agencies will assess the alignment of Thai laws, policies, and practices with OECD legal instruments and best practices. The OECD representatives emphasized that Thailand should closely coordinate with OECD from the beginning of the IM preparation process for efficiency and speed. Thailand expects to submit the IM to OECD by 2025. NESDC, as the main coordinating agency for Thailand’s OECD membership process, will continue to promote awareness and understanding among relevant agencies regarding the OECD membership process.
Progress on Thailand’s OECD membership can be followed at bit.ly/43SdmE0
TH2OECD
