On March 10, 2025, Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister chaired the 1st meeting of 2025 of the Committee for Overseeing Thailand’s OECD Membership Operations to establish guidelines for driving OECD membership. The meeting was attended by Mr. Pichai Chunhavajira, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, political officials, and key coordinating agencies including the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the Council of State. The meeting was held at the Green Room, Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House.
The Oversight Committee consists of 12 members with the Prime Minister as Chairman, and the Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Secretary-General of the Council of State as committee members and secretaries. Their duties and powers include formulating policies, recommending operational guidelines for Thailand’s OECD membership, as well as directing and overseeing operations in accordance with the criteria, conditions, and Thailand’s OECD Accession Roadmap.
Thailand’s OECD membership process consists of two main procedures: the application process and the accession process, totaling 10 steps. Currently, Thailand has completed the membership application process and is in the accession process at the Initial Memorandum preparation stage, which is a self-assessment document to analyze the alignment between domestic laws, policies, and practices with OECD legal instruments. Today’s meeting established guidelines to enable the OECD membership drive to commence quickly, clearly, and efficiently. The meeting approved the following operational guidelines:
1. Set the target to become a full OECD member by 2030, which is the same year Thailand is scheduled to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2. Establish three operational areas to support OECD membership:
2.1 Domestic operations by establishing guidelines, planning, and driving policy and practice implementation in accordance with Thailand’s OECD Accession Roadmap.
2.2 International operations by formulating policies and guidelines to enhance cooperation with the OECD in all dimensions, particularly in foreign affairs, to comply with OECD criteria, conditions, and standards.
2.3 Legal and regulatory operations by formulating policies and guidelines for improving domestic laws and regulations to align with OECD legal instruments.
3. Approve the establishment of three subcommittees under the Committee for Overseeing Thailand’s OECD Membership Operations: the Subcommittee for Driving Domestic Operations for OECD Membership chaired by the Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council, the Subcommittee for Building Relations with the OECD chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Subcommittee for Adjusting Laws and Regulations to OECD Standards chaired by the Secretary-General of the Council of State.
4. Assign government agencies to work with OECD committees and mandate all agencies to implement activities within their respective mandates to support Thailand’s OECD membership, including considering improvements to laws, policies, and practices to align with OECD standards and conducting activities to build interactions with OECD member countries.
The Prime Minister stated that the government is ready to support the operations of all agencies to enable Thailand to achieve OECD membership according to the target, which will elevate standards and advance the country’s development to be more international, play a leading role on the world stage, and participate more in formulating international policies or measures. She also emphasized communication with the public about the benefits Thailand will receive from OECD membership to create understanding and awareness that foreign affairs are relevant and connected to every citizen.
Progress on Thailand’s OECD membership can be followed at bit.ly/43SdmE0
TH2OECD
