On March 21, 2025, Mr. Danucha Pichayanan, Secretary-General of the NESDC, met with Dr. Angela Macdonald PSM (H.E. Dr. Angela Macdonald PSM), Australian Ambassador to Thailand, regarding support for Thailand’s OECD membership, as well as exchanging views and best practices on economic and social development. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Australian Embassy in Thailand and NESDC officials. participated
During this occasion, the Secretary-General of NESDC He discussed the progress of Thailand’s OECD membership. On March 10, 2025, the Prime Minister chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee for Thailand’s OECD Membership Process for 2025. The meeting approved (1) the appointment of three subcommittees under the main committee to drive domestic operations, international affairs, and legal and regulatory improvements; (2) the appointment of the Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs as the main domestic coordinator, and the Ambassador to Paris as the main coordinator in Paris; and (3) the consideration of sending additional staff to work at the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris during the OECD membership process, with the primary mission of participating in OECD committee meetings, which is Thailand’s obligation throughout the membership process.
Currently, Thailand is preparing the Initial Memorandum (IM), a document assessing the compatibility of domestic laws, policies, and practices with OECD legal instruments. This will provide preliminary information for OECD committees to evaluate Thailand’s membership in the next stage. The Office of the Council of State (OCS) is currently testing a Portal system with pilot agencies. This system uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to translate OECD legal instruments from English to Thai, which will facilitate and reduce the time required for relevant agencies to input compatibility assessment data. The OCS expects to open the system for agency use in April, and Thailand should be able to submit the IM to the OECD within 2025.
The Ambassador commended Thailand’s efforts in driving OECD membership and emphasized that improving domestic laws, regulations, and practices is challenging and may take time. Australia is willing and ready to support Thailand in the OECD membership process. Thailand’s membership will not only elevate domestic economic and social standards but also strengthen the economic power of the Southeast Asian region, bringing mutual benefits to Australia and countries in the region.
The Ambassador also introduced the Mekong-Australia Partnership Masterclass program, which aims to enhance skills, share academic knowledge, and build networks for Thai government personnel and experts involved in the OECD membership process. The training topics include benefits and impacts of OECD membership, investment law reform, inclusive growth, public governance, and environmental and climate change strategies. The Australian government has already sent invitations to relevant agencies, including the NESDC, to participate in this program.
The Secretary-General of NESDC reiterated that Thailand welcomes support from Australia and OECD member countries in providing technical assistance and capacity building for personnel, which will help expedite Thailand’s OECD membership process. Additionally, both parties discussed and exchanged views on economic and social development approaches, particularly in areas where Australia has expertise, to adapt best practices for Thailand. These include knowledge transfer in technology and innovation to enhance agricultural productivity, promoting research and development (R&D), trade competition law reform, increasing competitiveness especially for community enterprises and small businesses, food security, food innovation, and education reform.
Progress on Thailand’s OECD membership can be followed at bit.ly/43SdmE0
TH2OECD
