OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann has praised Thailand’s earnest determination to join the organisation and the role of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as the leading political force driving the country forward.
He also voiced the OECD’s support for Thailand’s bid for accession to the organisation, which would be mutually beneficial and help improve Thailand’s international standing.
Cormann met with the prime minister, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, and Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank meetings on Friday.
Anutin said today that Thailand’s accession to the OECD will be an opportunity to make reforms in several respects, including legal affairs, policies, and performance standards, to align with international standards and set the foundation for long-term economic development.
He also said OECD committees are comparing Thailand’s legal and policy frameworks against international standards, which is an important step in assessing the country’s readiness to join the OECD in 2028.
The OECD has stressed the importance of reforms to improve competitiveness, open the country for trade and investment, reduce red tape, and increase economic opportunities and revenue for the people, citing Thailand’s growth rate, which has shrunk on average from 4.8% between 2010 and 2015 to 2.1% between 2015 and 2023.
Thailand has been cooperating with the OECD for over a decade via the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme and OECD-Thailand Country Programme, covering tax, regulations, competitiveness, and governance reforms.
