On 2 May 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Australian Government organized the “OECD Southeast Asia Regional Forum” under the theme “The OECD and Southeast Asia: Partnership for Prosperity” at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Bangkok. Thailand co-hosted the Regional Forum for the third time.

The Regional Forum was a success and offered opportunities for more than 280 representatives of the governments and embassies of OECD member countries and countries in Southeast Asia, OECD experts, as well as the Thai public and private sector, academia and media, to discuss and explore ways to strengthen cooperation between the region and the OECD.

During the opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, underscored Thailand’s active role as a trustworthy partner of the OECD, particularly highlighting Thailand’s support for the OECD’s role in Southeast Asia and progress toward OECD membership. Mr. Mathias Cormann, OECD Secretary-General, underlined the success of SEARP in promoting economic cooperation in the region and reiterated OECD's support for Thailand and Indonesia in their OECD accession process.

High-level speakers from Thailand included Mr. Werapong Prapha, Thai Trade Representative, who presented Thailand's policies and experience in the promotion of high-quality investment. Mr. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, shared Thailand's experience with fruitful cooperation with the OECD leading up to the Accession Discussions.

The Regional Forum is one of the high-level policy discussion platforms of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP), which was founded in 2014 to promote economic development in Southeast Asia, and for which Thailand served as Co-chair of the SEARP with the Republic of Korea from 2018 to 2022. Co-hosting the Regional Forum reflects Thailand's strong commitment to serve as a bridge builder between the OECD and the region and to continuously work with the OECD as an accession country.