thailand’s international development cooperation

145Thailand’s International Development Cooperation

THAILAND’S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATIONAnchal Agarwal

As of 2011, Thailand reached Upper Middle Income Status with Gross National Income (GNI) almost doubling and considerable reductions in poverty levels over the previous decade. Thailand has a track-record of enthusiastically encouraging the socio-economic development of its neighboring “CLMV” countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam). In order to administer this support, in 2004, a Royal Decree was promulgated to establish the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2005 the Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA) was also established as an independent public body, responsible for financing investment projects in neighboring countries. This paper undertakes a review of Thai experience on development cooperation paying particular attention to the evolving institutional framework for such cooperation.

CONSTRUCTING THAILAND’S DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

Background

Thailandhasa relativelysuccessful trackrecordofdevelopment.Asof2011,thecountryreachedUpperMiddleIncomeStatuswithGrossNationalIncome(GNI)almostdoublingandconsiderablereductionsin poverty levels over the previous decade. In particular, Thailandhas a track-record of enthusiastically encouraging the socio-economic developmentof theneighboring “CLMV”countries (Cambodia,LaoPDR,Myanmar, VietNam) and technical cooperation has also beenextended to both the wider region and beyond.

In order to administer this support, in 2004, a Royal Decree waspromulgated to establish the Thailand International DevelopmentCooperationAgency(TICA)undertheMinistryofForeignAffairsto

146 Jindal Journal of Public Policy, Vol. 3, Issue 1

promote international development cooperation between Thailandanditspartners.TICAwasestablishedon19thOctober2004byaRoyalDecree to serve the Royal Thai Government as a focal agency under theMinistryofForeignAffairsofThailand indirecting internationaldevelopment cooperation. It is principally responsible for theimplementation of Thailand’s development cooperation programsin the neighboring countries as well as other regions of the world. Therearevariousformsofcooperation,suchasdevelopmentprojects,volunteerandexpertprograms,fellowships,scholarshipsandtrainingprograms.

NEDA, or the Neighboring Countries Economic DevelopmentCooperation Agency, is Thailand’s international development aidagency,establishedofficiallyonMay27,2005,asapublicorganization,under supervision by the Minister of Finance. In 2005, the Thaigovernment modernized and strengthened the efficiency of NEDFthrough organizational restructuring, which would lead to greaterflexibilityinitsoperations.Thiseventuallyledtotheestablishmentofthe NEDA.

Historical Context

SincethefirstNationalEconomicandSocialDevelopmentPlan(1961-1966),humanresourceprogressandtechnologytransferarethemainfactorsforThailandinbuildingitscapacitytobecominganemergingcountry that it is today. In the early years, the then Department ofTechnicalandEconomicCooperation(DTEC)wasfirstestablishedbyRoyalDecreein1950asanationalfocalpointformanagingThailand’sODA under the Office of Prime Minister, responsible for technicalcooperationreceivedfromexternalcooperationpartners.TheDTEC’splansalsoaimedtomatchThailand’sneedsandwantswithtraditionaldonors’ development aid and assistance policies.As the focal pointfortechnicalcooperation,DTECwastheintermediaryresponsibleforscreening project proposals from theministries so as to ensure thattheymeettheobjectivesandgoalsoftheNationalPlansaswellastheaidpoliciesofdonors.

Thailandstartedtoprovidetechnicalcooperationtootherdevelopingcountries since 1963, ,with a view to promote economic and socialdevelopmentthroughinternationalpartnership.Internationaltechnicalcooperation received from foreignpartner countries isaccomplishedby the TICA which was established as the successor of DTEC.


Objective

Giventhesetrends,thisreportwillofferatimelyopportunityfortheThai government to reassess what Thailand’s role in internationaldevelopmentmightbe,asamiddle-incomecountryinafastgrowingand changing region andhow it canmost effectivelyplay that role.Thisresearchpaperwillfocusonthefollowingquestions:

• HowisThailand’sapproachtointernationaldevelopmentdefined?

• HowcanThailandimprovetheinternalinstitutionalmechanismsfor coordination, management of information and monitoring and evaluationofdevelopmentcooperation?

DEFINING THAILAND’S APPROACH TO INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The strategic framework on InternationalDevelopmentCooperationof TICA (in keepingwith its institutional alignment to theMinistryof Foreign Affairs) is mainly focused on technical cooperation and aligned to goals of strengthening and building international relations. The framework emphasizes an approach to developmentthat looks in broad terms at how the government can use international cooperation strategies to promotemutual benefits for Thailand andotherparties.

The ‘International Development Cooperation’ (IDC) was perceivedbymany as distinct from ‘International Cooperation’ (IC)with IDCunderstoodasbenefittingpoorercountries,whileICisunderstoodtobeaboutusinginternationalrelationstopromotebenefitsforThailand.In contrast to the approach taken by China, for example, economiccooperation, is seen as enhancing Thailand’s economic prospects,but is not apparent as ‘development’ cooperation. Development isunderstoodpredominantlyasacharitabletransaction.

POLICY ANALYSIS

Government Policies

ThailandhasadoptedtheParisDeclarationastheprincipleguidelinefortheeffectivenessofitsODAplanningandadministration.TheRoyalThaiGovernmenthastwooverarchingstatementsofpolicy,fromwhichallgovernmentstrategiesaredrawn:the11thNationalEconomicand


SocialDevelopmentPlanpreparedbytheNationalEconomicandSocialDevelopmentBoard(NESDB)andthePolicyStatementoftheCouncilofMinistersthatisdevelopedbytheOfficeofthePrimeMinister.

The 11th National Economic and Social Development Plan

Thailand’sownapproachtodevelopmentinfluencesthedevelopmentof other countries: most markedly that of its immediate neighborcountries, but also countries in the wider ASEAN region and beyond. Thailand’splannedapproachtonationaldevelopmentismostrecentlyarticulated in the 11th National Social and Economic DevelopmentPlan (NESDP),which runs from2012-2016.A significant shift in thecountry’sdevelopmentplanninghastakenplacesincetheEighthPlan(1997-2001),ashiftfromagrowth-orientedapproachtotheinnovativemodelofholistic“people-centricdevelopment.”

The Eleventh Plan is a provisional medium-term strategic plan totrack the vision for the year 2027 thatwas set by all parties inThaisociety.Thedevelopmentplanisconcentratedmainlytowardscreatingajustsociety,developingalifelonglearningsociety,restructuringtheeconomy towards quality growth and sustainability and creatingregional connectivity for social and economic stability.

The Policy Statement of the Council of Ministers

ThewayinwhichThailandcooperateswithothercountries,regionalcommunities and international organizations affects Thailand’sdevelopmentandinternationaldevelopment.ItwantstocreateunityandpromotecooperationamongASEANcountriesinordertorealizethe goal of creating an ASEAN Community by 2015 in the economic, socio-culturalandsecurityareas.Italsofocusesonsupporting‘PublicDiplomacy’tosafeguardtheinterestsofThainationals.Thispolicyseeksto encourage people-to-people and community based contacts withforeigncountries,aswellaspromotesapositiveimageandtechnicalassistancewithdevelopingcountriessothatthepeople,governmentsandthe internationalcommunitywillhavepositiveattitudetowardstheThaipeopleandThailand.

International Cooperation Strategies

There are numerous public bodieswho are articulating a policy onhow international cooperation strategies can contribute towards theachievementofthepolicyobjectivessetoutinhigh-leveloverarchinggovernmentpolicydocuments.Forinstance,theBankofThailandhas


aclearstrategyinplacetoworktowardstheachievementofimprovedfinancialintegration,articulatedasapriorityinthePolicyStatementofthe Council of Ministers.

The BOT is also working with the Ministry of Finance to supportThailand’sneighborstoaccessThailand’scapitalmarkets.Forexample,Lao PDR issued bondsworth THB1.5bn to institutional investors inThaicapitalmarketsforthefirsttimeinMay2013.

TheMinistryofEducationisanothergoodexampleofalineministrywith a clear direction on international cooperation. The Office ofHigher Education Commission (OHEC) has a strong emphasis onbuildingan‘educationalhub’inASEANandispursuinganactiveroleininternationalcooperationwithotherASEANcountriestoexchangeandshareknowledgeabouthighereducationqualityandstandards.TheOfficeofHigherEducationCommission(OHEC)aimstoprovide‘internationalization’ and ‘regionalization’ to Thailand’s highereducation.TheworkoftheMinistryofEducationtopromoteThailandasaneducationalhubalsohasclearpotentialbenefitsintermsofthedevelopmentofhumancapitalintheregion.

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR ‘INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION’

Technical Cooperation

TICA has developed a draft strategic framework for ‘internationaldevelopment cooperation’. Many of the strategies outlined are inkeeping with latest international thinking on effective developmentcooperation. It supports demand-led development based on theprinciples of partnership. Reference is also made to the ParisDeclaration principles. Multilaterally, it serves as a knowledge huband is regardedasproblemsolverbecause ithasanability to tackleregionalandglobalproblemsrelatedtotechnicalassistance.Itprovidestraining and assistance and degree courses to all of our partners’requirementsonhumanresourcesdevelopment.Technicalcooperationfrominternationaldonorspredominantlytakestheformofsmall-scaleprojects:technicalassistance,thepurchaseofmaterialsandequipment,fundingofsmallgrantsschemesandsimilarprograms.This isoftenexecutedthroughinter-ministerialcooperationpoliciesinspecificareassuchastransportoragriculture.Itcanincludedispatchingvolunteersand specialists, carrying out training projects in specific areas orprovidingtechnologicalexpertise.


RecentlyThailandcollaboratedwiththeEuropeanCommission,UNDPandtheWorldBankinorganizingtheworkshopon“AidEffectivenessfrom Paris to Bangkok” to exchange information and ideas amongdevelopmentagenciesbasedinThailand.Theoutcomeoftheworkshopwas twelve policy messages concerning aid effectiveness. The mostimportantmessagethatcameoutoftheworkshopisthatthemessageonpartnershipwhichemphasizestheneedforallpartnersbothinthedonorcommunityanddevelopingworldtoworkmorecloselytogetherinensuringaideffectiveness.

Grants and Loans

Thailand’sdevelopmentfinancecontributionswereprimarilyfocusedonsupportingthedevelopmentoftransportinfrastructureinThailand’sneighboring countries through the provision of concessional loansadministered by NEDA. Support is targeted to those projects thatstrengthen connectivitywith Thailand and its neighbors. The EXIMBankhasalsobeeninvolvedintheintermittentfinancingofstrategicinfrastructureprojectsintheregion.

Atpresent,Thailand,throughTICA,continuestoreceiveandexchangefellowshipswithtraditionaldonorsandotherdevelopmentpartners.In2007,Thaigovernmentofficialswereawarded336fellowshipsallocatedbyJapan,China,India,Malaysia,France,SouthKorea,Sweden,Egypt,theNetherlands,Israel,Singapore,Spain,Pakistan,theColomboPlansand UNDP.

Thailandiskeentoshareitsdevelopmentexpertiseandreachouttoothercountries toadvancepovertyreduction.Strongfeaturesof thispolicyaredonationstoothertsunami-affectedcountriesintheregionandongoingassistancetoneighboringcountries.Thisgoalprincipallyinvolves developed, donor countries setting targets for increasedOfficial DevelopmentAssistance (ODA), facilitating access to goodsand services from developing countries, and ensuring access fordevelopingcountriestotechnologyandessentialdrugs.

MODALITIES FOR THAILAND’S TECHNICAL COOPERATION

Annual International Training Courses Program (AITC)

This program is led by the TICA, recognizing the importance ofhumanresourcesanddevelopmentatthesametime.Thisisachieved


byextendingitsexpertiseandexperiencestoothercountriesthroughSouth-SouthCooperationactivities.ItisoneoftheflagshipprogramsinitiatedbyTICAwhichaimsatsharingThailand’sbestpracticesandexperiencestotherestoftheworld.

The highlighted theme under this course is Sufficiency EconomicPhilosophy(SEP),whichisthekeyfactorbehindThailand’sachievementofsustainabledevelopmentinmanyareas.TheotherthemesincludeFoodSecurity,ClimateChange,PublicHealth andother SustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs)relatedareas.

The AITC is organized annually, with fellowships awarded by theRoyal Thai Government to participants from over 50 countries,including Thailand’s neighbouring countries, and other countries inAsian,Pacific,andAfricanregionsetc.,

During 2017-2019, TICAwill offermore than 90 short-term trainingcourses with the expected number of participants of numbering athousandfromdevelopingcountries.Oneofthecriteriaforthiswasthatthecandidateshouldbeanofficeroranagentandmustbenominatedby the central government agencies in a country from the AITC eligible country list.

Third Country Training Program (TCTP)

Itactsasacentreofexcellenceandbrilliance invariousfields in theregion, including international standard infrastructures and facilities. A number of international organizations, such asWHO,UNESCAPandUNDP,optimizeThailand’sexpertiseandcapacitybyprovidingfull financial support for training courses in Thailand for a thirdcountryunderthisscheme.TheseprogrammesaredesignedinordertosupportandcomplementexistingefficientprogrammeprovidedbyThailandtootherparticipatorycountries.SomecoursesprovidedbyTCTPareAdvancedFreshwaterAquaculture,AgriculturalExtensionandDevelopmentforAfricaetc.

Thai Volunteer Program

This program was created in 2004, also known as “Friends fromThailand” sends young Thai volunteers to support of Thailand’stechnical cooperation programs in other developing countries. This initiative aims at fostering friendships and peer-to-peerrelationshipsatthegrassrootslevelbetweenThailandanditspartnercountries.


Volunteersareexpectedtohaveexpertiseinareassuchasagriculture,informationandcommunications technology,publichealth, tourism,educationandcommunitydevelopment,andworkinTICA’sprojectsforaperiodrangingfromsixmonthstotwoyears.Thisprogramisrunby TICA in partnershipwith ThammasatUniversity, a government-affiliatedorganization.

Table: Demand for TICA volunteers, 2004-2012

Number of Volunteers

Partner Country

Area of Cooperation Project Status

3 Vietnam Teaching Thai Language Concluded

1 Lao PDR Agriculture Extension Concluded

1 Indonesia Teaching Thai Language Concluded

9 Bhutan Healthcare,hotelmanagement,skillsdevelopmentandagriculture

Concluded

1 Lao PDR AgricultureDevelopment Ongoing

1 Cambodia Teaching Thai Language Ongoing

2 Vietnam Teaching Thai Language Ongoing

Source: TICA

ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR WORKING WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS

Bilateral Cooperation

AkeypotentialstrengthofThailand’sbilateralsupporttoitspartnercountriesisthatitispredominantly‘demand-led’andcanbesupportedaspartoflong-termstrategicpartnerships.Thebilateralprogramhasbeen developed to strengthen the relationships between Thailandandneighboring countries includingCambodia,LaosPDR,VietnamandMyanmaraswellassomeotherdevelopingcountriesinAsiaandAfrica.

Effectivebilateraltechnicalcooperationalsodependsuponlong-termstrategicengagementandplanning.Whiletechnicalcooperationshouldberesponsivetothedemandsofpartnercountries,alargepartoftheassistanceofferedseemstobeone-offactivitiesagreedonatemporarybasis.

Often activities are designed as an indicator of friendship andcompanionship rather based on a robust analysis of how Thailand


couldaddressakeycapacityneedofapartnercountryoverasustainedperiod. Bilateral strategies should ideally be forward-looking, withmedium-term strategic plans agreed on how identified capacityconstraintscanbeaddressedthroughtechnicalcooperation.

TICAprovidesdirectassistanceto itsdevelopmentpartners throughthe Bilateral Program. Projects are designed after close consultationbetweenThailandanditspartnerssotoensuretheactivitieswillbeofthehighestbenefitsforallparties.

Trilateral Cooperation

Beinganewemergingdonor,Thailand’srelationshipwithitstraditionaldonorshasshiftedfromoneofarecipient-donortooneofadevelopmentpartnership.Thus,TICA’sstrategicplanhasbeenexpandedtoincludetriangularNorth-South-Southcooperation(orTrilateralCooperation)for joint establishment of assistance to developing countries withestablishedOECD-DACdonorsjointly.

For instance, Thailand and Germany have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Joint Development Cooperation withThirdCountriesthroughpartnershipprogramswhichcovervocationaleducation, ruraldevelopmentandhealth.Also,ThailandandFrancesigned Plan d’ Actionon25May2004toextendtrilateralcooperation.On 21 June 2010, the two countries signed the second Plan d’ Action (2010-2016) inwhich the trilateral cooperationhas been extended tocover the Mekong sub-region and Africa. Basically, the two countries agreeon3areasofcooperationwhichareeducation/vocationaltraining,agricultureandfishery,andpublichealthespeciallyfocusingonHIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, and other contagious diseases.

Thailandhas established triangular arrangementswithdevelopmentpartners such as Australia, Canada, France, Hungary, Japan,Luxembourg, Singapore, Germany, UNDP, UNESCAP, UNFPA, andUNICEF.

Regional and International Cooperation Framework

Thailand is an active participant in both regional and internationalcooperationframeworks.Atthesub-regionallevel,ithasparticipatedvery well with Indonesia-Malaysia Growth Triangle and more. At the regionallevel,ithasanefficientlevelofcooperationwithASEANandat the international level it is actively participating in organizationssuch as the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNDP etc.


The strategic opportunities presented by international cooperationframeworksarerecognizedinThailand’sforeignpolicyandtheNESDP.In the education sector, the Thai government is working closely with UNESCOandtheUNtopromoteEducationforAll.Itisalsoactivelyparticipating in the formulation of post-2015 goals in the educationsectortoreplacetheMDGs.Inthehealthsector,therehavealsobeenexamplesoftheThaigovernmentadvocatingandadvisingonthepathtowardsprovisionofuniversalhealthcoverage.

The forthcoming establishment of the ASEAN economic community in 2015alsoallowsgreatscopeforThailandtopursueitspolicyobjectiveson enhancing regional economic connectivity.As part of the overallcooperationframework,agreementswillbeputinplaceforexampleontradepolicy,onfinancialintegrationandthemovementoflabor.

Thailandisactivelyseekingtopromoteitselfasaregionalknowledgehub. The Fiscal Policy Office is for example facilitating work inconjunction with the Asian Development Bank and UN-ESCAP tosupport Thailand’s Fiscal Policy Research Institute, to build countrycapabilitiesinservingasaregionalcentreforofferingmacroeconomictraining.

Thailand and the ASEAN Economic Community

ASEANhasbeenandwillcontinuetobeacornerstoneofThailand’sforeign policy. Thailand attaches great importance to enhancingcooperationwithinASEANframeworkstobuildtrustandconfidenceamongASEANmemberStates,aswellastopromotepeace,stabilityandprosperityintheregion.

ThailandisastrongproponentofapeoplecenteredASEANcommunityasenvisionedbytheASEANcharter.Thailandwillcontinuetoplayanactive role in deepening regional economic cooperation through thedevelopmentoftheRCEP,whichwillrepresentthesizeofhalfoftheglobalmarketandhelpfurtherboostthecollectivevibranteconomicpotentialinEastAsia.

RegionalintegrationisattheheartofourASEANcommunityefforts.ThailandseestheemergingASEANcommunityasanotherimportantmilestoneinanevolvingprocesstowardscloserregionalintegration.Thailand stands ready to take a leading role in conducting the development cooperationwith other countries both in bilateral andtrilateral forms.Thailand’s supporthasbeendesigned inaccordancewith specific needs of each ASEAN country which ultimately will


contribute to the strengthening of the ASEAN community in the three pillars:political-security,economic,andsocio-cultural,aswellas theimplementationoftheMasterPlanonASEANconnectivity.

INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS

Monitoring and Evaluation

In recent years, Thailand has seen a much greater focus on results of development cooperation among traditional donors. Given thefiscalconstraintsfacedinmanydevelopedcountries,aidbudgetsareincreasingly under threat and governments are being challenged to demonstratetheimpactsofaidprovidedandthatvalueformoneyisbeing achieved with the resources used.

TICA’s strategic framework has also emphasized the importance ofputtinginplacemonitoringandevaluationsystems.Atpresent,macro-level evaluation of the overall strength of Thailand’s developmentcooperation is difficult given that there is not a unified frameworkagainstwhichthesuccessofThailand’scooperationcanbejudged.

Processes for theevaluationof large technical cooperation initiativescould be strengthened. At present, however, there is seemingly nosystematic feedback instrument to use information and learning to informfuturepolicyandprogramsfordevelopment.Forinstance,thereare certain recurring large projects like the government scholarshipprogramthatcallsforeffectivemonitoringandevaluation.

FINANCING ANALYSIS

Traditionally, any country’s contributions to development havepredominantlybeenassessedbylookingattheamountofaidprovided,asapercentageofgrossnationalincome.However,thisisnottheonlyrelevantfinancinginformationwhenanalysingdevelopment.

TICAhasbeencollatinginformationonofficialdevelopmentassistancefor a number of years. At present, within this overall strategicframeworkof thebudget, there is aprogramon ‘mobilizing foreignpolicy and international relations’ but not a dedicated budget linefor ‘international development cooperation’ as such. Thailand alsocontributes to internationaldevelopment throughpublic fundsuseddomesticallytopromoteregionalconnectivityandintegration.


Fig 1: Total Value of Thai International Cooperation Program by regions FY 2012

Source: TICA

Asof2011,31%oftotalODAwasusedtoprovidefinancialassistanceforinfrastructure.ThefinancialassistanceprovidedhasbeenconcentratedontransportinfrastructureandpredominantlyadministeredbyNEDA.Ithasalsobeenfocusedonarelativelysmallnumberofprojectsandprovidedonlytoneighbouringcountries.

Diagram: Proportion of ODA by Type, FY 2011

Source: TICA

However, ithasbeensuggestedthatthenumberscompiledbyTICAsometimes under-estimate total amount of ODA as a result of ministries omitting technical cooperation activities that would be eligible forrecordingasODA.ItconstitutesarelativelysmallpartoftheoverallfiguresforODAandsowouldnotgreatlyimpacttheoverallfigures.

Otherthanthis,Thailandalsocontributestointernationaldevelopmentthroughpublicfundsuseddomesticallytopromoteregionalconnectivity


and integration.Thailand’sambition toset itselfupasa ‘knowledgehub’wouldrequiresignificantdomesticinvestmentindevelopingandadministeringappropriateacademicprogrammes.Althoughthefocusof this investment is largely internal and not eligible to be recorded as ‘ODA’assuch,someoftheresourcesspentunderthisprogrammewillsupportThailandinitsgoalsondevelopmentcooperation.

MOTIVATIONS BEHIND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

Thailand’svisionistodevelopanewmodalityofThailandInternationalDevelopmentCooperation. They have not only identified long termgoalsbutarealsodeterminedtoworkefficientlytowardsthem.Theyseek to develop people-to people development projects in order tobuildstrengthandcapacity.For instance,ThailandissendingyoungThai volunteersworking towards development cooperation to otherdevelopingcountriestoenhancethevolunteer’aswellasthereceivingcountry’sexperienceandcapacities.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Thailandfacesanewsetofproblemsdifferingfromthoseduringitsdevelopment stage. There is not, at present an overarching policyon international development which articulates Thailand’s goals intermsofthegainstosocio-economicdevelopmentofothercountries.Thailand’s development cooperation is likely to bemore effective ifthere are clear goals that can guide ongoing engagement, both at a whole-of-government level and the sector level.

Also, greater awareness is required of Thailand’s own capacity toprovide effective technical support and policy guidance. At themoment, Thailand’s strengths are identified by TICA at the sectorlevel (e.g. the proposed focus in health, education, agriculture andruraldevelopment).DialogueisrequiredbetweenlineministriesandTICA to identify where Thailand has the capacity tomake positivecontributionstodevelopmentthroughtechnicalcooperation.

Clear guidance should be developed on activities that should berecordedinthedatabaseondevelopmentcooperation.Theinformationreceived fromministries should be organized in such away that itshowscross-government support for technical cooperation in sector-basedandcountry-basedreports.


RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONSIn accord with the norms and culture which Thailand follows in development cooperation, it needs a few recommendations. Theycouldbedifficulttoaddresshowever,beingambitiousinnature.

ItisrecommendedthattheThaigovernmentdevelopamaster-planthatarticulatesacommontemplateforgovernmentonwhatitsobjectivesandgoals are in thefield of internationaldevelopment. Thismasterplanshouldaddressareassuchasdevelopmentsector-basedstrategicplansinkeyprioritysectors,alignmentofinternationalanddomesticpartnersetc.

Thailand should conduct some evaluations of its flagship technicalcooperationprogramsincluding,forexample,thescholarshipprogram.Much of the knowledge that the government has on developmentcooperation is not formally captured. It should put major focus onformal structures to extract information related to developmentaltrendsinvariousfields.Itneedstofocusonspecificneedsandwantsof the countries. Demand-driven assistance should not be the factor which should be given limelight.

A number of metrics should be identified against which Thailand’sdevelopmentcooperationcanbemonitoredatamacroandmicrolevelsimultaneously(atpresent,onlythetotalamountofODAismonitored).

IfTICAistoensurethatproposedtechnicalcooperationisalignedwiththestrategicprioritiesofministries,thenconsiderationshouldbegiventoidentifyingcertainsectorfocalpointswhocanliaisewithrelevantagencies. TICA should also ensure clear guidance on those activities thatshouldberecordedinthedatabaseondevelopmentcooperation.

LIST OF ACRONYMSGNI Gross National IncomeCLMV Cambodia,LaoPDR,Myanmar,VietnamTICA ThaiInternationalCooperationAgencyODA OfficialDevelopmentAssistanceNEDA Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation

AgencyDTEC DevelopmentofTechnicalandEconomicCooperationNESDB NationalEconomicandSocialDevelopmentBoardIDC InternationalDevelopmentCooperationIC InternationalCooperation


NESDP NationalSocialandEconomicDevelopmentPlanBOT Bank of ThailandOHEC OfficeofHigherEducationCommissionEXIM Export–ImportBankofIndiaSSC South-SouthCooperationAITC Annual International Training Courses ProgrammeTCTP Third Country Training Programme UNDP UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgrammeUNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeUNESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and

thePacificUNFPA UnitedNationsPopulationsFundUNICEF UnitedNationsChildren’sFundAEC Asean Economic Community

REFERENCESThailand International Development Cooperation Agency 2012, TICA

Highlights. Available from: http://www.tica.thaigov.net/main/en/e-book/1558

ThailandInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgency2009,Annual Report. Availablefrom:http://tica.thaigov.net/main/en/

Neighbouring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency(NEDA) 2012,Annual Report and Strategic Plan.Available from: http://www.neda.or.th/home/en/uploads/download/CfYZ6JGqNpCi6IRUPE2.pdf

OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment2013,Is it ODA? Availablefrom:https://data.oecd.org/oda/net-oda.htm

National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) 2012, 11 the National Economic and Social Development Plan (2012 - 2016). Available from:http://www.nesdb.go.th/nesdb_en/ewt_dl_link.php?nid=3786

AsianDevelopmentBank. 2013.ADB Country Partnership Strategy: Thailand, 2013 - 2016. Available from: https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/33990/files/cps-tha-2013-2016.pdf

United Nations 1999, Economic Aspects of Sustainable Development in Thailand. Available from: http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/thai/eco.htm

Burns,M2013,Effective and relevant functionsof national focalpoints forThailandasaneffectiveGlobalPartner.Thailand International Development Co-Operation Strategic Review.

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