On 16 February 2026, H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered opening remarks at a seminar titled “Navigating Global Trade Shifts: Insights from the UNCTAD Trade and Development Report and Strategic Implications for Thailand.“ H.E. Ms. Suphajee Suthumpun, Minister of Commerce, jointly delivered opening remarks, while H.E. Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, former Secretary-General of UNCTAD and former Director-General of WTO, delivered a special keynote address. In attendance were members of the diplomatic corps, representatives from government agencies, the private sector, international organizations, academia, non-profit organizations, and students, totaling nearly 200 participants.

The Foreign Minister noted that the UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2025 is highly relevant in today’s global context, in which international trade can no longer be separated from finance and geopolitics. He compared global priorities during UNCTAD X, hosted by Thailand, namely poverty reduction and productive capacity-building, with current priorities, which focus on self-reliance, rising trade protectionism, and the use of economic instruments for strategic purposes. The Foreign Minister emphasized that these developments do not necessarily signal deglobalization, as global trade value continues to expand, but rather a strategic restructuring of trade, production, and finance, resulting in a new form of globalization, or “reglobalization.” He underscored the need for coherence between economic and foreign policies, integrating them into an economic diplomacy strategy with three key objectives: strengthening confidence that Thailand is future-ready, enhancing Thailand’s competitiveness, and promoting collaboration in all forms with a diverse range of partners.

The Minister of Commerce jointly delivered opening remarks, stressing that while the world is facing heightened uncertainty and geoeconomic pressures, countries must strengthen domestic resilience, diversify risks, reform the global trading system to better address the needs of developing countries, and enhance regional financial mechanisms to cope with future volatility. H.E. Dr. Supachai delivered a keynote address, noting that while the world is experiencing trade and geopolitical volatility, countries should build internal resilience, invest in social development, maintain fiscal discipline, and diversify trade risks, while advancing reforms of the global trading system to support development and reduce inequality, moving toward “development-led globalization.”

The seminar also featured a presentation of the UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2025 Insights by Dr. Anastasia Nesvetailova, Head of the Macroeconomic and Development Policies Branch, and Dr. Nicolas Maystre, Senior Economic Affairs Officer at UNCTAD. This was followed by a panel discussion on the application of the report’s recommendations in the Thai context, with participation from Ms. Rujikorn Saengchantr, Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs; Mrs. Oramon Sapthaweetham, Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce; Mr. Aaron Batten, Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Thailand; and Dr. Csilla Lakatos, Senior Economist at the World Bank Group.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-organized the seminar in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, UNCTAD, the International Institute for Trade and Development (IITD), and the Harvard Club of Thailand. The event successfully disseminated the key messages of the Trade and Development Report 2025 and translated its policy recommendations into guidance for Thailand’s international trade policy direction and national strategy. It also reflected Thailand’s commitment to supporting a multilateral system with the United Nations at its core, and underscored the close cooperation of “Team Thailand,” particularly between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce, in integrating foreign policy with trade strategy to advance sustainable shared prosperity.