On 9 February 2022, Mrs. Pornpimol Kanchanalak, Advisor and Special Envoy of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the second Ministerial Conference of OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP) held under the theme “Human-centred future: Partnership for a smarter, greener, and more inclusive ASEAN” in Seoul, the Republic of Korea.

As co-chair of OECD SEARP, the Special Envoy delivered opening remarks focusing on promoting closer OECD-ASEAN ties, and advancing
Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Model. She shared three proposals for sustainable and balance growth, including (1) advancing digital connectivity, facilitating cross-border data flows and ensuring digital inclusion for all; (2) advancing the ASEAN Green Agenda to enhance the region’s resilience in the face of climate emergency; and (3) promoting human capital development for post COVID-19 recovery.

In addition, the Special Envoy witnessed the signing of the OECD-ASEAN MoU, which established formal ties between the two organizations and adopted the Joint Communiqué to reaffirm ASEAN and the OECD’s shared vision for a sustainable and resilient recovery.

SEARP was launched in 2014 to support ASEAN regional integration efforts and promote closer collaboration between the OECD and ASEAN. Since 2018, Thailand and the Republic of Korea as co-chair of SEARP, have advanced sustainable development cooperation for the region such as on green recovery, bridging the digital divide, and promoting tourism recovery. On this occasion, Thailand and the Republic of Korea handed over the
co-chairmanship to Australia and Vietnam, who will be the co-chairs for the next three years.