Foreword
This report distils the main outcomes of the policy dialogue on water in Thailand, convened by the Asia Water Council, K-water and the OECD in 2021-22.
The Office of National Water Resources was the main counterpart in Thailand. ONWR coordinated data collection and stakeholder consultation. It provided expertise at every step of the process. The OECD and the Asia Water Council are grateful to ONWR for their constant support and engagement. In particular, Mr. Chumlarp Tejasen, Ms. Thayida S. van Corstanje and Dr. Wimolpat Bumbudsanpharoke Khamkanya, Foreign Affairs Division, played a critical role in moving the project forward.
The project was initiated in 2021. A fact-finding mission was arranged in December 2021. A policy seminar was convened by ONWR in March 2022, with delegates from several departments, regional authorities, industry and civil society. Comments received at the policy seminar are reflected in the final report.
The report was essentially drafted by Delia Sanchez Trancon and Taehoon Kim, under the supervision of Xavier Leflaive, Water Team lead, all working at the OECD Environment Directorate. Dr. Yongdeok Cho, Mr. Jaewon Lee and Ms. Gahae Choi, from the Asia Water Council provided substantive material, in particular on smart technologies, and valuable comments.
The OECD Working Party on Biodiversity, Water and Ecosystems was invited to comment on a draft report.
The project is part of a regional initiative with Korea, the Asia Water Council and the OECD, to support the achievement of water-related SDGs in 8 Asian countries, through a combination of country-specific policy dialogues and regional consultations.
The OECD gratefully acknowledges the Korean Ministry of Environment for the financial support for the project.