Thailand plays a crucial role in realizing the four major thrust areas of the regional country strategy and program (RCSP), which include:
- strengthening connectivity and facilitating cross-border movement and tourism
- integrating national markets to promote economic efficiency and private sector development
- addressing health and other social, economic, and capacity-building issues associated with subregional linkages
- managing the environment and shared natural resources - especially of the watershed systems of the Mekong River.
Transport and Energy
In terms of transport connectivity, Thailand provides the developed portions of important corridors such as:
- Chiang Rai-Kunming via Lao PDR Road Improvement Project (Kunming-Bangkok Road), which provides the international north-south road connection between and among Yunnan, Lao PDR and Thailand, with an approximate length of 1,250 km.
- Thailand- Lao PDR- Viet Nam East-West Transport Corridor, where there are now enhanced cross border trade and demonstrated production complementarities of different areas along the route.
In terms of energy connectivity, Thailand is one of the signatories of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Regional Power Trade (IGA) signed in November 2002; is participating in the study to formulate the Regional Power Trade Operating Agreement (PTOA); and is one of the signatories to the MOU to Initiate Stage 1 of Regional Power Trade (signed during the Second GMS Summit). Thailand contributed inputs to the study on the GMS indicative master plan on power interconnections completed in 2002 and is working with PRC and Lao PDR in preparing the proposed 500 kV GMS Power Transmission Line to enable power exports from Yunnan to Thailand by 2013.
Private Sector Development
Resource mobilization from the vibrant private sector in Thailand is vital to filling the existing funding gaps for investments prioritized in the GMS Development Matrix. The GMS High Level Public Private Consultation Meeting (PPCM) organized by Thailand in September 2004 was a welcome initiative, and subsequent PPCMs could eventually serve as a platform for GMS governments to seek views on existing business related regulatory environments from foreign and domestic investors. ADB has earmarked funds to help Thailand organize the first PPCM. ADB has also been supporting the GMS Business Forum, in which the Thai Chamber of Commerce is an active member of the BF Core Group.
The GMS TA program, in which Thailand actively participates, has a particularly important role in terms of harmonizing the legal and regulatory frameworks to develop a GMS market, such as efforts to facilitate the cross border transport of goods and people and initiatives to pursue single window and single stop custom inspection, at selected GMS boarder crossings. A strategic framework for action on trade facilitation and investment was formulated. There is a planned assistance to support implementation of the framework ongoing RETA to support the business forum.
Health and Social Issues
In addressing the health and other social issues associated with subregional linkages, as well as in managing the subregion's shared resources, Thailand has been actively engaged in RETA projects involving:
- health and education needs of ethnic minorities
- prevention and control of HIV/ AIDS especially among mobile populations
- drug eradication
- development of the strategic environment framework (SEF) and environmental performance indicators and assessment systems, including capacity building for promoting sustainable development
Thailand is expected to continue its full support for and participation in the GMS core environment program (CEP), endorsed at the Second GMS Summit, which involves a coordinated approach to ensuring that the robust pace of economic development proceeds in a sustainable manner. ADB will administer a CEP cluster RETA project, with contributions from the Governments of Sweden and other partners to enhance the level of strategic environmental assessments, knowledge sharing and financial mobilization for conservation, and to mitigate the environmental effects of economic corridor development.
Also under the CEP, a GMS Biodiversity Conservation Corridor Initiative is under way to protect high-value terrestrial biodiversity and protected areas in economic corridors. One of the pilot biodiversity corridor sites identified is located in Thailand (Tenasserim Range in Western Thailand). The GMS Environment Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate the CEP also inaugurated in Bangkok in late April 2006.
As part of ADB's planned strategic interventions under its results based approach, ADB has initiated sector and geographic strategy studies to guide its project investments under the GMS Program. Thailand is playing a key role in each of these studies as follows:
- Transport sector strategy study- this is being finalized to examine future cooperation and investment requirements from a multi-modal perspective, taking into account the requirement that production centers are linked with demand centers.
- Energy sector strategy study- being prepared to expand cooperation to cover all forms of energy, with emphasis on addressing energy security issues as well as sustainability issues through demand management and use of renewable energy.
- Tourism- a 10-year strategic framework and associated 5-year action plan was completed in June 2005. This strategic framework identified 29 high priority investment projects focusing, among others, on an intensified promotion of GMS as a single tourist destination, developing tourism-related infrastructure, improving standards for the management of natural and cultural resources, as well as promoting pro-poor community-based tourism.
- Pre-investment study on the North South Economic Corridor (NSEC)- to provide the framework for improved planning and management of public and private investments in the NSEC influence areas.