Mekong Institute (MI), in collaboration with Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Chilean International Cooperation Agency for Development (AGCID), and the Undersecretariat of International Economic Affairs (SUBREI), highlighted trade policy development practices to increase transparency and participation in policy formulation at an online international workshop on “Trade Policy for ASEAN Members” from April 19 to 30, 2021.

Led by international and national experts from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, SUBREI, Digital Economy Promotion Agency, and MI, the workshop exposed 18 government and trade officials from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines to principles and best practices of the World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Agenda and the Chile Government on ways forward in establishing a more outward-oriented trade environment characterized by increased market access for exports and greater regional integration.  

In support of the workshop’s objectives, high-level officials such as H.E. Mr. Christian Rehren, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to Thailand; H.E. Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, TICA Director-General; Mr. Cristian Jara, AGCID Executive Director; and Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekhan, MI Executive Director opened the workshop on April 19, 2021. Each official underscored the value of balanced international trade practices to scale up economic growth, innovation, and productivity for higher income, employment, and opportunities in ASEAN countries.

The online workshop is one of several activities under the three-year cooperation program between the Governments of Thailand and Chile. The program aims to foster among ASEAN member state representatives a deeper understanding of the global trade system, as well as trade policies of each ASEAN country and Chile to facilitate deeper ASEAN Economic Community integration and trade cooperation with Latin American countries.