The Prime Minister on 22 July 2026 delivered a keynote address titled “Navigating the Green Transition: Thailand's Vision for Sustainable Development and Global Climate Action” at the opening of the first Green Bridge Forum at the Nongnooch Pattaya International Convention and Exhibition Center in Chon Buri Province. 

Organized by the State Audit Office of the Kingdom of Thailand, in its capacity as Chair of the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (INTOSAI WGEA), the forum brings together auditors-general, environmental experts, and representatives from 11 countries across the region. It runs from 21 to 23 July 2026 as a platform for exchanging knowledge and developing international cooperation in environmental auditing. 

According to Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Perisvivatana, the Prime Minister stated that countries around the world were facing the common challenge of balancing economic growth with environmental protection and that the green transition is not merely an environmental policy, but a fundamental global economic transformation. The countries that are able to adjust effectively will have great potential to attract investment, enhance competitiveness, strengthen energy security, and build resilience against future crises.

The Prime Minister described the Green Bridge concept as a bridge connecting policy with implementation, innovation with accountability, economic growth with environmental management, and national priorities with global cooperation. 

He emphasized that no country would be able to tackle climate change alone. Thailand, therefore, is ready to work with the international community and enhance its role in the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing in order to promote environmental governance, transparency, accountability, and sustainable development.

The Prime Minister stated that the transition to a green economy presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the world. By working together through shared vision, innovation, partnership, and good governance, all countries would be able to build stronger economies, more resilient societies, and a sustainable future for generations to come. Thailand, as Chair of the INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing, is committed to working with all sectors to drive the green transition based on good governance and transparency, paving the way for sustainable development. 

The Prime Minister on 21 July 2026 presided over the opening of the forum “THAILAND²: Empowering Thailand, Elevating Human Capital” at Kasetsart University in Bangkok. At the forum, he stated that the Government attached great importance to human capital development as the foundation for national development.

The Prime Minister pointed out that human resource development is an urgent priority amid challenges posed by an ageing society, technological advancements, geopolitical uncertainties, and climate change. In this regard, he said, the Government has a policy to provide Thai people of all ages with greater access to education, to upskill and reskill development, and to enhance mental well-being, so that they would be able to adjust and be ready to respond to global changes in the future.

“Empowering Thailand to effectively cope with these changes and seize new opportunities must begin with strengthening the capacity of the Thai people,” Prime Minister said.

Referring to his recent visit to China, the Prime Minister said that both countries had discussed the new world era, which is competing with knowledge, technologies, innovations, and the digital economy. In order to create new opportunities, Thailand agreed to expand cooperation with China in many fields, especially education, science, research, and innovation, through many agreements and memorandums of understanding, aimed at developing a future-ready workforce.

The Prime Minister also commended five ministries for their cooperation in advancing human capital development, saying that investing in human capital is the country’s most important investment that would become a driving force to move the country forward.

The five ministries include the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.

They joined forces in organizing the THAILAND² event, with various activities showcasing new opportunities and skill development for Thai people of all groups and the new facet of Thailand’s education, science, research, and innovation to prepare the people for the new world era.

The two sides exchanged views on Thailand–United Kingdom relations, youth development, and the promotion of women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal underscored that the successful promotion of women in these fields requires the support of both families and educators. 

The Prime Minister, in turn, emphasized that education, critical thinking, and analytical skills constitute the essential foundation for effective problem-solving and national development.

The two sides also shared the view that strengthening healthcare systems, advancing research, and enhancing international cooperation are essential to effectively addressing public health challenges. The Prime Minister commended the United Kingdom's strengths in medicine and scientific research and expressed confidence that the two countries would further deepen their cooperation in these areas in the future.

The visit underscored the longstanding and close relations between Thailand and the United Kingdom, and provided an important opportunity to further enhance bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Both sides discussed preparations for the AIBD General Conference (AIBD GC) 2026 and efforts to strengthen cooperation in media capacity development across the Asia-Pacific region. They agreed that the upcoming AIBD GC 2026 be held on 24–26 August 2026 in the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. 

The conference will bring together 87 member organizations from 42 countries and territories, providing an important platform for shaping regional cooperation in media development and communication. Participants will also exchange views and experiences on key challenges facing regional media.

As Chair of the AIBD General Conference, Mrs. Sudruetai offered to send PRD personnel to serve as a speaker at a regional workshop held alongside the conference to share Thailand's experience in combating fake news and applying artificial intelligence for fact-checking and information verification. The initiative is intended to strengthen the professional capacity of AIBD member organizations while showcasing Thailand's expertise in digital media innovation on the regional stage.

Established in 1977 with the support of UNESCO, AIBD aims to strengthen the professional capacity of media, broadcasting, information, and communication practitioners while promoting international cooperation to advance professional standards and sustainable media development throughout the region.

PRD hosted the previous AIBD General Conference and associated meetings in the southern province of Phuket in August 2025, when the PRD Director-General was elected AIBD President, the highest-ranking position among AIBD members, for a period of two years, from 2025 to 2027.

The Deputy Prime Minister on 16 July 2026 participated in a fireside chat at ั่the Nikkei Forum APAC 2026 held in Bangkok. In his keynote address, he built upon the key message from his address at the 31st Nikkei Forum Future of Asia in Tokyo on 10 June 2026, reiterating that “the future is Asia.”

He underscored that Asia’s future depends on “resilient openness,” emphasizing that the region must remain open to international cooperation while strengthening the region’s capacity to navigate risks and uncertainties. This requires adapting to the evolving global economic landscape, promoting intra-regional cooperation, and fostering mutual trust through regional frameworks, particularly ASEAN.

During the fireside chat, the Deputy Prime Minister shared his vision regarding Thailand’s role as a middle power in advancing regional cooperation, as well as strategies to mitigate the economic impacts of ongoing regional and global conflicts.

Organized in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to mark Nikkei’s 150th anniversary, the Nikkei Forum APAC 2026 serves as a regional platform for leaders and experts from the public and private sectors across the Asia-Pacific region, including Thailand, Japan, China, and Viet Nam, to share perspectives and exchange views on key issues related to key industries in the region, including the automotive industry, robotics and AI, tourism, food industry, and finance. 

The forum drew over 200 in-person attendees and more than 2,000 online participants. In this regard, Mr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, also delivered the opening remarks on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Both sides exchanged views on Thailand - United Kingdom relations, youth development, education promotion, and women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Princess Anne emphasized that encouraging more women to pursue STEM careers requires support from both families and teachers. The Prime Minister highlighted that education, critical thinking, and analytical skills are essential foundations for effective problem-solving and national development.

Both sides also underscored the importance of strengthening health security and preparedness to cope with emerging diseases and epidemics. They also highlighted the need to enhance international cooperation in public health and medical research to better tackle global health challenges.  

The Prime Minister praised the United Kingdom's strengths in medicine and scientific research and expressed confidence that the two countries would further deepen their cooperation in these areas in the years ahead.  

Princess Anne had laid a wreath in tribute before the royal urn of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother and the royal urn of Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati Kromluangrajasarinisiribajra Mahavajrarajadhita. Her Royal Highness is also scheduled to have an audience with Their Majesties the King and Queen. 

The Princess thanked the Thai government for the warm welcome and recalled to her impressive previous visit to Thailand. Her Royal Highness admired Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother for the Queen’s life-long dedication to the nation.

The Prime Minister on 16 July 2026 welcomed a business delegation, comprising executives and members of the EU-ASEAN Business Council, along with members of the European Chamber of Commerce in Thailand, as well as about 40 European multinational companies.

In his meeting with the delegation at Santi Maitri Building, Government House, the Prime Minister said that the Government aimed to upgrade Thailand’s transport and logistics systems and improve rules and regulations to facilitate investment through the “Thailand FastPass” program.

Thailand is also driving its goal to become a full member of OECD in order to elevate the country’s public-sector standards, promote transparency, and build investor confidence, he said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Thailand intended to become a regional production and innovation base and accelerate the negotiations of the EU-Thailand FTA as soon as possible, so that Thai products would have greater access to the European market and Thai entrepreneurs would have more trade opportunities.

The group of European businesses voiced strong support for Thailand’s efforts to accelerate EU-Thailand FTA talks and its OECD accession, saying that Thailand had strong fundamentals as an investment destination — industrial capacity, regional connectivity, and a sizeable consumer market.

European businesses are keen to support Thailand’s industrial upgrading by bringing in the technologies, investment, and expertise needed to strengthen its position as a competitive, low-carbon production hub. They identified low-carbon manufacturing as key to helping Thailand move up the value chain and enhancing its competitiveness as a regional production hub, pointing to investment opportunities in energy-efficient production, cleaner industrial technologies, sustainable manufacturing processes, and technology transfer. 

Over 15,000 delegates from 191 countries, including global policymakers, economists, government representatives, private sector executives, and members of the media, will gather to discuss the future of the global economy. This marks a historic return after Thailand set a milestone with its successful and prestigious debut as host in 1991.

Mr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, stated on 14 July that hosting this summit is a major opportunity to deliver tangible benefits to Thailand and its citizens. It will stimulate the economy, elevate Thailand's global credibility, and internationally showcase local community capabilities under the concept of "Empowering Community: From Local to Global.

As host, Thailand has introduced the core theme: "Thailand’s New Horizons: Empowering People, Building Resilience." This theme aligns with the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP), a paradigm which promotes a balanced, sustainable, resilient, and people-centric development framework.

In driving policy on the global stage, the Thai government has linked its vision and fiscal policies to address today's challenges, building economic strength and readiness to cope with changes across all dimensions. This is achieved through four pillars that represent key strategic issues currently being addressed by countries worldwide, comprising:

• Digital and AI Transformation for Inclusive and Resilient Growth: Thailand stands ready to serve as a model for other nations in developing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), highlighting success stories like PromptPay and Cross-Border QR payments, as well as the integration of data and AI to optimize public services and healthcare policies with precision.

• Building Resilience in a Fragmented World: Showcasing Thailand's potentials as a "Trusted Hub" for trade, finance, and investment in Asia, while promoting highly resilient supply chains and innovative forms of international cooperation.

• Building a New Financial Architecture for Climate Adaptation: Championing the reform of global financial structures to support equitable energy transitions and climate adaptation.

• Demographic Change and the Longevity Economy: Turning the challenges of an aging society into economic opportunities and robust financial preparedness.

In addition to policy discussions, a major highlight of the event is the presentation of Thai identity and soft power to elevate the country's image and impress global delegates. The venue will feature handwoven textiles with unique local patterns curated from 21 provinces and 26 communities, totaling 37 heritage designs—such as Tai Lue Tin Chok woven fabric, elephant-patterned Pha Khao Ma, and hand-painted "Buppha Borom Rachineenart" batik—made into acoustic panels and integrated into the interior decor to showcase traditional Thai wisdom.

Furthermore, Geographical Indication (GI) products will be showcased and served, giving international delegates a taste of authentic Thai flavors, including premium, hand-selected 100% Thai Jasmine Rice, reflecting the abundance of Thailand as the region's agricultural "rice bowl."

Mr. Ekniti added that the host government is accelerating efforts to establish the event as a national agenda" through the "Road to Thailand" communication campaign. This campaign aims to engage all sectors – government agencies, academic institutions, businesses, and the public – emphasizing that this meeting is not just for policymakers and academics, but directly touches the lives of everyone. This is reflected in the active involvement of youth, local communities, and small enterprises in the preparation and execution of the event. In the short term, the influx of high-spending global visitors will immediately boost the tourism and hospitality sectors.

"Thailand's preparations are meticulous, down to the finest detail. The Government has elevated operations through three subcommittees: the Subcommittee on the Substance, ensuring a powerful driving force for the core theme; the Subcommittee on Protocol and Logistics, guaranteeing an exceptional experience that exceeds delegate expectations; and the Subcommittee on Security, ensuring a safe, orderly, and seamless event that inspires absolute confidence. Thailand is now 100% ready. Currently, delegations from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group are in Bangkok for their final evaluation, known as the 'July Mission.' Under a collaborative framework across all sectors, we have established a seamless control and operations system to ensure absolute readiness in all aspects," said Mr. Ekniti.

Mr. Vitai Ratanakorn, Governor of the Bank of Thailand (BOT), highlighted that with Thailand's global leadership in digital financial infrastructure—particularly through systems like PromptPay and Cross-Border QR payments—the BOT aims to showcase the future of the financial world through the concept of "Safe & Inclusive Digital Finance (SIDF)." This will demonstrate to the global community that digital finance must not only be fast but also secure and inclusive of all.

To achieve a safe and inclusive financial system, three key mechanisms are required: (1) managing digital fraud, scams, and crimes that directly impact confidence in the financial system; (2) mitigating cybercrime risks to ensure the financial system can withstand technology-related vulnerabilities, given that the current system’s reliance on highly concentrated infrastructure and service providers; and (3) creating an accessible and fair enabling ecosystem to prevent financial exclusion and inequality, particularly in an era where unequal access to AI and digital footprints could create new forms of disparity if policies are not designed carefully.

The key to this approach is a people-centric financial policy. Beyond protecting citizens from financial cyber threats, it unlocks fair access to capital and credit for small players, vulnerable groups, the elderly, and SMEs, ultimately enhancing their quality of life with safety and equality.

As the host, the BOT is ready to make history by introducing the "Bangkok Blueprint" policy framework. Developed in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, this global output will serve as a policy compass that countries can adapt to their unique contexts to build trust in the digital financial era.

The framework will cover robust policy and legal foundations, fraud prevention and detection, enhanced inter-agency and international cooperation, and raising public financial literacy and digital resilience.

"The Bangkok Blueprint is designed to be one of the key deliverables of this summit, bridging Thailand's national theme with global priorities. Since digital financial threats are a challenge faced by every nation, this blueprint demonstrates Thailand's global thought leadership, turning concepts into actionable, concrete frameworks to address challenges and foster international cooperation," concluded Mr. Vitai.

For more information on the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group and the "Road to Thailand" campaign, visit the official channels: Website: https://www.am2026thailand.go.th or Facebook: AM2026 Thailand https://www.facebook.com/AM2026THAILAND.

Minister of Tourism and Sports Surasak Phancharoenworakul on 13 July 2026 presided over the opening of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Action Plan 2027 meeting at the Grande Centre Point Lumphini Hotel in Bangkok.

The Minister outlined the 2027 tourism marketing plan, saying that the Government attaches great importance to tourism as a major engine to move the Thai economy forward, generate national income, distribute opportunities to the regional areas of the country, and strengthen the local economy.

He urged the tourism sector to work in a proactive manner to maintain Thailand’s competitiveness, based on four major guidelines, seeking to upgrade Thailand into a high-value destination, create marketing balance and enhance competitiveness, drive the tourism industry with information, technology, and innovation, and develop tourism organizations to cope with changes and drive Thailand’s tourism as a resilient industry of the future.

Meanwhile, Chairperson of the TAT Board and Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Natthriya Thaweevong said that the TAT Action Plan 2027 should emphasize value-added creation and tourism quality development, together with concerted cooperation between all relevant agencies to jointly build valuable and sustainable tourism experiences. The action plan should also be flexible in response to national development and sustainable growth in the long run.

TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool stated that TAT would elevate the country's tourism industry to achieve value over volume growth, with four major strategies. The first strategy, “shape market portfolio,” seeks to focus on target marketing for high-value tourism.

In the second strategy, “shape experience platform,” shifts the focus from selling tourism commodities to offering value-driven travel experiences, so that tourists may travel throughout the 365 days of the year. The third strategy, “shape new growth engine,” seeks to accelerate tourism economic growth through life economy, creative culture and subculture economy, and sustainable tourism. The fourth strategy involves the transformation of TAT into a high-performance organization, ready to cope with all emerging situations.

TAT will announce its marketing promotion plan for 2027 in August 2026, so that its partners from all sectors will be able to jointly drive Thailand’s tourism growth on a sustainable basis.

Dr. Watcharatiya, who is now an official at the PRD Digital Technology Division, won for her innovation, “Fake News Deep Verify,” an AI application that detects and assesses potentially false information in both Thai and English. Using AI and Large Language Models, the application analyzes the credibility of information and provides relevant sources, helping users verify content quickly and curb the spread of disinformation.

Her award-winning project stood out among more than 1,700 submissions from over 80 countries. The global competition focused on developing trustworthy generative AI to defend truth, protect citizens, and promote online peace.

The achievement highlights Thailand’s growing AI and innovation capabilities while reinforcing the PRD’s role in developing AI-skilled personnel and applying emerging technologies to support the Government’s efforts to combat fake news and promote digital literacy.

It also showcases the potential of Thai personnel for AI development that is competitive on the global stage. The Thai government aims to position Thailand as a regional hub for AI development and governance. 

The iSAFE Hackathon 2026 is a global innovation challenge designed to harness the power of technology and generative artificial intelligence to address emerging threats in online environments, empower digital citizens, and strengthen trust in digital systems.