ส.อ.ท. ร่วมประชุมคณะกรรมการขับเคลื่อนการเข้าเป็นภาคีอนุสัญญาต่อต้านการให้สินบนของ OECD และการเข้าเป็นสมาชิก OECDFTI Participates in the Committee Meeting to Drive Thailand's Accession to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and OECD Membership

On February 27, 2026, Mr. Kriangkrai Theeranukul, the President of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), assigned Dr. Phak Nilsuwanna Leelarasmee, Vice President of FTI, to represent the FTI at the first Committee Meeting aimed at driving Thailand's accession to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and OECD membership, chaired by Mr. Pattarasak Wanasang, a member of the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, held at Nonthaburi Room 3, Building 4, 3rd Floor, Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

The meeting reported on the progress of efforts to accede to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention as follows:
• On December 8, 2025, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, the Prime Minister, officially delivered Thailand's Initial Memorandum (IM) to Mr. František Ruzicka, the Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, at Government House during his visit to Thailand.
• On the same day, Mr. Pattarasak Wanasang submitted a letter of intent to begin the process of accession to the said convention to the Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD.
• From December 6-13, 2025, a delegation from the National Anti-Corruption Commission participated in the meeting of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions held in Paris, France.

In terms of public relations, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, through its Corporate Communication Office in collaboration with the Office of International Anticorruption Affairs, has continuously raised awareness about the OECD and the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention both internally and externally through various media formats such as infographics, video clips, radio and television programs, and articles published through the Office's channels.

Additionally, in the latter half of 2026, a workshop will be organized to enhance understanding of the convention and seek collaboration from various agencies to disseminate information to the public.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the assessment and amendment of laws to align with OECD standards in the following areas: (1) the process of settling bribery cases that can be done without entering the court system; (2) international legal cooperation with member countries regarding extradition, bribery cases, and various procedural guidelines; (3) Thailand already has some laws that align with the OECD, but lacks serious implementation; (4) the process of amending laws has several steps before it enters the Cabinet, necessitating preparation in various areas, especially laws that have mutual effects or are related, to ensure smooth implementation and compliance with OECD standards.

Dr. Phak Nilsuwanna suggested that currently the Joint Private Sector Committee from 3 institutions (the JPCA) has participated in activities and meetings with Business at OECD (BIAC), which is the business network of the OECD, to provide policy recommendations, enhance trade and investment standards, and support Thailand's accession to OECD membership. Recently, they participated in the General Assembly meeting in Paris in February 2025.

BIAC acts as the voice of the private sector from OECD member countries to provide recommendations on investment, digital policy, and free trade, while the JPCA serves as the representative of Thai private sectors in coordinating cooperation with BIAC to build confidence among foreign investors and elevate Thai business standards internationally, which is an important component in supporting another aspect of Thailand's accession to OECD membership.

Therefore, it is proposed that all sectors access the Open Law Data website of the Office of the Council of State to jointly express their opinions on legal drafts, which will help ensure that legal improvements reflect perspectives from the public sector, private sector, and the public comprehensively.

For issues proposed for consideration, the meeting clarified the approach for amending laws to align with OECD standards, with the National Anti-Corruption Commission cooperating with the OECD on the project Reinforcing Thailand’s Anti-Corruption Framework under the Country Programme Phase 2, which prepares study reports and proposals to strengthen legal frameworks and law enforcement on bribery against foreign public officials (Foreign Bribery).
OECD has evaluated six key areas:
1. The offense of bribing foreign public officials or officials of international organizations (Foreign Bribery Offence);
2. The liability of legal entities involved in bribing foreign public officials or officials of international organizations (Liability of Legal Person);
3. Sanctions for the offense of bribing foreign public officials or officials of international organizations (Sanctions);
4. Enforcement of laws on bribing foreign public officials or officials of international organizations (Enforcement);
5. International cooperation (International Cooperation);
6. Prohibition of deducting bribe-related expenses as tax-deductible expenses (Non-tax Deductibility).

After submitting the letter of intent in December 2025, the committee will proceed with legal amendments to comply with OECD standards to accede to the convention, which is expected to take approximately 9 months. Subsequently, it will enter the follow-up process for compliance with the convention taking about 1 year and 6 months before entering the legal preparation phase for OECD membership, which will take another approximately 1 year to achieve the goal of Thailand's accession to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and OECD membership by 2028.