On 27 November 2023, Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) had a bilateral meeting with Mr. Arken Arystanov, Chairman of the Board of Kazakstan Agency of International Development (KazAID) during the 5th Asia-Pacific Directors General Forum for South-South and Triangular Cooperation convened between 27-28 November 2023 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Both sides expressed their appreciation in having the opportunity to meet and discuss with each other at this Forum.

Chairman of the Board of KazAID thanked the Thai government for granting visa facilitation (free visa) to Kazakhstani citizens which provides a good opportunity to initiate international cooperation activities in Thailand for KazAID. He asked for more views on how to initiate development cooperation between KazAID and TICA. Director-General of TICA briefed an overview of TICA’s development cooperation together with some examples of bilateral and trilateral cooperation projects with other countries including one bilateral project in Central Asia, the Project on the Development of Digital Infrastructure for Ecological Research in the South Aral Sea for Uzbekiatan. She also added that Thailand has publicized samples of successful projects on the UN sharing information platform, such as the South-South Galaxy of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and the South-South Connector of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which recently launched at this 5th APDG Forum. Director-General of TICA proposed partnership cooperation with KazAID in Central Asia and recommended the implementation of development cooperation activity within the framework of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), of which both Thailand and Kazakhstan are members.

Both sides discussed potential areas of cooperation. Chairman of the Board of KazAID informed that Kazakhstan is willing to be a regional hub for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specializing in innovation and digital solutions. KazAID is interested in collaborating in various fields such as community and women's development, water sources management in the community and agricultural technology and innovation. He proposed forms of cooperation such as organizing training in Thailand for other regions, with Kazakhstan co-sponsoring the expenses for the training participants or implementing a project where Kazakhstan sends experts to transfer knowledge to Thai farmers, such as increasing rice production, promoting clean and green agriculture. Chairman of the Board of KazAID also handed documents detailing 21 brief project proposals for the Thai side to consider further.

Director-General of TICA informed of Thailand’s current development cooperation policy in promoting human security in four aspects namely health, food, job, and environment and energy. Furthermore, she expressed her interest in accessible and affordable technology and innovation to support key global agendas, such as a legally binding international agreement with all UN member states globally to end plastic pollution by 2024, set by the United Nations Environment Programme. (UNEP).