The Thailand team (from left to right): Bhuchis Phoompakvan (GIZ Thailand); Puvit Sinrat (OIE); Prapawadee Wachiraput (BMA); Chutinthorn Mankhong (OTP); Suwapon Boonpeng (OTP); Ausein Wirojtacha (OIE); and Papondhanai Nanthachatchavankul (GIZ Thailand)

From 22-26 September 2025, GIZ invited representatives from the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP), the Office of Industrial Economics (OIE), and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to the 8th Transport and Climate Change Week (TCCW 2025) in Dresden and Berlin, Germany to exchange knowledge and best-practice experiences on a variety of aspects regarding transport sector decarbonisation that are key to accelerating the transition towards sustainable and environmentally friendly transport systems.

Study visit to the Vehicle Testing Laboratory at Dresden University of Technology
The trip kicked off with a visit to the Vehicle Testing Laboratory of Dresden University of Technology, where participants explored cutting-edge facilities for vehicle, engine and emissions testing. Professor Frank Atzler delivered a lecture on Exhaust Aftertreatment and Emissions Measurement Technologies, highlighting global trends and their relevance to Thailand’s efforts to enhance vehicle efficiency and environmental performance. This brought valuable technical insights and hands-on knowledge from the demonstrations and discussions to the Thai delegation, making the visit both informative and inspiring.

Strengthening policy capacity for green vehicle transition
As part of TCCW, the Thai delegation joined a focused training session entitled ‘Regulating the Transition to Green Vehicles: From Policy Development to Implementation’, organised by GIZ’s IMPROVE project. This intensive workshop was designed to deepen the participants’ understanding of fuel efficiency policies and their effective implementation processes. Delegates from Thailand, alongside counterparts from seven other nations: Albania, Kenya, Colombia, Morocco, Uruguay, Vietnam and China, collaborated in group discussions to design their national policies for improving vehicle fuel efficiency. This included vital peer-to-peer learning, where countries shared lessons from successful policies.

A key presentation was delivered by Yuwei Pei from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), who detailed China’s development of fuel efficiency standards and its pivotal New Energy Vehicle (NEV) mandate designed to accelerate electric vehicle adoption. Further training emphasised the critical importance of robust Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems and the establishment of reliable baseline data, which are fundamental components for designing effective decarbonization policies. Experts also shared knowledge on addressing corporate lobbying practices to ensure policy engagement aligns with climate goals, featuring insights from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) and the international thinktank InfluenceMap. Reinforcing Thailand’s technical capacity, representatives from the OIE and GIZ presented the development of the Fuel Efficiency (FE) data portal, a system supported by the IMPROVE project.

Thai representatives brainstorming and presenting Fuel Efficiency (FE) policy implementation processes in a group exercise

Representatives from the OIE and GIZ present the development of the Fuel Efficiency (FE) data portal, which is supported by the IMPROVE project

Thai contributions to the global decarbonisation dialogue
The official opening of TCCW 2025 on 25th September featured a global dialogue, starting with a keynote by Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry, on the path needed to meet transport decarbonisation targets up to 2035. A high-level panel reviewed progress toward various countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), stressing the need to align transport strategies with emissions reduction goals, and discussing topics like e-mobility and transit-oriented development.

Participants of TCCW 2025 from over 35 countries worldwide

In the afternoon, Chutinthorn Mankhong, Director of the OTP’s Safety Planning Bureau, joined SLOCAT’s ‘Global Status Report: The Next Decade’ workshop to share Thailand’s NDC development experience, highlighting lessons from integration efforts and priorities for inclusive implementation. Meanwhile, Prapawadee Wachiraput from the BMA, presented Bangkok’s GIZ-supported electric feeder system at the session ‘Moving Together’, showcasing efforts to enhance first- and last-mile connectivity and promote sustainable, people-centred mobility.

Regional exchange and future cooperation
The Thai delegation joined the Regional Exchange Asia session alongside participants from India, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. During the session, participants shared their national initiatives and exchanged experiences, which proved highly valuable as all came from Asian countries facing similar challenges.

The Thai delegation also visited Agora Verkehrswende in Berlin, where they met with Executive Director, Christian Hochfeld and Senior Associate, Yannick Thoma. The Agora team presented their study on ‘Policies for Long-Term Sustainable EV Market Uptake and Value Chain’, outlining strategies to strengthen Thailand’s EV industry and promote sustainable mobility. Both sides discussed potential collaboration to advance green transport in Thailand.

Overall, the study visit provided the Thai delegates with practical exposure to advanced vehicle testing technologies and regulatory practices in Europe. Participants also gained insights into emerging trends in sustainable transport, which will help strengthen Thailand’s efforts to enhance vehicle efficiency, improve emissions monitoring and advance the transition towards cleaner mobility.