Bangkok, Thailand – On 1 April 2026, the ‘Regional Collaboration on Global Carbon Markets (RC-GCM)’ project, in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE), organised a regional kick-off workshop to align strategic directions and establish a concrete operational plan for 2026-2028.
The workshop brought together 98 participants, including policymakers, academics, practitioners, carbon market intermediaries, international organisations, development agencies and private-sector representatives from Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The RC-GCM project is a global initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and implemented by GIZ.
Sven Egbers, RC-GCM Project Director at GIZ Germany, welcomed participants by highlighting the project’s role in mobilising climate finance and accelerating mitigation across Southeast Asia. He noted that recent developments, including the finalised Article 6 rulebook at COP29 and the European Union’s inclusion of international credits in its 2040 targets, have created a robust demand for high-integrity carbon credits. He emphasised that the project aims to translate the global rules into credible national and regional systems through enhanced cooperation. A key focus was placed on the agri-food sector, particularly rice, where the project aims to build capacity for scalable carbon projects that deliver measurable mitigation and farmer co-benefits. He also underscored that regional alignment is essential to strengthening market integrity and ensuring that Southeast Asian carbon markets are transparent, effective and built to last.
Dr Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the DCCE, highlighted Thailand’s climate ambition, through its NDC 2035, aims for a 47% emissions reduction by 2030, and to achieve net zero by 2050. Special emphasis was placed on the agricultural sector, the nation’s second-largest emitter, where measures like Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and biogas utilisation are being scaled up. To drive these goals, Thailand is advancing high-integrity carbon market mechanisms under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, supported by Thailand’s International Carbon Credit Guidelines (ICCG) to ensure possible additions to the NDC and prevent double counting. The DCCE is developing the Climate Change Act and an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to stimulate domestic carbon demand. The RC-GCM Project was recognised as a pivotal regional initiative to enhance Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs) and Article 6 capacities. In collaboration with the Rice Department, the project seeks to establish clear operational boundaries between government funding, GCF, and carbon market-based areas to ensure transparency, high-integrity outcomes and improved livelihoods for farmers.
Arnon Noncei, the Director General of the Rice Department (RD), highlighted Thailand’s transition towards a ‘new carbon economy’ in his remarks, where rice is redefined from a traditional commodity into a high-potential carbon sink. Global market competitiveness is shifting from cost-based to value-based, where future rice prices will reflect the carbon footprint within the production system. To capitalise on this, Thailand is advancing the ‘Thailand Model’ for low-carbon, rice integrating technologies like AWD, site specific soil and nutrient management, and microbial innovation, to transform farmers from crop producers into environmental value creators. Central to this transition is the development of Digital MRV as a market infrastructure to convert carbon into credible assets, alongside economic incentives such as premium pricing and carbon credits to drive behavioural change. Thailand reaffirmed its readiness to serve as a Regional Learning Hub, inviting ASEAN partners to co-design a transparent, scalable carbon market that harmonizes technology, data and economic motives to ensure the rice sector remains both a global food source and a definitive climate solution.
Thawatchai Saengkumsuk, Project Leader for RC-GCM Thailand, presented a comprehensive overview of the project’s strategic framework, outlining its background key challenges and primary objectives. He highlighted that the project aims to strengthen the agricultural sector’s capacity for implementing pilot projects under Article 6 and VCMs, while enhancing Thailand’s role in promoting cooperation in regional carbon trading, and to promote regional knowledge exchange across Southeast Asia.
Participants also gained insights through technical presentations covering Thailand’s voluntary carbon markets and the expected contribution of Article 6 to Thailand’s NDC ambition, as well as GHG mitigation in agriculture, focusing on Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) in rice cultivation.
The workshop concluded with a World Café session, where cross-sectoral participants discussed and co-designed specific activities for each work package. These strategic inputs will be integrated into the concrete Operational Plan for 2026-2028, ensuring a well-defined roadmap with specific activities, timeframes, and clear roles and responsibilities. The discussions highlighted the need for coordinated regional action to advance high-integrity carbon markets in Southeast Asia – supported by robust MRV systems and aligned standards – with RC-GCM positioning Thailand as a catalytic driver of regional cooperation, strengthening Article 6 readiness and enhancing the credibility of carbon markets in support of NDC achievement.
Thawatchai Saengkhamsuk
Project Director RC-GCM Thailand
Email: thawatchai.saengkhamsuk@giz.de