Thailand

The Thailand Country Programme of Focus on the global South has been in operation since 1997 and covers all thematic areas of Focus work with the emphasis on Deglobalisation, Reclaiming the Commons and Climate Justice. The key objectives include:
• To advance alternative economic and social policies toward social justice;
• To enlarge and defend the political space of social movements, community organizations, and the public in the country’s decision making processes;
• To build and strengthen the solidarity of the social movements across Asia and globally. The methodology adopted since the inception of the programme is micro-macro issues linking and coalition building for national advocacy.

One of the national coalitions which Focus has been involved in initiating and facilitating is FTA Watch, a coalition of social movements, NGOs, and activist academics working on FTAs and WTO issues since 2003. FTA Watch has made a significant contribution in the democratisation of treaty making procedure in Thailand through its campaigns for constitutional reform and the promotion of alternative organic law on the procedure. More recently, the Thai Working Group for Climate Justice (TCJ) was created as a national platform for engagement on climate change issues and related policies. At the regional level, Focus Thailand Programme is active in building links and space where civil society groups in the ASEAN can work together to promote a more progressive, people-centred regional cooperation.