Bangkok, Thailand, 10-14 August, 2026 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in partnership with Lao PDR’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), facilitated a study tour to Thailand from 10–14 August 2026, bringing together 17 representatives of the Government of Lao PDR, including 12 female policymakers, to strengthen the country’s readiness to participate in international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

The visit is part of the Program for Open and Sustainable Carbon Markets, a USD 2.3 million initiative implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, with support from the GGGI Lao PDR office and financed by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), running from June 2023 to June 2027.

The delegation, comprising representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office and ministries of Agriculture & Environment, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Industry & Commerce, engaged with Thai government agencies, market institutions, and the private sector. The Lao PDR delegates gained practical insights from carbon market stakeholders working on one of Asia’s most advanced carbon market frameworks. The discussions ranged from carbon market governance, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, project development, and role of financial sector, stock exchange and the banking system.

Building on Lao PDR’s Carbon Market Foundations

The study tour comes as Lao PDR advances towards the finalization of its enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC3.0), which includes expanded sectoral coverage and scaled-up ambition. In May 2025, the Government of Lao PDR, through the signature of H.E. Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, adopted a Decree on Carbon Credits, establishing the legal foundation to govern carbon market activities. The MAE has since developed an advanced version of the Carbon Project Approval and Management Guidelines, which was validated on 7 August 2026. In addition, the MAE has developed a demonstration version of a national Carbon Credit Registry, alongside an approved National Article 6 Pipeline currently hosting five carbon projects across the agriculture, livestock, and energy sectors.

Learning from Thailand’s Carbon Market Experience

Thailand was chosen as the destination for the study tour for good reason. Alongside geographic proximity and shared socio-cultural aspects, few countries in the region have moved as far in turning Article 6 ambition into working systems. At the center of that progress is the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO), which hosts both the T-VER program and the latest premium T-VER, Thailand’s domestic carbon crediting scheme, of which the T-VER has already registered more than 659 projects and generated over 26 million tCO2e in emission reductions. Recently, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) also approved Thailand’s Premium T-VER as an eligible emissions program under CORSIA Phase 1, making it the only standard in Southeast Asia to achieve this milestone.

A draft Climate Change Act and strengthened MRV systems are now extending that foundation further. Thailand’s recent Article 6.2 cooperation agreement with Singapore is a further signal of a market moving from readiness to results. Alongside government-led efforts, support through the GGGI-led Supporting Preparedness for Article 6 Cooperation (SPAR6C) program has helped translate policy ambition into institutional practice.

Over the course of the week, the Lao delegation had the chance to see Thailand’s system from the inside. The tour opened with GGGI’s Thailand office, GIZ, South Pole, and UNEP sharing regional perspectives on Article 6, CORSIA, and high-integrity carbon markets. Building on these discussions, the delegation visited TGO to explore how Thailand’s domestic system works in practice, including T-VER, MRV, registry management and Article 6 transactions, providing practical lessons for Lao PDR as it develops its own guidelines and registry.

At the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), the delegation explored how the SET Carbon platform is bringing carbon trading into mainstream financial infrastructure, offering a glimpse of what market maturity might look like in the future. A site visit to Energy Absolute Thailand brought the conversation full circle: the company is behind the Thailand–Switzerland E-Bus Project, widely recognized as the world’s first Article 6.2 transaction, and offered a tangible example of how carbon finance can support real decarbonization on the ground. A meeting with the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) gave delegates a close-up look at the role of financial institutions and commercial banks in carbon market development – and what might be replicated back home.

The tour concluded with a high-level dialogue at DCCE, where Thailand outlined its expanded cross-government role, NDC 3.0 target, the forthcoming Climate Change Act, and its evolving Article 6 framework. Lao PDR shared its progress in operationalizing the Decree on Carbon Credits, through detailed guidelines and sectoral review. Both sides emphasized the need for deeper cooperation, including capacity building support and learning exchange from TGO, while ensuring that international transfers maintain high environmental integrity and do not compromise national NDC achievement.

Strengthening Regional Cooperation

What stood out across the week was not just what Lao PDR could learn from Thailand, but the extent to which the exchange ran in both directions.

Dr. Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change and Environment in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand  

Dr. Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change and Environment in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, noted in his opening remarks, “Lao PDR and Thailand are more than neighbors—we are like a family, with close ties and shared climate challenges. Thailand is committed to working with Lao PDR towards a stronger ASEAN carbon market through the High-Integrity ASEAN Carbon Initiative (HACI). CORSIA-Eligible Standards such as Premium T-VER can provide credible, cost-effective options that respect national sovereignty and meet international market requirements. Above all, carbon credits must represent real and verified emission reductions, without jeopardizing each country’s NDC.”

The sides noted that the study tour is a clear expression of GGGI’s role as a trusted advisor and technical partner to both countries, and a reminder that regional, peer-to-peer learning remains one of the most effective ways to accelerate credible, high-integrity carbon market development.

Mr. Immala Inthaboualy, Deputy Director General, Department of Environment, MAE, Lao PDR

“We appreciate DCCE’s warm welcome and, as close neighbors with a shared language, value this opportunity to learn from one another. As Lao PDR works to operationalize its Decree on Carbon Credits, Thailand’s experience with Article 6, TGO and T-VER offers valuable lessons. We look forward to further capacity-building cooperation and greater use of credible regional mechanisms, while ensuring that carbon-market activities support national priorities and achievement of our NDC”, noted Mr. Immala Inthaboualy, Deputy Director General, Department of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), Lao PDR.

With the insights gained in Bangkok now in hand, Lao PDR is set to carry that momentum forward, continuing to build toward full operational readiness under Article 6 – with GGGI’s support every step of the way.