The Cabinet has approved criteria to control imported goods that are at risk of involving forced labor, aiming to elevate Thailand's trade standards to an international level. It also approved the establishment of a committee to set standards for imported goods with risks related to forced labor or services.
On 23 Jun 2026 GMT+7, First Lieutenant Phatdarasmit Thongsaluaykorn, Deputy Spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office, announced that the Cabinet approved the Ministry of Labor’s proposal to set criteria for imported goods at risk of forced labor. This aims to guide trade negotiation strategies and demonstrate Thailand’s commitment to addressing forced labor across supply chains. The Cabinet approved two key points: 1. Acknowledgment of Thailand’s investigation results, and 2. Approval to establish the “Committee to Set Standards for Imported Goods at Risk of Forced Labor or Services.” The Minister of Labor will chair this committee, which will have the authority to devise measures and solutions to address imports of goods at risk of forced labor or services, in line with World Trade Organization (WTO) principles. The committee will set criteria and standards for verifying certification documents of risky imported goods, and propose watchlists/blacklists or risk lists of such goods to the Cabinet.
This is an unprecedented measure in Thailand. The criteria will align with 1) international standards to prevent and address forced labor across supply chains, namely the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), which focus on assessing and mitigating potential forced labor impacts from raw materials to suppliers; and 2) the principles of International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions No. 29 on Forced Labour (1930), its 2014 Protocol (P29), and Convention No. 105 on the Abolition of Forced Labour (1957). Thailand is a member state of both the United Nations and the ILO.
First Lieutenant Phatdarasmit disclosed that after the Cabinet approves the committee’s findings, the matter will be forwarded to the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce, to issue announcements in the Royal Gazette under Section 5 of the Export and Import Act B.E. 2522 (1979) to enforce the regulations.