Thailand’s climate, forest and environmental governance continues to disproportionately affect Indigenous Peoples, forest-dependent communities, rural communities, women and other marginalised groups. Forest and conservation policies continue to restrict customary land use and expose long-established communities to criminalisation, eviction and loss of livelihoods. At the same time, climate mitigation increasingly relies on carbon markets, carbon credits and reforestation without adequate safeguards for customary tenure and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), while Indigenous knowledge and traditional land-management practices remain insufficiently recognised in climate and environmental policymaking.

During its 3rd UPR cycle, Thailand received nine recommendations concerning Indigenous Peoples’ rights, land and forest governance, and community participation in climate policies, all of which it supported. These included recommendations to ensure the meaningful participation of women, children, persons with disabilities and local communities in climate change and disaster risk reduction frameworks; enhance community participation in land conservation and forest management; ensure women’s and civil society’s effective participation in climate policymaking; and integrate a rights-based approach into climate mitigation and disaster risk reduction. However, these commitments have not translated into adequate protection in practice, with key recommendations assessed as either not implemented or only partially implemented. Notably, Thailand did not receive any recommendation specifically addressing environmental pollution or access to remedy for communities affected by climate change and harmful environmental policies, despite continuing impacts on communities.