Thailand, blessed with a wealth of culture and traditions, stands out in the Southeast Asian region as a country of grace and pride. In terms of human resource development, the nation well realizes the challenges of the globalized world, and thus values highly international collaborative relationships.
The country's readiness can be seen from its recent success in organizing UNCTAD X in February 2000, the first large multilateral conference of the millennium. It also houses 26 significant regional and international organizations and 136 embassies and consulates, all of which have contributed to the international exposure of education institutions and to the heightening of closer relationships in different dimensions.

Thailand's unique cultural beauty is striking and graceful, allowing all who have come to experience it to appreciate the treasures of art, music and literature which have shaped the refined ways of Thai people's life, and harmonized their hearts in a time of happiness and haziness.

Academically, the Ministry of University Affairs (MUA), as an agency responsible for most degree granting institutions of the country (both public and private), has placed an emphasis on internationalization and regionalization of higher education. Its geographical setting at the heart of the Southeast Asian region, combined with its able workforce and strong infrastructure, has served as an ideal meeting place for intellects and scholars to learn more about the country and the region.

The MUA has been actively involved in regional and international activities at the bilateral, trilateral and multilateral levels, through it's representation in relevant forms such as ASEAN, APEC and Unesco, and through the implementation of memorandums of understanding signed with countries in Asia, Europe, North and Latin Americas. The MUA renders financial support for exchange programs through University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP), and through provision of 144 exchange grants from Thai universities and countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mynmmar, Southern China, Thailand and Vietnam). The Royal Thai Government has agreed to fund 5.5 billion bath (US$144 million) for the setting up of 150 doctoral programs from 2000-2004. The direct exposure and consistent interactions under numerous programs and activities with its global higher education partners have enabled Thailand to grow, ready to cope with the uncertainties of today and tomorrow.

Thai higher education also has its diversity to offer. It has more than 3,000 programs of study in various areas of specialization, from undergraduate up to the doctoral degrees. It also meets the demands of local and international students who wish to enroll in programs using English as a medium of instruction, by providing over 350 such programs.

The MUA has given no less importance to the quality of education. Its initiative on quality assurance systems, currently implemented as an integral internal effort, is at its highest gear, ready for the external auditing by an independent body to perform its duties in several years' time. On the other end, Thailand has got loans from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to the upgrade laboratory equipment of undergraduate and graduate studies nationwide, in order to ensure that faculty and students alike will have the hands-on experience to become highly capable in the science and technology field - so much needed in the national and regional development of the fast-changing hi-tech world.

Besides of its involvement in a good number of regional and international programs and activities, Thai higher education institutions have enjoyed academic resources, links and networking offered by the numerous offices that Thailand has been host to. Some examples are the ASEAN University Network (AUN) Secretariat, aiming to strengthen ASEAN awareness and cooperation; the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL), which encourages exchanges of faculty and students in the region; SEAMEO Regional Center for Higher Education and Development (RIHED) at MUA's building, which promotes international links among members in the Southeast Asian Region; and UNCTAD-Thailand's most recent agreement to establish an Institute of Trade and Development, providing training to developing countries on trade diplomacy and the other areas they need for the free trade globe.

As exchange and study programs in Thailand are on the rise, the MUA and Thai higher education institutions have adjusted themselves to accommodate the needs for electronic and other physical facilities for foreign students and guests alike, through the duration of their academic undertakings in the country.

With increased expertise and accumulated experiences in favorable international environments, as well as the precious cultural heritage Thailand has to offer, Thai higher education has attracted increasing numbers of students, faculty, researchers and experts from neighboring countries and those across the region to study and undertake various joint projects, acquiring and sharing intellectual and cultural richness for mutual academic excellence, benefit and understanding