On Friday 26 April 2013 at 13.00 hrs. at Vithes Samosorn, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr.Piroon Laismit, Director-General of Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, Mr. Tandin Dorji,  Director-General of  Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Bhutan  and  Mr. Caspar Peek, United Nations Populaion Fund (UNFPA) Representative for Thailand signed the Memorandum of Understanding  between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Ministry of Health of Bhutan, and the UNFPA on Technical Cooperation.

The Cabinet’s decision on 2 April 2012 approved the signing of UNPAF Action Plan Thailand 2012-2016 whereby the International Cooperation Programme  is one of the joint partnership programmes.  Under the joint partnership on International Cooperation Programme, Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA) and UNFPA Thailand Office agree upon the Annual Work Plan aimed at promoting Thailand’s good practices and experience-sharing on reproductive health, population development and health related issues under the South – South Cooperation and Triangular Cooperation.  TICA and UNFPA, thus, agree to provide demand driven technical cooperation to strengthen capacity of the Kingdom of Bhutan on public health and services. The three parties agree to sign the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Triangular Partnership on Technical Cooperation to determine the activities and responsibilities for collaboration.

Last year, under the three year operation project (2012-2014), TICA, in collaboration with UNFPA and Praboromarajchanok Institute for Health Workforce Development, conducted training course under the topic “International Advanced Midwifery International Neonatal Programme” for 21 Bhutanese health staff for two weeks.  In 2013,  TICA, together with UNFPA, has arranged a study visit for 10 district health team and will conduct a two- week training for additional 20 Bhutanese nurses in May.