Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Thailand Office, will co-organise the “Announcement of South-South Cooperation on Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and Syphilis: Sharing Thailand’s EMTCT Best Practice with the World” event on 28 February 2019 from 10.00 - 11.30 hrs. at Narathip Auditorium, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will deliver the opening remarks. Participants will include representatives from public health sector with expertise in maternal and child health, representatives from diplomatic corps in Thailand, development agencies, international organisations, and the media.

The event aims to promote existing and prospective South-South and Trilateral Cooperation between Thailand, UNICEF, and countries around the world on EMTCT of HIV and Syphilis. It will also highlight Thailand’s success in being placed as the second country in the world to receive a certificate of validation from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016 and 2018, in recognition of its continued commitment to improve the quality and coverage of pregnancy-related services and the public health system as a whole, in accordance with the national guidelines for the prevention of MTCT.

Activities during the event will include remarks on the announcement of the South-South Cooperation on EMTCT of HIV and syphilis delivered by high-level representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Health, and UNICEF, followed by a panel discussion on “EMTCT of HIV and Syphilis in Thailand: Yesterday’s Effort, Today’s Success, and Future Prospect” and an exhibition.

The Royal Thai Government, through the Ministry of Public Health, has been collaborating with UNICEF in providing support to other developing countries to learn from the Thai experiences through study visits and trainings. TICA and UNICEF see the opportunity of widening the existing network of knowledge sharing to benefit partner countries in their efforts to achieve EMTCT and universal health coverage. This is being done through facilitating access to Thailand’s best practices and lessons learned through a well-structured and sustainable South-South and trilateral cooperation. This collaboration also aims to build capacity for relevant Thai agencies as EMTCT knowledge hub, which can support Thailand’s leading role in South-South cooperation in this area.

Possible future activities under the Thailand - UNICEF cooperation will include international study visits, customised training courses for countries at different stages in their EMTCT processes, partnership building and knowledge sharing on global platforms, and identifying and supporting potential Thai institutions to be able to engage in international cooperation.