National insights on Bangkok meeting agenda 14.06.2018

What have we achieved? What challenges do we face? What have we learned so far and where do we go from here? Public Health representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam shared their experiences with each other when RAI2E organized a high-level meeting in Bangkok on 12 and 13 June 2018.

For the fourth time, RAI2E organized a high-level meeting for the five Greater Mekong Subregion countries where the programme is working to accelerate malaria elimination. In addition to representatives from each of the implementing countries, the Regional Steering Committee (RSC), the Global Fund, WHO and UNOPS PR attended the two-day meeting as observers.

Senior Expert in Preventive Medicine at the Thai Department of Disease Control, Dr Wichai Satimai, opened the event on 12 June. On the same day, each of the five implementing countries presented their achievements, challenges, lessons learned and the way forward. The presentations were followed by open discussions between the participants of the high-level meeting.

On the second day of the high-level meeting, WHO, UNOPS PR and the Global Fund held presentations for the participants. WHO gave an update on the status of drug resistance in the Greater Mekong Subregion, before UNOPS PR presented and led a discussion on key messages from the recent RSC meeting and partners’ forum. The Global Fund’s Senior Portfolio Manager for RAI2E, Izaskun Gaviria, went on to address optimisation of funds and resources. At the end of the two-day high-level meeting, the participants formulated recommendations of the inter-country meeting. Dr. Taweesap Siraprapasiri, Senior Expert in Preventive Medicine and Director of the Principal Recipient Administrative Office at the Thai Department of Disease Control closed the event.

High-level meetings such as the one organised in Bangkok give the countries working to eliminate malaria from the subregion an opportunity to strengthen the partnerships between themselves and share achievements, lessons learned and plans for the future. The meeting also acts as a forum and platform to build a common, collaborative and coordinated approach to eliminate malaria in the subregion. The meeting also provided recommendations that can support implementing countries make informed decisions in their efforts to eliminate malaria.

Photo: Naw Moo Kho Paw, PR UNOPS