At the recently-held workshop on 30 November – 1 December 2023, approximately 80 local government representatives from 15 cities in Thailand gathered for capacity building training to advance governance for health.
Hosted by Thailand’s Department Of Health, the cities in attendance are part of Thailand’s Healthy City Initiative and WHO SEAR Healthy Cities Network. By bringing diverse representative together, the workshop sought to broaden local leadership perspectives and fuel Thailand’s innovative approach to tackling health and environmental challenges in urban settings. This workshop also served as a platform for synergistic collaborations amongst institutions and cities in Thailand.
Opening by Dr. Jos Van Dealer, WHO Representative to Thailand and Dr. Atthaphon Kaewsamrit, Deputy Director–General, Thailand’s Department Of Health
Dr. Suvajee Good, WHO SEARO Regional Advisor for Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health, sharing on the global and regional perspective
At the workshop, cities shared best practices and engaged in deep discussions on projects to advance the cities’ health. RL-UGHW introduced a range of strategic tools to facilitate strategic planning and brainstorming amongst city participants on urgent local health issues, barriers, and viable means to tackle them in their respective cities. This included a concrete action plan and consideration of stakeholders involved.
Panel discussions were also held for cities to share at length on present challenges and innovations being spearheaded locally. City representatives participated actively and took reference on potential innovations relevant for their context.
Workshop participants in discussion & Panel discussion
WHO Thailand Country Office also conducted several interviews with city representatives on their key insights from their experience championing health in their cities, as well as learnings from the workshop conducted.
RL-UGHW is proud to have supported efforts to advance health in Thailand, and looks forward to continued partnerships in the country and SEAR region to build local governments’ capacities for health and well-being in cities.
Behind the scenes – Thailand’s Department of Health organizing committee and RL-UGHW’s training team
