On 18 May 2023 at 10.00 Hrs., Ms. Natalye Paquin, Chief Operating Officer of the Rockefeller Foundation, paid a courtesy call to Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) as part of her visit to Thailand. Mrs. Arunee Hiam, Deputy Director-General, and Ms. Chidchanok Malayawong, Director of Development Promotion and Coordination Division, also attended the meeting at TICA.
Ms. Paquin expressed her appreciation to TICA for strong cooperation between the two sides. The Rockefeller Foundation is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1913. Its goal is to promote well-being for people around the world. Its work focuses on public health, food security, clean energy, economic opportunity, and innovation through sciences, technology and innovation. The Foundation’s headquarters is located in New York. Its office in Bangkok serves as a regional office promoting development in Thailand and other countries in Asia.
The Foundation’s work in Thailand can be dated back to 1914 when the Rockefeller Foundation helped develop the public health system in Thailand. Later in 1964, the two sides signed the Memorandum of Understanding which further promoted the cooperation between Thailand and the Rockefeller Foundation. Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) has been in close cooperation with the Rockefeller Foundation. Recently, TICA has bridged the Rockefeller Foundation with Mahidol University resulting in many projects between the two sides in various areas of public health.
Both sides also discussed possibilities for future cooperation in the areas of mutual interests and current priorities such as climate change and health impacts, clean energy, sustainable agriculture, 4 Human Securities (Job, Health, Food, Environment and Energy), and women empowerment. Regional cooperation under the ACMECS framework especially capacity building and human resources development for the Master Plan’s third Pillar, ‘Smart and Sustainable ACMECS’ was also pointed out.