On 22 May 2026, Ms. Pimwadee Sovaratanapong, Deputy Director General of the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), together with the representative from the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, attended the closing ceremony of the training programme entitled “Prevention and Surveillance of African Swine Fever (ASF) Outbreaks” as well as the handover ceremony of equipment for ASF prevention and surveillance to animal quarantine checkpoints of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic at the Nong Khai International Animal Quarantine Station, Nong Khai Province. Both activities were conducted under the project Enhancing Emergency Preparedness and Response to Prevent and Control African Swine Fever Thai Lao Border, which aims to strengthen preparedness and response capacities for the prevention and control of ASF along the Thai- Lao border.

The training programme received strong cooperation from relevant agencies of the Department of Livestock Development, both at the central and regional levels, whose experts served as trainers and shared knowledge on ASF prevention, surveillance, and outbreak response with 20 Lao officials responsible for ASF surveillance along the Thai-Lao border. The programme aimed to enhance personnel capacity and strengthen animal health cooperation between the two countries. Such cooperation will help protect Thailand’s livestock industry and farmers, strengthen economic and trade security, improve joint early warning and response systems, and reinforce Thailand’s role as a development partner in the region under both the Greater Mekong Subregion and ASEAN cooperation frameworks.

Following the completion of the training, representatives from both sides exchanged views on the content and benefits of the programme, discussed challenges, constraints, and recommendations for project implementation, and jointly explored the possibility of conducting follow up activities under the cooperation framework to further strengthen sustainable ASF prevention and control efforts along the Thai-Lao border.