On 13 September 2023, Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), presided over the opening ceremony of TICA-USAID’s Project on the International Capacity Building on HIV-related Stigma and Discrimination Reduction and STIs Services in Healthcare Settings – representing one of the trilateral cooperation projects under the TICA – USAID Strategic Partnership – together with Mr. Steven G. Olive, Mission Director, USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA) at Lao Plaza Hotel, Vientiane, Lao PDR. Dr. Niti Hetanurak, Deputy Director-General, Department of Disease Control and Dr. Panina Phoumsavanh, Director of Center for HIV/AIDS and STIs (CHAS) were also present at the event.

This Project starts off with the “Workshop on Context of Stigma and Discrimination in Lao PDR”, organized from 11 – 15 September 2023 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The aim of this activity is to analyse the context of stigma and discrimination (S&D) related to HIV and AIDS in order to develop curricula and measures for reducing S&D in Lao PDR. This Workshop was attended by 45 participants, including healthcare providers, public health practitioners and representative from civil society organisations in Lao PDR.

On this occasion, Mrs. Ureerat emphasised Thailand’s efforts to reduce new HIV cases through the National Strategy to End AIDS 2017 – 2030, under which Thailand sets its goal to see no new HIV infections by 2030. Under this backdrop, TICA, together with USAID, aims to share their best practices with Laos PDR with a view to collectively achieve the common goals of eradicating HIV/AIDS and to reduce HIV-related S&D in healthcare services to ensure livelihood and well-being of those living with HIV.