15 November | 10:15-11:35 (GMT+7)

Topic 1: Evolution of FP in the Land of Smiles

• Speaker: Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, Director-General, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand

Thailand Population Policy during the 3 periods of Pronatalist (1938-1960), Family Planning (1961-2001), and Challenging (2002-present) will be discussed. We will also describe the journey of the country’s population policy from family planning to reproductive health as well as key success factors.

Topic 2: Integration of FP into the country’s health system

• Speaker: Dr. Bunyarit Sukrat Director, Bureau of Reproductive Health, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand

Adolescent pregnancy has become a challenging problem. Lesson learned from policy implementation of Thailand Adolescent Pregnancy Act will be discussed.

Topic 3: Success acceleration through non-conventional strategies

• Speaker: Mechai Viravaidya, Founder and Chairman of PDA

Mechai has started what he calls five journeys to improve the quality of life of his Thai citizens. The first journey began in 1974, was to reduce births by using creative partnerships with the Buddhist monk, a quarter of a million rural school teachers, students, village shopkeepers and policemen which he calls Cops and Rubbers Partnership. The second was to reduce our financial dependence from donor agencies by establishing businesses for social progress, today commonly known as Social Enterprises. The third was to reduce infections and deaths from HIV/AIDS by using much of the imaginative methodologies introduced during the family planning day. The fourth was to reduce poverty by partnering urban companies with poor rural villages and helping to establish microcredit savings and loan funds in villages. The companies had both business skills and had funds to donate to help establish small businesses. The fifth was to reduce ignorance by establishing the Bamboo School to become a lifelong learning center and a gateway for social and economic advancement for communities surrounding the school.

Topic 4: Future demographic challenge for Thailand

• Speaker: Assist. Prof. Piyachart Phiromswad, Head of Research Unit in Finance and Sustainability in Disruption Era, Sasin School of Management, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

Two demographic challenges which are rapid decline in fertility and rapid population aging will be discussed. This session will explore how we can turn these demographic challenges into opportunities by relying on technological innovation, social innovation and behavioral public policy innovation.