On 25 August 2025, Ms. Rujikorn Saengchantr, Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs, delivered welcoming and opening remarks at the 23rd Virtual International Training Course on Management of Malaria, hosted by the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, as the Centre of Excellence in Tropical Medicine under the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). The course was co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Director-General highlighted the importance of international cooperation in promoting public health security, given the intensification of complex global challenges and increasingly severe cases of cross-border infectious disease outbreaks - particularly in the Bay of Bengal region. The eradication of malaria thus requires both medical measures and foreign policy to achieve the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030.

The training course aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity in malaria management, contributing to the achievement of the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016 - 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being. The course featured lectures and knowledge-sharing by experts, representatives from the WHO, and participants from various countries, including BIMSTEC member states.