On 8-10 September 2026, Ms. Suchada Maktara, Deputy Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, joined the Thai delegation led by H.E. Mr. Pattana Promphat, Minister of Public Health, in attending the 17^th ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings on 7-11 September 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Meetings were held to discuss ASEAN health cooperation under the theme “Healthy ASEAN: Together Towards Equitable, Future-Ready Health Systems.”

At the meeting Thailand joined other ASEAN Member States in supporting the early finalisation of the ACPHEED Establishment Agreement, with a view to having the agreement signed at the 49^th ASEAN Summit in November 2026 in the Philippines, or during the first quarter of 2027. Thailand also supported the implementation of the ASEAN Strategic Health Agenda (ASHA) 2026-2030, a five-year framework to strengthen regional public health resilience, enhance access to healthcare, and bolster cooperation across ASEAN Member States.

The ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting is held every two years to advance ASEAN health cooperation. The proposal to establish ACPHEED was an outcome of the 37^th ASEAN Summit in November 2020 when ASEAN Leaders agreed to establish ACPHEED to promote ASEAN regional health resilience following the outbreak of COVID-19. In May 2022 the 15^th ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting agreed that Thailand would host ACPHEED for Response and the ACPHEED Secretariat, Indonesia would host ACPHEED for Detection, and Viet Nam would host the ACPHEED for Prevention. Once established, ACPHEED will help strengthen regional health architecture, security, and resilience.