On 18th – 19th July 2024, Prof. Piyamitr Sritara, MD, FRCP, FACP, Acting President of Mahidol University, together with Assoc. Prof. Nopraenue Sajjarax Dhirathiti, Ph.D., Acting Vice President for Global Partnerships and University Council, Mahidol University, participated in The 15th ASEAN University Network Rectors’ Meeting, under the theme of “Shaping Our Region & The World: The Force of Universities in Sustainable Development”. The meeting was organized by the ASEAN University Network Secretariat, with the purpose to serve as a platform to exchange opinions, perspectives, and roles of higher education institutions under the ASEAN University Network to enhance the cooperation in both regional and international levels, which is affiliated to the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), to meet up with the global challenges in the present world. The opening ceremony was honorably presided over by Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti, Executive Director of ASEAN University Network (AUN). The participants included the high-level leaders and representatives of the AUN Member Universities, with a total of 30 universities from 10 countries around Southeast Asia region, as well as the university administrators worldwide gathered in this event at the Eastin Grand Hotel Phayathai, Bangkok.
On this occasion, Prof. Piyamitr Sritara, MD, FRCP, FACP, Acting President of Mahidol University, also joined in a panel discussion on the “Session 1: Universities as the Pillar of Partnership for the Goals” to engage dialogue on how universities work together to realize the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) through international cooperation, the AUN Thematic Network, and global partnerships. The panelists were accompanied by Dr. Roger Y. Chao Jr., Assistant Director and Head of Education, Youth and Sports Division, ASEAN Secretariat, Prof. Karen Nelson, Provost, University of Southern Queensland, Australia, Prof. Wening Udasmoro, Ph.D., S.S., M.Hum., DEA., Vice Rector for Education and Learning, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, and Prof. Eiji Nawata, Director of the Kyoto University ASEAN Center and Representative of Japanese Partner Universities (JPU), ASEAN University Network/Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (AUN/SEED-Net), Japan. This session was moderated by Dr. Phouvong Phimmakong, Deputy Director of International Relations, National University of Laos (NUOL), Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR).
Apart from the main meeting, Assoc. Prof. Nopraenue Sajjarax Dhirathiti, Ph.D., Acting Vice President for Global Partnerships and University Council, Mahidol University, participated in The 39th ASEAN University Network Board of Trustees (AUN-BOT) to observe the report on the key results of ASEAN University Network in the past year and the discussion on a direction for future collaboration of the AUN Member Universities towards the path of regional higher education within ASEAN and beyond.
