Chiang Mai’s groundbreaking initiative Stop Stig has expanded onto the national stage with a major seminar, “The Power of Partnership: From Stop Stig Chiang Mai’s Lessons to Stop Stigma Thailand,”
The event was held on 10th September 2025 at Wintree City Resort and organised by the Mplus Foundation in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) and key partners, aiming to share Chiang Mai’s successful model for reducing stigma against people living with HIV and those affected, while mobilising nationwide collaboration. The goal is to eliminate AIDS-related stigma and discrimination and achieve Thailand’s target of ending AIDS by 2030.
Today around 580,000 people live with HIV in Thailand, with most being between the ages of 15-49. While there were around 9,000 new infections reported in 2022, the number has risen to over 13,000 this year so far with the majority of new infections being amongst teenagers, injecting drug addicts and men who have sex with men in Bangkok.
Over the past two years, Stop Stig Chiang Mai has produced tangible results, developing a tested “Intervention Model” of services and activities that effectively reduced bias and promotes understanding. According to Mplus Director Pongpira Patpirapong, the project has sparked change at personal, community, and healthcare levels, proving that ending stigma requires collective effort — the “power of partnership.”
The seminar brought together senior health leaders, policymakers, and international experts, including representatives from ThaiHealth, the Department of Disease Control, UNAIDS Thailand, and Chiang Mai’s Public Health Office. Highlights included keynote addresses, panel discussions featuring healthcare workers and HIV-positive advocates, interactive breakout sessions, and the “Chiang Mai Declaration” — a joint commitment to drive stigma-free policies nationwide.
The event also featured a “Living Exhibition” with photo stories, digital storytelling, and a pledge wall for participants to share commitments.
By transforming Chiang Mai’s success into a national movement, the seminar marked a critical step toward making Thailand a country free from stigma and discrimination, ensuring equal access to healthcare and better quality of life for all.
Through works of organisations such as MPlus, Thailand is close to or meeting UNAIDS “95-95-95” targets: 1. ~90% of people living with HIV know their status. 2. ~90% of those diagnosed are on treatment. 3. ~97% of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression.
