Raya Muttarak participated in the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, on 30 January 2026. The conference theme, “Navigating Global Demographic Transition through Innovative Policy: An Equity-Centered Approach,” focused on how demographic change is reshaping global health, development, and governance.
Raya served as a panellist in the sub-theme “Governing Health for People and Planet: Geopolitics in Flux.” The discussion examined how major demographic shifts — including population aging, youth bulges, migration, and rapid urbanization — are intersecting with overlapping global crises such as armed conflict, climate-related disasters, economic instability, and rapid technological change. Panellists emphasized that these interconnected risks are intensifying inequality and instability, while geopolitical tensions and unequal access to emerging technologies are making coordinated and equitable responses both more difficult and more urgent.
She also contributed as a panellist in PS 3.1: “Planet, Power, and People: Building Just Transitions Across Generations.” This session explored the complex links between geopolitical transitions, demographic change, and planetary health challenges. Discussions focused on how climate change, energy use, and resource depletion are reshaping migration patterns, security dynamics, governance systems, population resilience, and prospects for global cooperation.
