Abstract
Due to the global pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to hold the 73rd World Health Assembly the first online meeting. The objectives of this study were (1) to review the online assembly and Thailand delegation’s online participation, (2) to analyze the advantages and challenges of online meeting and (3) to analyze the factors contributing to the success of the Thai delegates. The methods of this qualitative study included reviews of relevant documents, participant observations of the Thai delegates throughout the assembly meetings and opinions collection from the Thai delegates. The results showed that the 73rd World Health Assembly consisted of 3 sessions: (1) virtual de minimis – the concise virtual meeting, (2) intersessional session and (3) resumed 73rd World Health Assembly; all these sessions were participated by the Thai delegates. The online meeting was convenient as the delegates were able to connect to the meeting from anywhere with a good quality internet network. However, there was a challenge in terms of time zone difference that Thai delegates needed to attend the meeting at night and to continue their normal office hours. The factors contributing to the success of the Thai delegation were teamwork, systematic working process and adaptabilityof Thai delegates.
