On 27 May 2022, Ms. Acharapan Yavaprapas, Consul-General, graced her presence as Guest of Honour at the South Asia Women’s Conference 2022 under the main theme “Towards an Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable World” at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology and Kalinga Institute of Social Science, Bhubaneswar, Odisha during 27 – 28 May 2022. The main objective was to exchange views and best practices for women and girls in South Asia by pursuing institutional mechanisms for collaboration and women-led change in the Society. The conference was co-hosted by Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad UNESCO UN Women UN Population Fund (UNFPA) UN Volunteer (UNV) and World Food Programme.

On this occasion, Consul-General delivered her speech during the inaugural session, recognizing the challenge of gender inequality in various aspects such as access to education, economic participation, access to healthcare, and political representation. In South Asia, Consul-General stressed that the issue of gender inequality results from many factors; caste, religion, and social value which hinders the progress and development of gender equality in this region. With the utmost goal to achieve gender equality, Consul-General reiterated that women's empowerment must be acknowledged not only to closer the gender gap but also increase women’s sense of self-worth and potential that can contribute to the country's growth.

In addition, Consul-General reaffirmed Thailand's commitment and achievement to further promoting gender equality and women empowerment through law enforcement and raising awareness on this issue by illustrating steps being taken under Thailand efforts to advance women’s rights in Thailand. On the final note, Consul-General informed the participants about the Global Women Summit 2022 which, this year, Thailand has the honour to host the summit in June

After the end of the Conference, Consul-General was informed by the participants that Thailand’s best practices mentioned in the speech were raised as one of the case studies during panel discussion.

There were more than 100 participants from South Asia countries attending the conference, namely India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka as well as public agencies, private sectors, US alumni, and KIIT and KISS students.