The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) organised the “Glocal Climate Change: Act Locally, Change Globally” event, to announce their success in implementing the Thai-German Climate Programme – Policy component (TGCP-Policy).
On 19 August 2022, Mr. Jatuporn Buruspat, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, presided over the closing ceremony and public awareness activities of the Climate Policy Project under the Thai-German Climate Programme – Policy component (TGCP-Policy). Participants included Mr. Chaiwat Chuenkosoom, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior; Dr. Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Secretary General, Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP); Mr. Reinhold Elges, Country Director of GIZ Thailand and Malaysia; Dr. Johannes Kerner, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the German Embassy in Thailand; and Dr. Angkana Chalermpong, Director of the Climate Policy Project, Thai-German Climate Programme. They were joined by Thai and international environmental experts and media professionals at the event, which was held at Samyan Mitrtown Hall 1, Bangkok.
Before awarding honorary plaques to ten pilot provinces, namely Yasothon, Maha Sarakham, Tak, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi, Chumphon, Ranong, and Bangkok, in recognition of their efforts to develop climate-sensitive Provincial Development Plans, Mr. Jatuporn stressed the need to analyse how the pilot provinces can be used as a model for the implementation of the same plans in all provinces of Thailand, taking into account their different contexts. MNRE is ready to work on this task with the Ministry of Interior. MNRE receives support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) to implement the Climate Policy Project under the Thai-German Climate Programme (TGCP-Policy).
TGCP-Policy is one of the programme’s five components (energy, waste management, agriculture, water management and climate policy) implemented over five years (2018-2022) with a budget of 650 million THB. TGCP-Policy is jointly implemented by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The project supports Thailand in formulating a long-term low greenhouse gas development strategy (Thailand’s 2050 Carbon Neutrality and 2065 Net Zero GHG Emission Pathways), Thailand’s Climate Change Act, guidelines for quality control of greenhouse gas inventory data, as well as climate-sensitive Provincial Development Plans through participatory approaches.
Mr. Reinhold Elges, Country Director of GIZ Thailand and Malaysia, expressed appreciation at Thailand’s announcement on climate goals, establishing clear policies, and intention to drive policy forward to implementation, adding that GIZ is delighted to support many sectors in Thailand to achieve these challenging goals. Mr. Elges also congratulated MNRE on the success of the Thailand Climate Action Conference (TCAC) on 5-6 August 2022, which clearly showed that MNRE is ready to build networks with all sectors, including the private sector, to combat climate change.
The closing ceremony and public awareness activities for TGCP-Policy formed part of the “Glocal Climate Change: Act Locally, Change Globally” event organised by GIZ and ONEP at Samyan Mitrtown Hall 1 throughout the day. The event also saw the awarding of honorary plaques to ten pilot provinces. Mr. Chaiwat Chuenkosoom, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, gave a presentation on the roles of the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with MNRE, in disaster management and in supporting the Thai population to address climate change. A discussion, titled “Climate Action Talk: From Science to Policy to Action on the Ground”, was joined by environmental gurus including Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bundit Limmeechokchai from Thammasat University, Dr. Kannika Thampanichvong from the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), Dr. Phirun Saiyasitpanich from the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Mr. Sira Lipipattanawit, operator of the electric boat charter “Suk Samran” and Dr. Soranrat Kanchanavanich, former chairperson of the Green World Foundation.
A Movie & Talk session was also held. The film “Breaking Boundaries” was followed by an exchange session between Yod-Ball from the Nang Pha Pai Programme and Dr. Petch Manopawitr from the Green World Foundation. A Youth Climate Ready Workshop was organised together with more than 40 youth leaders. The workshop provided opportunities for young leaders to design climate change communications tailored to different target groups in the fight against climate change. The event also featured exhibits displaying project achievements as well as activities for event attendees and online participants to share their thoughts as global citizens on tackling climate challenges.
In a continuation of TGCP-Policy, MNRE is receiving support from the Federal Republic of Germany to implement the Climate, Coastal, and Marine Biodiversity (CCMB) Project jointly by ONEP and GIZ. The project is set for a period of 5 years (2022-2027), with a budget of approximately 360 million THB and is designed to enhance the implementation of activities towards achieving Thailand’s net zero greenhouse gas emissions goal in 2065, and to expand the scope of cooperation to address climate-biodiversity synergy, particularly marine and coastal biodiversity. In addition, Thailand has received support from Germany of approximately 1.290 billion THB for other projects on energy, transport, and climate adaptation in urban areas.
The Federal Republic of Germany is a role model in setting goals for and driving climate action. It has provided financial support, knowledge, and technical support to developing countries as it pledged to do under the Paris Agreement. Thailand has been in partnership with Germany in climate cooperation for 13 years, in the fields of energy, transport, industry, water resource management, agriculture, tourism, and waste management, amounting to more than 3.81 billion THB of support. MNRE will expand international climate change cooperation, in the form of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, in order to further support Thailand’s contributions to the global climate challenges.