Bangkok, 27 February 2025 – The Empowering Thailand’s Department of Climate Change and Environment (EMPOWER) project, implemented by GIZ Thailand, successfully concluded its inaugural training module, ‘Climate Change Mitigation and Planning’ (CCMP). This training is one of the training courses designed to strengthen the capacity of Thailand’s Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE), Thailand’s key climate action agency.

Dr Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the DCCE, presided over the event at Pullman King Power Bangkok and delivered the closing remarks, with notable attendees including Komet Putthasorn, Deputy Director-General of the DCCE; Nareerat Panmanee, Director of the Climate Change and Environmental Research Centre, DCCE; Thawatchai Saengkhamsuk, Project Manager of the Empower Project at GIZ Thailand; and Prof Pisut Painmanakul, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University, Director of the Carbon Institute for Sustainability (CBiS), and Director of the CCMP course.

Co-organised by GIZ Thailand, the DCCE and the CBiS, the CCMP course was designed to equip 100 participants from the DCCE with essential knowledge on climate change mitigation. The training, conducted over eleven sessions from December 2024 to February 2025 in both online and offline formats, covered a range of critical topics, including climate science, mitigation strategies and technologies, global climate commitments, Measurement-Reporting-Verification (MRV), carbon pricing mechanisms, financial instruments, and Thailand’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policies.

Throughout the programme, 20 experts shared insights and real-world experiences, fostering an interactive learning environment. Participants engaged in group discussions, collaborative projects, and personal assignments, further reinforcing their understanding through quizzes and individual research.

Building on this success, the Empower project plans to introduce additional training modules focusing on advanced mitigation strategies. These upcoming sessions will enable DCCE personnel to deepen their expertise and play a more significant role in national mitigation efforts. In total, six training modules are scheduled for release in 2025, all supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) under the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), Germany.

Dr Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE) gave the closing remarks at the closing ceremony

(From left) Thawatchai Saengkhamsuk, Project Manager of the Empower Project, GIZ Thailand; Prof Pisut Painmanakul, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University and Director of the Carbon Institute for Sustainability (CBiS); Dr Phirun Saiyasitpanich, Director-General of the DCCE; Komet Putthasorn, Deputy Director-General of the DCCE; and Nareerat Panmanee, Director of Climate Change and Environmental Research Centre, DCCE