3 September 2024, Bangkok – The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and GIZ Thailand have today signed the Implementation Agreement to advance the Integrated Urban Climate Action for Low-Carbon & Resilient Cities (Urban-Act) project in Thailand. The ceremony was joined by representatives of the German Embassy Bangkok, the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning (DPT), the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP), the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), and the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD), as the project implementing partners in Thailand, as well as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Asia-Pacific Regional Organization for Local Government (UCLG ASPAC), the regional project partners, along with representatives from the MOI, government agencies, academia and the media. The event was held at the Eternity Ballroom, Pullman Bangkok King Power, Rangnam Road.

The Urban-Act project is a regional initiative implementing multi-level climate action in five Asia-Pacific countries: China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The initiative is financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), over the period April 2022 to December 2027. Its goal is to support the transformation towards low-carbon and resilient urban development while contributing to countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Regional project partners include the GIZ, ESCAP, UCLG ASPAC, the TU Dortmund University and the University of Stuttgart from Germany, as well as national consortium partners in each of the 5 partner countries. The Office of the Permanent Secretary for Interior (OPSI), Ministry of Interior, is the political partner in Thailand.

Chamnanwit Terat, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Interior, stated in his opening remark and keynote address: “Thailand is highly vulnerable to the impacts of global climate change. As a result, the Sustainable Development Goals play a crucial role in the mission of related sectors to develop cities, promote sustainable living, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adapt to climate change. These efforts are in alignment with SDGs 9, 11, and 13. GIZ has recognised the significance of these issues and has initiated a project to urgently address them by developing holistic urban solutions to promote low-carbon growth and enhance urban resilience. The Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior is fully committed to supporting and collaborating on this initiative to address critical challenges and achieve sustainable development. MOI has a direct mission to ‘alleviate suffering and promote happiness’ for the people. Undeniably, climate change has become a significant factor that impacts urban operations and the well-being of the people. Therefore, driving urban development operations that align with climate resilience necessitates collaboration from all pertinent sectors. I am confident that this collaborative effort will yield significant success and be another source of pride in driving integrated urban operations among our network partners.”

Johannes Kerner, Counsellor for Economic Affairs, German Embassy Bangkok, emphasised: “Cities are pivotal to achieving our climate and sustainability targets. Sustainable and climate-sensitive urban transitions offer benefits for our societies, ecosystems and economies, and can reduce vulnerabilities for low-income communities. This means we need engaged cities for bold climate action. But cities cannot do it alone. Germany recognises the importance of cities as well as the collaboration across government levels for achieving our global climate and sustainable development targets. We are therefore a proud initiator and donor for the regional Urban-Act project through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).”

Heinrich Gudenus, Urban-Act Project Director, said: “We are very honored that in Thailand we will be partnering with the OPSI. And with MOI we feel we have a strong and influential partner with mandates spanning national and subnational administration, addressing vertical integration, SDG localisation and multi-level climate action, which are all very important topics. We will address the enabling conditions for urban climate action at the national level and also support mainstreaming of climate change considerations into urban development at the local level in selected cities.

“With Chiang Mai, Phuket and Khon Kaen as pilot areas and through the IMT-GT (the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle) also engaging additional cities such as Hat Yai and Nakhon Si Thammarat we will support on one hand the development of climate-sensitive spatial or urban development plans and on the other hand, the identification of concrete and viable project concepts with good chances for being financing and implemented. Partnerships and collaboration are as central to our approach with Urban-Act as the provision of accurate and deep technical knowledge that is of course also required to solve our joint challenges,” Mr. Gudenus added.

Two panel discussions and a workshop were held as part of the event to underscore Urban-Act’s focus on multi-level climate actions. The first panel discussed “Transforming Thai Urbanisation to Low-carbon and Climate-resilient Development”, and was made up of representatives from the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), DPT, OTP, ONEP, and TMD. The second panel featured representatives from ESCAP and UCLG ASPAC for a discussion on “Sustainable Urban Development from a Global Perspective to Local Action.”

Furthermore, the Urban-Act underscores policy implementation at the local level. A workshop on “Pilot Cities Implementation under the Urban-Act Project” was organised and conducted by Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University, as research partners in the project. This session aimed to foster a collaborative environment and create networks between cities. Representatives from the Urban-Act pilot cities in Thailand, namely Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Phuket, included Hat Yai Municipality and Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality, under IMT-GT, came together to share their experiences and insights, creating a united network among stakeholders as well as further strengthening our collective efforts.