BANGKOK CITY INSPECTORS COMPLETE URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING WORKSHOP

Environmental inspectors of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have been better equipped to help create a healthy urban environment after a three-day training workshop organised by the United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP).

Concern for the environment was one of the key issues to emerge during the July 23 elections of the new Bangkok Governor. Air quality, waste water, noise pollution, and hazardous wastes were therefore the focus of the training programme involving over 90 inspectors from the city’s 50 districts.

Held between August 1-3 at the United Nations Building on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue, the workshop was jointly organised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the Office of Environmental Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, the Thailand Inter-University Network for Training and Research on Environmental Management (THAITREM) and UNEP.

The workshop aimed to raise BMA inspectors' awareness of the opportunities to reduce the environmental impacts of humanbehaviour, and to build skills in public participation.

"This is a practical demonstration of the need that now exists throughout the region," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said. "UNEP's Global Environmental Outlook 2000 Report showed that dealing with increasing amounts of urban and industrial waste is a major issue for Asia and the Pacific."

Mr Toepfer said the keys to successful urban development is accountability and transparency, participatory democracy at the local level and enabling policies that encourage good environmental performance.

"The nature and scale of the urbanisation process is unprecedented. Within a generation, the majority of the developing world's population will live in cities and towns," Mr Toepfer said.

The Director of UNEP's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Nirmal Andrews said he hoped that the obstacles and opportunities identified by the inspectors would serve as a catalyst for further policy level meetings between the parties, planned for later this year.

"UNEP would like to see Bangkok providing some of the leadership and success stories that can inspire other cities in the region about sound environmental management," Mr Andrews said.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Pradech Phayakvichien said that all efforts to improve the environment in Bangkok and its surrounding areas would play a valuable role in making the city a better place to visit.

The Governor said, “We are optimistic that the workshop will yield practical outcomes and solutions to the environmental problems facing Bangkok as well as other Asia-Pacific cities. TAT will be pleased to work with UNEP for future such projects.”