Germany-Thailand join hand towards climate friendly transport system

BANGKOK, March 6 (TNA) - Germany has joined hand with Thailand towards a sustainable, climate friendly transport system, through a project named “energy efficiency and climate change mitigation in the land transport sector in the ASEAN region”. The project was launched in Thailand at a ceremony jointly organized on Tuesday by the Bangkok-based Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in which some 100 stakeholders from relevant government agencies and various transport units participated and exchanged their ideas contributing to the development of sustainable transport policies in the Thai economy, as part of the Kingdom's preparations for improved infrastructure in the ASEAN Community (AC) over the next two years. The project leader, Stefan Bakker, told journalists that the project not only supports Thailand, but other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), through its development of action plans and strategies in the transport sector for interesting ASEAN countries with enhanced capacity to monitor such the action plans and strategies. The project, kicked start in late October 2012 under a budget of some 32 million US Dollars, has successfully secured talks among agencies concerned on Regional Framework for Green Freight, clean fuels and Vehicles, along with a dialogue with the ASEAN Secretariat. Thailand and Indonesia, meanwhile, have jointly developed work plans and established a list of government and stakeholder contacts, regarding the project. Bakker said he believes the initiative should greatly benefit Thailand and several other areas in ASEAN facing strong growth in vehicle fleets, as Thailand and other ASEAN member countries have already seen a significant rise in traffic flows, high fossil fuel consumption, air pollution and transport accidents and the introduction of the project should, thus, provide both ideas and technical supports to combat the growing environmental issues in the region. Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, the project, set from 2009-end of 2015, is part of the GIZ’s three missions to improve air quality for smaller cities, to develop sustainable ports and to create a climate friendly transport system. (TNA)