URGENTLY NEEDED: SOLUTIONS TO ASIA’S URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Opening yesterday was an international workshop on ‘Creating Sustainable Cities through Urban Environmental Management’, organized by the Urban Environmental Management Project of the Canadian Universities Consortium. It will be held until tomorrow, 8 March, under the sponsorship of Environment Canada, a department of the Canadian Government. The workshop topics include financing solid waste management, cleaner production, the role of good governance in solid waste management, and strategies for developing ongoing links and capacity-building in the region.
H.E. Dr. Arthit Ourairat, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, presented the current status of solid waste management in Thailand. Local and provincial government officials, policy-makers, urban managers, planners and practitioners from the region are among the workshop participants.
Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, AIT President, opened the workshop. He was joined at the opening ceremony by H.E. Bernard Giroux, Ambassador of Canada to Thailand, Mr. Sunthat Somchevita, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, and Mr. Jean Bilodeau, Director General of Environment Canada. Dr. Suvit Yodmani, Director of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, delivered the keynote address.
