Thailand
Statement
by
Dr. Wijarn Simachaya
Deputy Director General of the Pollution Control Department,
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
on
?Policy Options and Actions for Expediting Progress in Sustainable Transport?
At the Intergovernm ental Preparatory Meeting for the 19th session of the Commission on
Sustainable Development, New York, 1st March 2011
Thank you Mr. Chairman,
Thailand would like to align ourselves with the statement made by the group of
G77 and China. We also wish to thank all the panelists for their valuable
contributions.
Transport sector is one of the most important sectors contributing to the
poverty eradication and development of people in developing countries.
Transport is instrumental to connectivity within and among countries, promoting
access to market, trade, investment, tourism, and improving quality of life of
people by facilitating access to education and health services. Moreover, transport
is integral part of regional integration, community building and narrowing the
development gap. Therefore, Thailand and other members of ASEAN attach great
importance to ASEAN Connectivity and will implement the ASEAN Master Plan on
Connectivity adopted by our leaders last year.
Similar to many developing countries, Thailand is facing some common
unsustainable transport issues such as traffic congestion, road safety, as well as
noise and air pollution in urban areas. In addition, basic transport infrastructure
and services are still inadequate in some rural areas. At the CSD-18 review session
in May 2010, we had shared some of our national efforts and experiences in
addressing those unsustainable transport issues, including
· Implementation of the Mass Transit Master Plan to build public transportation
network in Bangkok Metropolitan and surrounding areas;
· Promotion of environmentally sound vehicles and the use of alternative energy
such as natural gas;
· Development of the bus system technology and common ticketing system for
Bangkok Metropolis;
· Development of truck routes and management system for intermodal transport,
including a royal project on ring road development to alleviate traffic congestion
caused by large trucks and provide shorter and farter transportation routes
from major industrial areas in rural cities; and
· The study on potentials and opportunities for Clean Development Mechanism
under the Kyoto Protocol in the transport sector.
- 2 -
However, much is still needed to be done to improve sustainable transport systems,
especially in terms of energy saving and the reduction of pollution to address
health and environmental impacts from transport. Transport issues need to be
addressed within a broader environmental context to develop strategies for lowcarbon
transport that include a shift to energy-efficient and low carbon modes to
enhance energy security, and mitigate the climate change related impacts.
With that in mind, we would like to reiterate the strategies and policy measures,
contained in the Bangkok Declaration on Sustainable Transport Goals for the
years 2010-2020 as stated yesterday in the report of the Fifth Regional EST Forum
in Asia, in particular an avoidance of unnecessary motorized transport, a shift to
more sustainable transport modes, and an improvement of transport practices and
technologies.
An integrated approach to environmentally sustainable transport should be
adopted to achieve transport development and efficiency together with the
improvement of human health through the reduction of urban air pollution and
greenhouse gas emissions, fatalities and injuries from road accidents, harmful noise
levels, and traffic congestion.
In closing, we would like to emphasize that international investment for design,
research and development, as well as diffusion and transfer of knowledge and
technology, especially through collaborative actions and partnerships from
international community are required to further accelerate the development and
achievement of environmentally sustainable transport system in developing countries.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
-----------------------------------
by
Dr. Wijarn Simachaya
Deputy Director General of the Pollution Control Department,
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
on
?Policy Options and Actions for Expediting Progress in Sustainable Transport?
At the Intergovernm ental Preparatory Meeting for the 19th session of the Commission on
Sustainable Development, New York, 1st March 2011
Thank you Mr. Chairman,
Thailand would like to align ourselves with the statement made by the group of
G77 and China. We also wish to thank all the panelists for their valuable
contributions.
Transport sector is one of the most important sectors contributing to the
poverty eradication and development of people in developing countries.
Transport is instrumental to connectivity within and among countries, promoting
access to market, trade, investment, tourism, and improving quality of life of
people by facilitating access to education and health services. Moreover, transport
is integral part of regional integration, community building and narrowing the
development gap. Therefore, Thailand and other members of ASEAN attach great
importance to ASEAN Connectivity and will implement the ASEAN Master Plan on
Connectivity adopted by our leaders last year.
Similar to many developing countries, Thailand is facing some common
unsustainable transport issues such as traffic congestion, road safety, as well as
noise and air pollution in urban areas. In addition, basic transport infrastructure
and services are still inadequate in some rural areas. At the CSD-18 review session
in May 2010, we had shared some of our national efforts and experiences in
addressing those unsustainable transport issues, including
· Implementation of the Mass Transit Master Plan to build public transportation
network in Bangkok Metropolitan and surrounding areas;
· Promotion of environmentally sound vehicles and the use of alternative energy
such as natural gas;
· Development of the bus system technology and common ticketing system for
Bangkok Metropolis;
· Development of truck routes and management system for intermodal transport,
including a royal project on ring road development to alleviate traffic congestion
caused by large trucks and provide shorter and farter transportation routes
from major industrial areas in rural cities; and
· The study on potentials and opportunities for Clean Development Mechanism
under the Kyoto Protocol in the transport sector.
- 2 -
However, much is still needed to be done to improve sustainable transport systems,
especially in terms of energy saving and the reduction of pollution to address
health and environmental impacts from transport. Transport issues need to be
addressed within a broader environmental context to develop strategies for lowcarbon
transport that include a shift to energy-efficient and low carbon modes to
enhance energy security, and mitigate the climate change related impacts.
With that in mind, we would like to reiterate the strategies and policy measures,
contained in the Bangkok Declaration on Sustainable Transport Goals for the
years 2010-2020 as stated yesterday in the report of the Fifth Regional EST Forum
in Asia, in particular an avoidance of unnecessary motorized transport, a shift to
more sustainable transport modes, and an improvement of transport practices and
technologies.
An integrated approach to environmentally sustainable transport should be
adopted to achieve transport development and efficiency together with the
improvement of human health through the reduction of urban air pollution and
greenhouse gas emissions, fatalities and injuries from road accidents, harmful noise
levels, and traffic congestion.
In closing, we would like to emphasize that international investment for design,
research and development, as well as diffusion and transfer of knowledge and
technology, especially through collaborative actions and partnerships from
international community are required to further accelerate the development and
achievement of environmentally sustainable transport system in developing countries.
I thank you Mr. Chairman.
-----------------------------------
Stakeholders