World Habitat Day was marked by a march to the United Nations building in Bangkok by some 2,000 slum dwellers supported by the Four Regions Slum Network (FRSN) and Leaders and Organizers of Community Organizations (LOCO) in Asia. They submitted a petition to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the problem of homelessness as well as the impact on urban poor communities stemming from climate change. In the afternoon, UN-HABITAT, jointly with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Thailand Environment Institute invited experts to discuss the impact of climate change on cities and what can be done about it.
The Seminar held at the UN Conference Centre provided an opportunity to share the latest ideas, thinking and experiences on climate change mitigation and adaptation in Thailand. This was followed by the inauguration of the Mobile Photo Exhibition organised by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Design for Disasters, and UN-HABITAT with the support from UN-ESCAP, UNDP, Lomography, Isuzu, the Thai Transportation and Logistics Association, Bangkok Art and Culture Center, art4d, the Thai Urban Designers Association, the Asian Institute of Technology, Disaster Preparedness Mitigation and Management, the Kunakij Furniture Industry, Mono Project, Lookyung Foundation, Supernormal and Ductstore. The mobile photo exhibition is scheduled to visit eight locations in Bangkok, including slum settlements from 3-9 October. |
