His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand was presented with the Habitat Scroll of Honour Award at a special ceremony on Wednesday by Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. The hand-crafted gold plaque was presented during an audience at the Krai Kangwon Palace. The Habitat Scroll of Honour is the highest award conferred by the UN-HABITAT to individuals, projects or institutions in recognition of significant contributions to improving human settlements. The award is presented each year on the occasion of World Habitat Day, which takes place on the first Monday of each October. Occasionally, in the rare case of extraordinary contributions made by an individual, a Special Citation is conferred. Last October, His Majesty the King was the only recipient of the Special Citation. His Majesty has been awarded the honour in recognition of his outstanding contribution to improving water resource management in Thailand. The King’s tireless efforts to developing the human habitat in Thailand have been well documented. Notable among his contributions include the pollution control of Bangkok’s canals and the innovative water treatment of the Makkasan Lake. The Pa Sak River Basin Development Project has reduced water pollution in Bangkok and other major cities of central Thailand. Other projects have targeted the management of floods and the salinity of water resources in Southern Thailand. These are but a few examples in a long standing commitment to the implementation of Royal Development Projects aimed at improving the living environment in Thailand. “This Special Citation of the Habitat Scroll of Honour has been given in recognition of His Majesty’s outstanding contribution to sustainable habitats and improving the lives of people in cities and communities in the Kingdom of Thailand,” said Mrs. Tibaijuka. “The comprehensive and integrated nature of His Majesty’s Royal Development Projects is a lesson to all of us eager to protect our natural environment. His Majesty the King’s concept of sufficiency economy can also form the basis of value based water education programmes through out the Asia Pacific region.” Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, who is on an official visit to Thailand, also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand to discuss long-standing and future UN-HABITAT projects in the country. |
