Suchat Leads Delegation to Luang Prabang, Strengthens Thailand-Laos Environmental Cooperation
Thailand's Natural Resources Minister Suchat Chomklin visited Luang Prabang to strengthen bilateral environmental cooperation and share expertise in preserving the UNESCO World Heritage Site, with both nations planning joint staff exchanges
On April 30, 2025, at 9:30 AM, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchat Chomklin, accompanied by Permanent Secretary Dr. Raveewan Pooripetch and other ministry officials, made an official visit to Luang Prabang province, Lao PDR, to hold policy-level discussions on environmental management and conservation of the Luang Prabang UNESCO World Heritage Site. The delegation met with Luang Prabang's provincial governor and officials from heritage protection, culture and tourism, and agriculture and environment departments.
The discussions focused on environmental management in the old city, with an exchange of ideas on waste management, wastewater treatment, and pollution control in protected areas to preserve the heritage city's landscape and ecosystem. Both parties discussed balancing tourism promotion with universal value conservation and strengthening community-level environmental management through knowledge and technology transfer mechanisms.
Minister Suchat stated: "Luang Prabang is not merely a Lao heritage site, but a heritage of the ASEAN region and the world. Preserving this beauty requires strong environmental management. This visit represents an exchange of experiences in managing world heritage sites, similar to Thailand's nomination of Chiang Mai-Lanna as a living city UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is currently undergoing evaluation. What matters most is ensuring that once inscribed, we maintain the site's values sustainably in the long term."
Both parties agreed to develop a joint action plan for staff exchange and learning activities to ensure Luang Prabang maintains effective environmental management and remains a model living heritage city. The cooperation emphasizes the ministry's role in systematically driving environmental work and integrating cooperation across all sectors at national and regional levels to elevate natural resource and environmental management standards to international levels and improve citizens' quality of life.
