(April 25, 2025) —Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, led a delegation of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to Paris, France, to study waste and air quality management systems that could support Bangkok’s development towards greater sustainability.
The BMA executives met with representatives from Syctom and visited one of Paris’s major waste treatment plants. Syctom is the largest waste management organisation in Europe, overseeing the waste management of over six million residents in Paris and its surrounding areas.
The organisation focuses on efficient waste separation, recycling, energy recovery, and integrated waste management processes.
The BMA aims to adopt concepts and modern technologies from Syctom to improve Bangkok’s waste management systems, enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental impacts in the capital.
Following this, the BMA delegation held discussions with representatives from the Institut Paris Region (IPR), a leading research institute specialising in urban planning and metropolitan development.
The two agencies exchanged experiences in long-term urban planning and discussed potential collaboration, particularly in the development of Bangkok’s South Sukhumvit area. Plans include increasing green spaces and promoting a seamlessly connected public transport network.
Later, the Governor and his team met with representatives from Business France’s network of companies — French firms with strong capabilities and an interest in investment and technology transfer opportunities to support Bangkok’s urban development.
Areas of potential collaboration include improving air quality, promoting soft mobility (non-motorised or low-energy, eco-friendly transport), advancing smart mobility solutions, and enhancing flood management.
The BMA team also met with Karine Léger, Managing Director of Airparif, Paris’s independent air quality monitoring agency, to exchange insights on air quality data management.
They visited “La Station de Mesure des Halles”, one of the city’s real-time air and temperature monitoring stations, which forms part of a comprehensive citywide network supporting effective policy decision-making.
Notably, Bangkok previously participated in the AIRLAB Microsensors Challenge in 2023, collaborating with Airparif to develop innovative air quality monitoring solutions.
On the morning of April 26, 2025, the Governor and BMA executives explored the banks of the Seine River alongside Bertrand Walckenaer, Deputy CEO of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and members of the Thai community in Paris.
The visit showcased how public spaces along the river have been developed to promote public health, improve river accessibility, and foster citizen-friendly urban connections.
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