For Immediate Release
Southeast Asian Youth to Promote Cultural Wisdom at COP 28 in U.A.E
Bangkok – 24 November 2023
A delegation of five youth from several Southeast Asian countries will join discussions at the COP28 Global Climate Conference in Dubai in early December, to promote the ASEAN region’s storehouse of traditional cultural wisdom as a source for climate change action.
The youth speakers will represent Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance (SEACHA) and The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage, coordinating with the Climate Heritage Network (CHN) and the Petra National Trust (PNT).
The COP conference, now in its 28th year, brings together world leaders, civil society activists, scientists, and parliamentarians to propose the next steps in the global quest to control climate warming to rise not in excess of 1.5°, as set forth in the Paris Climate Treaty. While commonly called “COP” conferences, the full title is United Nations Climate Change conferences.
The youth will be joined in the Siam Society and SEACHA’s presentations by Southeast Asian academics and civil society experts of traditional cultural wisdom relevant to climate change. They will speak at COP28 events covering a range of topics, including climate change in the urban context of Asian culture and how language barriers hinder the implementation of climate action policies. The diverse range of speakers includes, 1 Burmese, 1 Malaysian, 4 Thais, 1 Vietnamese, 1 Filipino, 1 Indonesian, 1 Lao, and 2 Singaporeans.
“By delving deeper into the wisdom of our ancestors and their careful, respectful use of natural resources, we can discover invaluable insights that can fundamentally transform our mindset,” says Ms. Jarunee Khongswasdi, cultural heritage expert of The Siam Society and SEACHA. “This, in turn, can reshape the way we manage our limited resources on our one and only planet Earth.”
The work of SEACHA, The Siam Society, PNT, and CHN has culminated in a “Global Call to Action” campaign which aims to ensure the UN’s commitment to fully integrate cultural heritage into the future work of COP. The campaign will unite culture and heritage voices in a global effort to put culture at the heart of climate change planning, policy, and action, and establish a basis for cultural heritage to supplement climate solutions that rely solely on technology. For the full call to action and signatures to the campaign, visit the CHN website at https://www.climateheritage.org/signatories
“Nature and culture are significant parts of human life that are inherently intertwined and cannot be separated,” President of the Siam Society Mrs. Bilaibhan Sampatisiri said about the importance of the Global Call to Action. “To effectively address the pressing climate issues of our time, it is imperative to place culture at the very core of our solutions.”
The SEACHA delegation at COP28 was formed as an outcome of the 3-day SEACHA conference entitled “Cultural Wisdom for Climate Action: The Southeast Asian Contribution,” held at The Siam Society in Bangkok in January of 2023.
About COP28 2023 in Dubai
To learn more about this year’s conference, visit the United Nations Conference Change website: https://unfccc.int/cop28
About The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage
The Siam Society is a Thai cultural organization with an international scope. It promotes the study and knowledge-sharing about the cultures, history, arts, and heritage conservation of Thailand and its neighboring countries in South-East Asia. Visit their website to learn more about activities and how to become a member: https://thesiamsociety.org/
About Southeast Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance (SEACHA)
The Bangkok-based organization is a “joint commitment of government, the people and the business sector to cultural heritage protection policies and actions to safeguard Southeast Asian cultural heritage for future generations.” Learn more about the organization and its activities and goals at https://seacha.org/
For more information contact: Jarunee Khongswasdi at 0843887730, jarunee@thesiamsociety.org
131 Asoke Montri Road, Sukhumvit 21, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 661 6470-3 Email: info@thesiamsociety.org
www.thesiamsociety.org