Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Agence Française de Développement strengthen their cooperation on urban and environmental challenges
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at structuring a long-term strategic partnership on urban challenges in Bangkok.
The signing ceremony took place at Benjakitti Park, in the presence of Mr Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, Mr Jean-Pierre Marcelli, Southeast Asia Regional Director and Thailand Country Director of AFD, as well as French and Thai institutional representatives.
This MoU marks a new milestone in cooperation between France and Thailand, building on a dialogue initiated several years ago around urban, environmental and climate challenges. It commits both institutions to a five-year partnership, with a shared objective: contributing to making Bangkok a “Liveable City for All”, a city that is resilient, inclusive, green and attractive.
In this context, AFD will mobilise a grant to support the implementation of the partnership, providing public and private expertise focused on three priority areas:
- air quality,
- green infrastructure,
- and access to green finance.
The signing of the MoU was held alongside the official closing of the METIS artistic project, supported by AFD and implemented in the heart of Benjakitti Park. Launched in October 2025, the METIS initiative, guided by the philosophy “Sharing emotions, generating transformations”, highlights the role of art in addressing major urban and environmental challenges.
Entitled “Lines of Life – Threads of Care”, the mural unveiled on this occasion is the result of a participatory artistic process involving young Thai artists, students, local residents and park users. Through a series of workshops and interviews conducted over several weeks, the artists gathered and translated the stories, emotions and aspirations of the local community regarding nature, biodiversity and the city.
The METIS project fully aligns with Governor Chadchart’s vision, “Dream Your Green Bangkok”, as well as with BMA’s efforts to increase green space per inhabitant and improve urban quality of life. It also echoes the strengthened dialogue between France and Thailand on environmental and biodiversity issues, notably formalised through a Letter of Intent signed in May 2024.
Through this dual sequence, an institutional signing and an artistic closing event, BMA and AFD reaffirm a shared vision of urban development: one that combines technical expertise, community engagement and cultural sensitivity, in support of more sustainable and more human-centred cities.
About Agence Française de Développement
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) implements France’s policy on international development and solidarity. Through its financing of NGOs and the public sector, as well as its research and publications, AFD supports and accelerates transitions towards a fairer, more resilient world. It also provides training in sustainable development (at AFD Campus) and other awareness-raising activities in France.
With our partners, we are building shared solutions with and for the people of the Global South. Our teams are at work on more than 4,000 projects in the field, in the French Overseas Departments and Territories, in 115 countries and in regions in crisis. We strive to protect global public goods – promoting a stable climate, biodiversity and peace, as well as gender equality, education and healthcare. In this way, we contribute to the commitment of France and the French people to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Towards a world in common.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at structuring a long-term strategic partnership on urban challenges in Bangkok.
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Agence Française de Développement strengthen their cooperation on urban and environmental challenges
