Dr. Eden Y Woon (left) with Mr. Teerasak Teekayuphan.
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) has signed a multi-party agreement with five municipalities, and the College of Local Administration of Khon Kaen University for furthering the smart city initiative of Khon Kaen city. The multi-stakeholder agreement includes the municipalities of Khon Kaen and Sila Town; and sub-district municipalities of Muang Kao, Samran, and Tha Phra.
The MoU was signed on 21 September 2018 by AIT President Dr. Eden Y Woon, Mayor of Khon Kaen Municipality Mr. Teerasak Teekayuphan, and Dean of College of Local Administration of Khon Kaen University Dr. Supawatakanorn Wongthanavasu. Signatories of the MoU also include the Mayor of Sila Town Municipality, Yodying Janthanaphim; Mayor of Muang Kao sub-district municipality, Viti Tongsopit; and Mayor of Tha Phra sub-district municipality, Pisut Anutaraangkul.
The agreement seeks to bring together researchers and practitioners from several institutions to collaborate on smart cities to help establish Khon Kaen as a smart city leader in Thailand and the region. The MoU will also promote exchange of best practices and it will facilitate knowledge transfer on sustainable urban development, establish a strategic roadmap that identifies and develops smart city indicators to track progress towards the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and work on urban mobility, sustainable housing, clean energy, waste management, ICT and local governance.
Welcoming the delegates, AIT President Dr. Eden Y Woon appreciated that Khon Kaen had chosen AIT as a partner. He mentioned that the MoU will hold a special place for him, since this was the first agreement that he was signing as President of AIT.
Mr. Teerasak Teekayuphan, Mayor or Khon Kaen Municipality, thanked AIT stating that it was an honor to collaborate with a renowned institution like the Asian Institute of Technology. He mentioned that Khon Kaen enjoys a sister city status with Nanning in China. While Nanning has many firsts to its credit which is a source of envy for many, Khon Kaen has the AIT partnership to its credit — something that few can be proud of.
Earlier, all participants were welcomed by Dr. Naveed Anwar, Executive Director of AIT Solutions, who was leading the partnership agreement on behalf of AIT.
The visiting delegation from Khon Kaen city included Teerasak Teekayuphan, Mayor of Khon Kaen Municipality; Mr. Pongjet Pornkuna, Permanent Secretary of Sila Town Municipality; Ms. Podjanart Kardeevee, Permanent Secretary of Tha Phra Sub-District Municipality; Ms. Kridsana Sansaad, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Khon Kaen Municipality; Mr. Thawatchai Wanaphithakkun, Director, Public Works, Khon Kaen Municipality; Mr. Kan Vannupratam, Head of ICT, Khon Kaen Municipality; and Mr. Siamrat Pansombat, Public Relations, Khon Kaen Municipality.
The delegation from the College of Local Administration, Khon Kaen University included Assoc. Prof. Dr.Supawatanakorn Wongthanavasu, Dean; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Advisor for Research and Global Corporate Affairs; and Dr. Phouthakannha Natharath, Lecturer.
AIT was represented by Dr. Eden Woon, President; Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan, Professor of Energy, Environment and Climate Change; Prof. Mukand Singh Babel, Professor, Water Engineering and Management; Mr. Shawn Kelly, Director, Office of External Relations (OEXR); Dr. Naveed Anwar, Executive Director, AIT Solutions; Mr. Justin Finch, Project Development Manager, AIT Solutions, and Ms. Rakdao Pakdisi, Client Partner, AIT Solutions.
