Welcome to Bangkok!

It’s finally here...

Today was the first official day of the Coastal Zone Asia Pacific Conference (CZAP). The World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress (WSFC) will start tomorrow, but due to the overlapping subject matter of the two meetings, organizers decided it made sense for them to overlap.

Delegates from around the world have made their way to Bangkok (many with the jetlag to prove it) and gathered this morning in the Chao Praya room at the Montien Riverside Hotel for the first round of sessions.

Chair of the local organizing committee, Kungwan Juntarashote, opened the conference with a welcoming address, encouraging delegates to share their experiences, engaging in “fruitful discussions inside and outside our sessions.”

Ratana Chuenpagdee, chair of the international organizing committee also emphasized collaboration and discussion, but also encouraged delegates to enjoy themselves, promising, “from now on it’s only going to be fun.”

I think we can all get behind that!