A peek inside the Apec 2022 venue
The 2022 Apec Summit wrapped up successfully with the unexpected release of three joint statements and loud applause for Thailand’s ability in keeping thousands of participants happy and well-catered.
After the summit was completed on Saturday, the Nation was granted exclusive rights to photograph the areas where leaders of the 21 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) countries and invited guests discussed trade ties and an inclusive, sustainable future.
We captured the key meeting rooms that were specially decorated with flowers, the leaders’ lounge, the room where private discussions were held and waiting rooms.
The Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, which opened on October 15 after being renovated for three years, served as the venue for the summit.
The 300,000-square-metre facility has 50 meeting rooms, two massive interconnected exhibition halls, two seminar halls and many other areas serving different purposes. The site has 3,000 parking spots and can accommodate up to 100,000 visitors.
Before the Apec Economic Leaders' Week, there were 23 noteworthy meetings and events, including an Informal Senior Officials Meeting, three clusters of Senior Officials’ Meetings, eight sectorial meetings on trade, tourism, forestry, health, food security, SMEs, women and the economy and finance. Also held were eight media focus groups and three informal media roundtables.
The government allocated about 3.28 billion baht for the summit, the Foreign Ministry said.
At a press conference marking the end of the summit, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the event drew approximately 6,000 participants. He added that the event was made environmentally friendly thanks to the “Care the Bear” initiative launched by the Foreign Ministry in partnership with the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
As part of the initiative, six green practices were observed, namely providing public transportation, using less paper and plastic, not using Styrofoam, reducing energy consumption from electrical equipment, using decorative materials that can be reused and reducing food waste.
The meeting apparently has potentially reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 25,820 kilograms of CO2 equivalent, which is equal to annual carbon absorption by 2,869 trees.
