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 The UN Buildings complex in Bangkok is the 3rd largest complex owned by the United Nations. The UN Building houses the offices of ESCAP, UNDP, UNEP, UNCDP, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNIFEM, UNHCR, ILO and UNIS. It also includes the UN Conference Centre, one of the largest convention facilities in Asia.
Below you will find a brief summary of the main services available at the United Nations Building.
Banks
There are foreign banks in Bangkok, including the Bank of America, Bank of Tokyo, CitiBank, Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and many local banks such as Bangkok Bank, Siam Commercial Bank and the Thai Farmers Bank. But most of these banks are difficult to get to during office hours. The Siam Commercial Bank has a branch in the United Nations Building, on the first floor of the Service Building. Banking hours are from 0930 to 1530, Monday to Friday. Remittance facilities are provided by the bank subject to exchange control regulations. United Nations staff may maintain offshore deposit dollar accounts. Staff members may bring into Thailand unrestricted amounts of foreign currency, such as traveller’s cheques, drafts, letters of credit or other banking instruments that may be exchanged for Thai currency at the prevailing exchange rates. It may be necessary to declare the amount of foreign currency on arrival to customs at Bangkok International Airport.
The present exchange rate is about Baht 45 to US$1.00
Hospitals
There is a Medical Centre on the fourth floor of the Service Building with a full-time medical doctor and a registered nurse in attendance. They not only provide immediate medical help, but can prescribe repeat medications and advise on specialists in Bangkok hospitals. There are several excellent private and public hospitals in Bangkok, some with doctors trained in the United States and the United Kingdom and therefore English-speaking. Most of the hospitals have dental units, eye clinics as well as the usual Ear, Nose and Throat departments. The United Nations Medical Service recommends three hospitals: Bamrungrad, Phya Thai I and Vichaiyut. There are some private medical care centres providing qualified nannies, but most of them do not speak English.
Postal Services
Postal services are comprehensive, but occasionally unreliable. Airmail from Europe takes three to seven days, surface mail six to ten weeks. Airmail from North America takes five to ten days, surface mail seven to ten weeks. Parcel post is available to nearly all countries. All incoming packages are subject to customs inspection so it is important to register articles of value. There is a Thai post office in the United Nations Building, which is open from 0800 to 1600 hours. Overseas telephone calls and fax transmissions can be made at the post office at government-regulated charge rates. For official purposes only, there are United Nations pouch services twice weekly to New York and weekly to Geneva, Rome and Vienna and some countries in the region. There is a home mail delivery service in Bangkok, but it is recommended that the office address be used for personal mail.
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