CIDA-AIT SEA-UEMA Project Consultative Group Meeting
The CIDA-AIT Southeast Asia Urban Environmental Applications (SEA-UEMA) Project held its first 'Project Consultative Group' meeting (above) on Friday, 16 February 2007. The Group is led by its Chair Prof. Rene Parenteau of the University of Montreal, and Co-chair Prof. Dato' Dr. Sham Sani, former Vice Chancellor of the National University of Malaysia. Other members of the Group are: Dr. Than Sina, Member of Parliament and the Chairman of Commission on Planning, Investment, Agricultre, Rural Development, Environment and Water Resources; Dr. Monthip S. Tabucanon, Director General of the Department of Environment Quality Promotion in Thailand; Dr. Somphone Dethoudom, Director General of the Department of Housing and Urban Planning in Cambodia; Prof. Budhy Tjahajati Soegijoko, Senior Executive Director of the Urban and Regional Development Institute (URDI) in Indonesia; Ms. Marivel Camilon Sacendoncillo, Executive Director of the Local Government Academy, Department of Interior and Local Government in the Philippines; and Ms. Isabel Anne Lloyd, an expert on Gender Equality and International Development from Canada.
Prof. Said Irandoust, AIT President welcomed the esteemed group members to the meeting. Prof. Sudip K. Rakshit, Vice-President for Research; Prof. S. Kumar, Dean SERD and the Project Team led by the Project Director and Dr. Edsel Sajor, UEM FoS Coordinator participated in the meeting as resource persons. The meeting was fruitful for the project. The PCG members provided their ideas and suggestions on the relevance of expected results of the project, reporting on the progress towards achieving the results, the need for bigger dissemination activities towards the end of the project, and planning the development of a new project proposal. In the afternoon, a visit to the site of the demonstration project entitled 'Demonstrating Recyclable Waste Bank in Ayutthaya Municipality' was organized for the group members. The project is funded by the SEA-UEMA Project and is being implemented by Ayutthaya Municipality in eight schools of Ayutthaya.
During the meeting, AIT President Irandoust extended an invitation to the Prime Minister of Cambodia HE Mr. Hun Sen through Dr. Than Sina for a visit to AIT. Cambodia is a long time partner of AIT. Dr. Sina pointed out that AIT, with its expertise, could contribute extensively in the environment sector in Cambodia.