AIT President attends ASEAN Forum 2007 in Indonesia
On 7 August 2007, AIT President Said Irandoust participated in the ASEAN Forum 2007, held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, delivered the keynote speech at the event which had the theme 'Rethinking ASEAN, Towards ASEAN Community 2015'. Also participating at the event were the ASEAN Secretary General; the Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation; the Minister of ICT and Commerce of Indonesia; the UN Special Ambassador for the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific; and leading companies and NGO representatives. The sessions included presentations and discussions on the topic of business and society partnerships by the Minister of Trade, Indonesia; Professor Philip Kotler, of the Kellogg Business School; the Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation.
The focus of the meeting was on how to further develop ASEAN from an organization to a community, engaging people at various levels and different forms. The Forum provided an excellent platform to network and there were a number of areas of relevance in which AIT could partner with ASEAN. Such contact will be important in mobilizing ASEAN support for AIT's new Charter, once it is finalized.