On 6 November 2007, AIT President Said Irandoust participated in the 10th Annual Advisory Committee Meeting of the UNEP Regional Resource Center for Asia and the Pacific (RRC.AP), chaired by Professor Nay Htun, who is a former AIT faculty member and previously held very high-level positions in UNDP, UNEP, having also served as UN Assistant Secretary General. The other participants included Mr. Nessim J. Ahmad, Director, Environmental and Social Safeguards, ADB; Mr. Lasse Nymoen, First Secretary, Royal Norwegian Embassy; Mr. Chatre Moonstan, Senior Program Officer, Royal Norwegian Embassy; Dr. Anders Granlund, Counsellor / Senior Regional Environmental Advisor, Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia (SENSA); Mr. Hideyuki Mori, Vice President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies; Mr. Raghunathan Rajamani, UNEP Regional Advisor; and Mr. Oliver Deluze, Chief, Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch, Division of UNEP Regional Cooperation.
The Advisory Committee was briefed on the thematic areas which UNEP plans to focus more closely on into the future, which include climate change, ecosystems management, hazardous substances and chemicals, environmental governance, resource efficiency and natural disaster management. The Advisory Committee welcomed UNEP's initiative to focus on a limited number of areas and there was also discussion regarding the importance related to environment, human security and its relation to poverty.
The Chairman stressed the importance in further strengthening partnerships for capacity building and, in this context, remarked that organizations such as UNEP can only remain relevant if they are able to work effectively with a wide range of partners. The committee was very supportive and encouraged the further strengthening of partnerships between UNEP and AIT. A training manual of "Environmental Management Tools" published jointly by UNEP and AIT, which was edited by AIT faculty member Professor Jayant K. Routray, and includes several articles contributed by other AIT faculty colleagues as well, was launched on the occasion of the meeting. AIT is a collaborating center of UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO) endeavour, and a copy of the GEO-4: Environment for Development assessment report, prepared in partnership with AIT and many governments, institutions and individuals, was also provided to members.
As hosts and given their closeness to AIT, it is important that the Institute tries and interacts more closely with UNEP.RRC.AP, especially since they are actively involved in regions that are of strategic importance to AIT such as Central Asia.
Mr. Surendra Shrestha, UNEP Regional Director for Asia Pacific and Director of UNEP.RRC.AP, who is also an AIT alumnus, provided various important linkages and connections that he continues to bring to AIT through his networks. Many Central Asian countries are currently developing strategies for sustainable development, identifying priority areas, mechanisms for implementation. Wherever feasible, AIT should try and explore opportunities for collaboration.
AIT President also had an opportunity to discuss and interact with the Chairman Professor Nay Htun, whom he invited to AIT. Professor Nay Htun plans to visit AIT some time during the beginning of next year and agreed to deliver a lecture to members of the AIT community, highlighting the importance and need for increased flexibility and a culture of change in organizations as a necessary prerequisite for survival, especially in the context of the dynamic changes that are occurring in the region and globally.
On 7 November, AIT President participated in the dinner reception of the "Regional Workshop on National Sustainable Development Strategies in Asia and the Pacific", which was held in conjunction with the Advisory Committee meeting. During the reception, AIT President met with Professor Makhmadsharif M. Khakdodov, Deputy Minister of Energy and Industry and Mr. Kodor Boturov, Head of International Relations Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Nature Protection, from the Republic of Tajikistan, whom he invited to AIT.
They both visited AIT the next day on 8 November and met with AIT President along with Professor Sudip K. Rakshit, Vice President for Research and Professor S. Kumar, Dean, School of Environment, Resources and Development. There are currently many donors such as JICA, KOICA, ADB and World Bank, engaged in infrastructure and environmental-related development projects in Tajikistan and the two ministries are interested in exploring the possibility of engaging AIT for purposes of capacity building. They will provide AIT with the needs assessment reports prepared by the two ministries based on which AIT and the ministries could try and jointly identify in more concrete manner areas in which there could be specific collaboration.