AIT made its mark at the Global Meeting of the Emerging Markets Forum
(www.emergingmarketsforum.org)
held at Mumbai. The invitation-only Emerging Markets Forum, which is a
nonprofit initiative of the Centennial Group (www.centennial-group.com),
Washington DC, is one of the world’s leading forums for intellectual
discourse and policy debate concerning emerging markets. The Global
Meeting of the Emerging Markets Forum is Co-Chaired by H.E. Fidel V.
Ramos, former President of The Republic of the Philippines, Mr. Michel
Camdesses, former Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, and
Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda, President, Asian Development Bank.
AIT was the only institution of higher learning from Asia invited to
this high-level international meeting which included prestigious
participants from both the public and private sectors around the
world.
The Global Meeting in Mumbai was the ninth meeting of the Emerging
Markets Forum, including global and regional forums, and came in the
wake of the successful Latin America Meeting in Bogota, Colombia held
April. Having attended the Global Forum held in Indonesia in 1996, AIT
President Irandoust was invited to attend this conference by Mr.
Harinder Kohli, Chief Executive of the Emerging Markets Forum and CEO
of The Centennial Group (www.centennial-group.com) based in Washington
DC. Mr. Kohli also serves as Vice Chairperson of AIT’s Institute-level
Advisory Board.
Hosted by the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (www.bombaychamber.com), the
event attracted the who’s-who of the Indian business community, and was
graced by some of India’s most influential public sector officials,
including the current Chief Minister of Gujarat state, Shri Narendra
Modi, who gave a keynote address on June 25. Mr. Martin Wolf, a
well-known British journalist from the Financial Times was a key
moderator.
AIT President was accompanied by Dr. Nitin Afzulpurkar, Associate Dean
of the School of Engineering and Technology, who attended as a
participant, and Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe, Director of Fundraising, and
Mr. Shawn Kelly, News and Media Specialist, who attended as
observers.
Senior IMF, World Bank and WTO officials attended, as did former
President of Mexico, H.E. Vincent Fox.
AIT alumnus, Dr. Bindu Lohani, Asian Development Bank Vice President
for Finance and Administration, presented a key paper titled
“Developing Asia’s Potential to Address Climate Change” which was
warmly received at the conference.
The meeting came at a particularly pertinent time given the global
financial crisis and the effects on the emerging market countries in
Asia. Participants discussed long term challenges and identified
policies and strategies that would help sustain higher and more
inclusive, sustainable growth throughout emerging market economies. The
meeting focused on three main global themes: The Global Financial and
Economic Crisis; The Role of Emerging Markets in the New Global
Financial Architecture; and The Response of Emerging Market Countries
to Climate Change. The fourth theme focused on India and was based on a
yearlong study conducted by a team of a dozen highly experienced
economists and social scientists who produced the report India 2039: An
Affluent Society in One Generation. The outcomes of the discussions on
India were then shared with leaders of the Indian government and of
different political parties in New Delhi on 27 June.
AIT President Said Irandoust also had separate meetings with ADB
President Mr. Kuroda; ADB Vice President Dr. Bindu N. Lohani; Managing
Director General, ADB Mr. Rajat Nag,; and President and Chief Executive
Officer, Japan Bank for International Cooperation Mr. Hiroshi Watanabe.
During his individual meetings with them, AIT President highlighted
some of AIT’s ongoing and planned activities and initiatives, the “AIT
Strategy 2013”, new AIT Charter, as well as Public-Private-Partnership
(PPP) concept which we are pursuing for AIT.
On Sunday, 21 June, prior to the actual meeting of the Emerging
Markets Forum, Mr. Kohli helped arrange a day-long brainstorming
meeting between AIT and some of his colleagues, all very distinguished
individuals from different sectors of society. The AIT President Said
Irandoust along with Dr. Nitin Afzulpurkar participated from AIT while
the other participants were, Mr. Kohli, Professor R.A. Mashelkar (who
is a Bhatnagar Fellow at the Indian Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research and President of the Global Research Alliance), Dr.
Vinod K. Goel (Head of Global Knowledge and Innovation at the
Centennial Group) and Dr. Anil Sood (Senior Advisor from the Emerging
Markets Forum, and Former Vice President, Strategy and Resource
Management, World Bank, USA).
Some of the immediate results from AIT’s participation in the Mumbai
forum are as follows:
- H.E. Fidel V. Ramos, former President of the Republic of the
Philippines, who was awarded with an honorary doctorate degree from AIT
in 1998 has accepted the invitation from the AIT president Said
Irandoust to be a keynote speaker at AIT?s Fiftieth Anniversary Gala
Dinner to be held on August 19 in Bangkok.
- H.E. Vincent Fox, former President of Mexico, accepted the
invitation of AIT president Said Irandoust to be a keynote speaker at
AIT’s Fiftieth Anniversary Gala Dinner to be held on August 19 in
Bangkok.
- President Fidel V. Ramos agreed to co-publish with AIT an article he
wrote concerning the Global Emerging Markets Forum.
- President Ramos has accepted the invitation of AIT president Said
Irandoust to co-author a series of articles with the President on the
topic of sustainable development.
- AIT President has also extended an invitation to Mr. Haruhiko
Kuroda, President, Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the Gala Dinner, and
he has assured me that he will try his best to attend the event.
- In relation to the Fiftieth Anniversary Gala Dinner, AIT has also
extended invitations to H.E. Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary
General and to Nobel Laureate Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, and are
awaiting their confirmations. AIT is honored that Professor Lehn has
also listed his Adjunct Faculty appointment with AIT among his other
affiliations.