H.E. Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, Rt.
Honorable President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
(center) presides over the opening of the International Conference on
KMSD 2009. To President Yadav's immediate left is Mr.
Ramesh Bista, AITAA Nepal President and Chairperson of the KMSD
2009. To his immediate right are AIT President Prof. Said
Irandoust and Mr. Laxman Ghimire, first Nepali graduate from AIT and
the first President of the AITAA Nepal,
respectively.
AIT President Said Irandoust recently led a large AIT mission to Nepal
to participate in the International Conference on Knowledge Management
for Sustainable Development (KMSD 2009), which was jointly
organized by the AIT Alumni Association (AITAA) in Nepal and AIT from
December 10-12.
The KMSD 2009 conference in Kathmandu was inaugurated on December 10
by H.E. Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, Rt. Honorable President of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Nepal, who also delivered the opening
address.
President Yadav, whose son is also an AIT alumnus, congratulated the
AITAA Nepal and AIT, on the organization of the conference,
highlighting its significance and importance in the context of
Nepal.
The 3-day conference was attended by around 300 participants from 15
countries, with a total of 79 technical papers received, out of which
52 presentations were made in different parallel technical
sessions.
Professor Hirendra Man Shrestha, Chairman of the Kathmandu Engineering
College, hosted dinner for the AIT delegation on the evening of
December 9. The entire event was organized as part of AIT’s 50th
Anniversary celebrations.
President Irandoust called KMSD 2009 one of the most significant
events ever organized by any national alumni chapter in partnership
with AIT, both in terms of its magnitude and also technical
content.
“It is fully in line with what I had proposed during the AITAA
Governing Board Meeting in Beijing, as one of the ways in which the
AITAA can help support and partner their alma mater, in a more
substantial manner,” President Irandoust said.
The success of the international conference should serve as a stimulus
for other alumni national chapters to also organize similar events,
President Irandoust stressed, paying special thanks to the event
sponsors. The President also congratulated Mr. Ramesh Bista, President
of the AITAA Nepal, and all AIT alumni in Nepal, for their hard work
and efforts in the organization of the KMSD 2009.
In his opening remarks, President Irandoust highlighted the role of
AIT in developing key human resources of Nepal. AIT faculty member and
alumnus Dr. B. H. W. Hadikusumo delivered a message on behalf of the
AITAA Mother Chapter. Mr. Ramesh Bista, AITAA Nepal President and
Chairperson of the KMSD 2009; Mr. Laxman Ghimire, first Nepali graduate
from AIT and the first President of the AITAA Nepal; Mr. Kishore
Shakya, Chairperson of the Technical Committee; Mr. M.S. Paudel, Vice
President of the AITAA Nepal; and Mr. Kiran Dongol, General Secretary,
AITAA Nepal, also delivered remarks during the opening ceremony.
The AIT President also chaired the keynote session in which he
delivered a plenary address along with Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat,
Minister of Energy, Government of Nepal; AIT Professor Ram M. Shrestha;
and Dr. Madhav Karki, Deputy Director-General, Programs, International
Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
The KMSD 2009 conference had 9 sub-themes, which were chaired and
coordinated by AIT faculty and partners from the AIT-UNEP.RRC.AP:
- Infrastructure
development and management - Dr. B. H. W. Hadikusumo
- Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) - Dr. Paul Janecek
- Sustainable
energy, technology and policies - Professor Ram M. Shrestha
- Natural
resources management and livelihood - Dr. Rajendra P. Shrestha
- Agricultural
and rural development - Professor Gopal B. Thapa / Dr. Ram Bhujel
- Disaster risk
reduction management, recovery and rehabilitation - Dr. Pennung
Warnitchai
- Climate Change
- Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thien and Mrs. Roopa Rakshit, from
AIT-UNEP.RRC.AP
- Gender and
development as social integration management - Dr. Philippe
Doneys
- Peace building
and conflict management - Professor Ganesh P. Shivakoti
- Green Growth
and Technology Management - Mr. Mahesh Pradhan, Director a.i.
AIT-UNEP.RRC.AP
Mr. Madhav P. Ghimire, Chief Secretary, Government of Nepal, who is
also an AIT alumnus, was the Chief Guest at the Valedictory and Closing
session on December 12, during which the Resolution of the Participants
of the KMSD 2009 was adopted. Mr. Ghimire was instrumental in securing
financial support from the Government of Nepal for the
conference.
Mr. Ghimire highlighted the importance of merging and integrating
knowledge and sustainable development into the “political
transformation” process and cited the KMSD 2009 as being significant
for helping assimilate “home grown knowledge”.
He stated that the Government of Nepal would seriously consider the
“Kathmandu Declaration on the KMSD 2009” and help support future
follow-up initiatives. Mr. Ghimire recommended that this not be a
one-time event, and that mechanisms to actively monitor and follow-up
on the progress be implemented.
Dr. Pritam K. Shrestha, Head, External Relations and Communications
Office (ERCO), pointed out that the international event and its scale
in terms of participation was the first of its kind for an AITAA
country chapter.
He also suggested that the conference should not be an end in itself,
and AITAA-Nepal, based on the outcomes of the conference, should plan
to take up follow up actions.
The AITAA Nepal and AIT jointly hosted a welcome dinner on 10 December
that was attended by the conference delegates, alumni, AIT’s
institutional partners in Nepal, including representatives from
different government ministries, agencies and the diplomatic corps. Mr.
Karma Rana, Institute Secretary and Ms. Naina Shakya, Program
Coordinator, ERCO were also part of the AIT delegation.
The KMSD 2009 conference as well as signing of MoUs received wide
coverage in the media. The resolutions made by the participants of this
conference can be viewed at: Resolution of the Participants of the KMSD
2009