This was stated during discussions on 25 November 2010 between Mr.
Peter Buri, Deputy Director of the Southeast Asia and Pacific
Department of GTZ on behalf of GTZ Headquarters Eschborn; Ms. Cornelia
Richter, Director General of the Planning and Development Department at
GTZ headquarters and AIT officials led by Prof. Joydeep Dutta, Vice
President for Academic Affairs. The pair was accompanied by Mr. Apichai
Sunchindah, Policy Advisor, GTZ, Thailand.
“New cooperation with AIT would not be like before. We are interested
to explore new, distinct frameworks that respond to new opportunities,”
Ms. Richter said, calling AIT “one of the most important regional hubs
for education in Southeast Asia.”
Congratulating AIT on its long history of education and development
collaboration, and its New Charter which Germany has agreed to sign,
Ms. Richter said her agency looked forward to a progressive dialogue
with AIT that builds on past experiences but with new conditions.
Possibilities exist for equal partnership with GTZ for regional
cooperation in areas such as technical education, global climate
change, corporate social responsibility, and energy and infrastructure
development, she said.
Mr. Peter Buri emphasized GTZ’s regional perspective, its Regional
Platform for Cooperation (RCP), and pointed to issues which AIT could
position itself as a regional platform for cooperation, such as
vocational training. Working with GTZ on some issues under the German
government’s international climate change initiative was also
considered possible.
“We are interested in starting a initiating an open dialogue, to
refresh our overall relationship,” Mr. Buri said.
The officials extended an open invitation for a top-level AIT
delegation to visit GTZ’s headquarters in Germany in early 2011 to
discuss formal, working-level partnership. Once finalized, AIT would
have access to GTZ’s more than 700 experts and over 400 academic
partnerships. “Market opportunities are promising and we are interested
to move forward together,” Ms. Richter said, explaining that AIT and
GTZ could conceivably “approach financial opportunities together as
partners.”
Apart from Prof. Dutta, AIT was represented by Dr. Bonaventura H.W.
Hadikusumo, Associate Dean for Promotion, School of Engineering and
Technology (SET); Dr. Rian Beise-Zee of School of Management (SOM); Dr.
Mokbul Morshed Ahmad, Associate Dean, School of Environment, Resources
and Development (SERD); Dr. Faiz Shah, Head, Development Management,
AIT Extension; Dr. Pritam K. Shrestha, Head, External Relations and
Communications Office (ERCO) and Mr. Tenzin Rabgyal, Senior Program
Officer, ERCO.