Mr Sher Mohammad Jami Zada
Nearly 50 delegates from the governments of Sudan and Afghanistan participated in a joint opening ceremony of an International Training Program organized by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on 6 December 2010. Welcoming the participants, AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust, said that AIT was honored to host such a distinguished delegation from the two countries.
Prof. Irandoust stated that AIT is looking forward not only towards imparting training, but also learning from the participants. “The main mission of AIT was and continues to be capacity building. For 50 years, AIT has contributed towards capacity building in Asia, and the institute is now venturing beyond Asia,” Prof. Irandoust said. He cited the example of the formation of Asia-Africa Foundation (ASAFO), where AIT is a partner, as an example of AIT’s commitment towards capacity building in Africa.
The President also emphasized the importance of gender in the development process saying that "unless we achieve equity between the genders and bridge the gaps between men and women in things such as decision-making and opportunity, it will be difficult to meet the millennium development goals."
Mr. Sher Mohammad Jami Zada, Deputy Minister of Economy, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, who is heading the delegation from Afghanistan, spoke about the commitment of the Afghan government on the issue of gender mainstreaming. He stated that the three pillars of gender mainstreaming in Afghanistan included security for women, rule of law and human rights, and socio economic development.
Dr. Amani Mohamed Elkhatim Abd Allah, Academic Coordinator, Public Health Institute, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan, thanked AIT for organizing the training program and hoped that everyone would benefit from the intensive program.
Dr. Sandro Calvani, Director, Director of the ASEAN Regional Centre of Excellence on Millennium Development Goals (ARCMDG) at AIT, delved on MDGs, stating that many countries have already achieved the goals, and MDGs should not be considered “mission impossible.”
Prof. Jayant K. Routray, Coordinator Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management (DPMM) field of study, who is also training director and course director of the two programs, stated that AIT had galvanized expertise and resources not only from within the institute, but also from outside agencies and institutions like United Nations Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), World Health Organization (WHO) and Thammasat University.
According to Ms. Vineeta Thapa, Program Officer, DPMM, 31 officials from government of Sudan are participating in the training program on “Public health and Disaster Management.” Organized by Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management (DPMM) field of study at AIT, the program is supported by the Ministry of Health, Government of
Sudan. The 17-member strong delegation from the government of Afghanistan will undergo a training program on “Gender Mainstreaming and Equality with focus on MDGs.” The program is organized by the ARCMDG and is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kabul office.
Prof Said Irandoust addressing
delegates from Afghanistan and Sudan