Mr. Macleod led a delegation to AIT that included, Mr. Siddhi Aryal,
Deputy Chief of Party, GMR Program, Pact Thailand, and Ms. Jarusri
Jiravisitkul, Corporate Community Engagement Coordinator, Pact
Thailand. The officials were received by Prof. Said Irandoust,
President, AIT and Prof. Sudip Rakshit, Vice President, Research.
“AIT is a leader many fields in the region,” Mr. Macleod told AIT
officials, outlining his organization’s interest in exploring a
partnership. He described how AIT’s name and its mission were mentioned
at a forum, encouraging PACT to
visit AIT and look for a long-term partnership. He added that PACT’s
initial interaction with AIT was through a partnership initiated with
Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC).
PACT is committed to working through alliances with like-minded
organizations in some of the world’s most challenging countries, he
said. The organization focuses on empowerment and capacity building in
the fields of health, livelihoods, and natural resources. Its
philosophy is reflected in its catch phrase “Capacity Building
Worldwide,” Mr. Macleod said.
Prof. Said Irandoust, President, AIT while welcoming the delegation,
said that AIT is more than a university, and it considers itself as a
regional networking institute. This makes AIT an ideal platform for
forging partnerships.
Prof. Sudip Kumar Rakshit, Vice President for Research remarked that
AIT is engaged in capacity building and development issues. A
significant portion of our effort is directed towards development
oriented projects, he remarked.
Others who attended the meeting included Dr. Bernadette P.
Resurreccion, Coordinator, Gender and Development Studies (GDS) field
of study at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and Development
(SERD); Dr. Riaz Rahman Khan, Director, Yunus Center at AIT; Mr. Hans
Joakim Guttman, Coordinator, Wetland Alliance Programme (WAP); Dr. Faiz
Shah, Head, Development Management, AIT Extension; Dr. Theo Wilhelm
Ebbers, Coordinator, Aqua Outreach Program; Dr. Pritam Krishna
Shrestha, Head, External Relations and Communications Office (ERCO);
Mr. Kyaw Soe Hlaing, Program Coordinator, ERCO; and Ms. Tiamkare
Thitithamtada, Program Officer, ERCO.
