89th GRADUATION
AIT Honorary Degree conferred on
ADB President
MR. TADAO CHINO;
189 graduates receive AIT degrees
Mr. Tadao Chino, President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), was conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Technology at the 89th graduation ceremony on Friday, 18 August, in recognition of his role in the economic and social development of the Asia-Pacific region and his strategic vision in leading the ADB in the fight against poverty. The Honorary Degree was conferred by Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, AIT President.
Mr. Chino also addressed the graduating class, numbering 189 members from over 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific. The majority of the graduates were from the School of Environment, Resources and Development. The full text of Mr. Chino's address can be viewed at:
http://www.asdu.ait.ac.th/OMIS/NewsById.cfm?NewsID=1165
The AIT citation spoke of how AIT and the ADB have worked in collaboration in many of their activities. Notable among these collaborations is the provision to-date of 158 scholarships to AIT through the ADB-Japan Scholarship Program, which was established in 1988 to support qualified students from the ADB's developing member countries. Indirectly, scholarships have been provided through ADB loans to developing member countries. These include loans to R&D; institutions in Sri Lanka under its Science and Technology Personnel Development Project, and to Indonesia through the Second Land Resource Evaluation Project and Higher Education Project.
Since assuming the presidency in January 1999, Mr. Chino has been spearheading ADB's mission to reduce poverty, making it the over-arching goal. Under Mr. Chino's presidency, the ADB has also intensified its involvement in such sectors as education, health, population, gender issues, finance and good governance.
Mr. Chino was closely involved in the creation of the ADB. As an official of Japan's Ministry of Finance, Mr. Chino was seconded in 1964 to the then Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE). While at ECAFE, he was responsible for preparing and planning the establishment of a regional development bank, paving the way for the foundation of the ADB in 1966.
Related links: http://www.adb.org/Documents/News/2000/nr2000079.asp