The TDLC facilitated global connections through the GDLN for two major World Bank events in Tokyo focusing on infrastructure.
The Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics, held for the first time in Asia on May 29-30 under the theme “Rethinking Infrastructure” saw over 900 participants at Mita Conference Hall, making it the largest meeting in ABCDE history. Its “virtual” reach was even greater, as the TDLC connected a total of 9 sites in Asia, Europe and Africa to deliver over 10 hours of coverage, bringing speeches and plenary discussions from leading thinkers to a diverse audience. Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, on his second visit to Japan, opened the Conference emphasizing the importance of infrastructure for poverty reduction.
Alongside the ABCDE, the TDLC also welcomed President Wolfowitz and Bank Vice President for Infrastructure Kathy Sierra to its studios on May 29 for a Dialogue with Asian Civil Society Organizations (CSO) on Lessons Learned from Infrastructure. As the Bank re-engages in infrastructure, the session was organized to gather feed-back from civil society groups on a January 2006 Bank report titled “Infrastructure: Lessons Learned from the Last Two Decades of World Bank Engagement”. In addition to civil society members assembled in Tokyo, participants in Hanoi, Bangkok, Canberra and Jakarta were connected via the GDLN for two hours of discussion with Mr. Wolfowitz and Ms. Sierra.
Read more about ABCDE 2006
Read more about the CSO dialogue
The TDLC received President Festus Gontebanye Mogae of the Republic of Botswana on June 7 on the occasion of the “Meeting on Infrastructure Development for Small Economies through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) – The Case of Botswana”. Jointly hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Botswana and the World Bank Group (Bank, IFC, MIGA) with support from the United Nations University (UNU), the TDLC connected speakers from Pretoria, Johannesburg and Helsinki to over 50 participants in Tokyo who joined the President for a productive roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Hans van Ginkel, UNU Rector.
http://jointokyo.org/en/news/2006/06/07/142
The International Recovery Platform (IRP) held its second Steering Committee meeting at the TDLC on June 1, 2006, connecting International Labour Organization (ILO) Headquarters in Geneva, The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome to Tokyo via videoconference. Mr. Andrew Maskrey, Chair of the Steering Committee, opened the session expressing his appreciation for videoconferencing. “Without videoconferencing, it wouldn’t be possible to have a meeting of this kind in 4 different locations at the same time”.
http://www.jointokyo.org/en/news/2006/06/01/140
The World Bank’s annual 2006 Global Development Finance (GDF) report was the focus of a special session at the TDLC on May 31 as connecting sites Indonesia, Vietnam, Mongolia and Thailand enjoyed a presentation given by the report’s lead author, World Bank Lead Economist in Development Economics Mr. Mansoor Dailami and Manager of the Bank’s Global Trends team, Mr. Hans Timmer. This year’s GDF was launched in Tokyo during the ABCDE.
http://www.jointokyo.org/en/news/2006/05/31/139
A new global report on child labour launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO) was the topic of a videoconference held on May 23 connecting ILO Headquarters in Geneva and the TDLC. Organized by the ILO Office in Japan, over 20 participants including members of NGOs gathered at the TDLC to listen to new findings and discuss common issues.
http://www.jointokyo.org/en/news/2006/05/23/136
“Mobilizing Rural Community and Stakeholders”, a workshop on Community Driven Development (CDD) organized by the World Bank Tokyo Office and JANARD was held at the TDLC on April 216. The third session in the series brought together Japanese NGOs and representatives from the Asia Foundation to exchange views on their experience in community development projects.
http://www.jointokyo.org/en/news/2006/04/21/135
A new learning program titled “Post Disaster Reconstruction Learning of Indian Ocean Tsunami: Towards its Application to Pre Disaster Preparedness in Vulnerable Developing Countries” has begun at the TDLC, organized by the Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environment Studies. In an inaugural videoconference held on April 20, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, New Delhi and Tokyo connected to discuss the two-year program.
http://www.jointokyo.org/en/news/2006/04/20/133
As part of a continuing effort to promote the concept of Corporate Community Interface (CCI) in disaster risk reduction, a second videoconference organized by Kyoto University Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES) and the TDLC was held on April 20 to discuss plans to develop a CCI program. Via the GDLN, sites in Manila, Bangkok, Hanoi, New Delhi, Kobe and Tokyo connected to share experiences and expertise, and considered specific contents for a CCI Handbook which will serve as the basis for conversion into a distance learning program. http://www.jointokyo.org/en/news/2006/04/20/134
The Second “Training of Trainers Course on Microfinance (MFToT) gave accreditation to 32 new microfinance trainers from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka at a ceremony moderated from the TDLC on April 12. The course, a blended distance learning program which combines various technologies, aims to build microfinance capacity in Asia.
http://www.jointokyo.org/en/news/2006/04/12/132
The Asian Public Policy Program (APPP) at Hitotsubashi University will begin using the GDLN to conduct videoconference seminars twice a year for information exchange to strengthen ties among alumni in Asia. The inaugural session “Recent policy issues in Asia” is planned for June 16 connecting sites in Beijing, Manila, Jakarta, Hanoi and Tokyo.
The TDLC, Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) are pleased to announce that the Third Microfinance Training of Trainers Course will be delivered beginning in August 2006. The Course, held twice in 2005, takes a unique blended learning approach combining CD-ROMs, the internet and videoconferencing, and has accredited 47 trainers in 8 countries. We are currently accepting applications.
Japan’s ODA Task Force Seminar will begin this year on June 21 with a session on gender, connecting Thailand, Pakistan, Kenya and Tokyo. Facilitated by the Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development (FASID) and supported by the TDLC since 2005, the series is a capacity buiding program for the ODA Task Force consisting of Japanese Embassy, JICA and JBIC staff members.
To subscribe, please visit the subscription page
The TDLC welcomes comments, questions and suggestions. Please contact us at e-news@jointokyo.org
You are subscribed to the list as [email]. You can instantly unsubscribe by clicking this link:
Privacy Policy