Bangkok--29 Sep--AIT
New paradigm needed to tackle climate change and poverty in Asia-Pacific region, UNESCAP’s Executive Secretary tells International Conference at Asian Institute of Technology
At the launch yesterday (September 24) of the Asian Institute of Technology’s (AIT) new Center of Excellence on Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change (SDCC), Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, UNESCAP Executive Secretary, said the UN body looked forward to working in partnership with AIT to tackle poverty and climate change in Asia.
AIT’s new climate change center was announced at an international conference held at the Asian Institute of Technology in Pathumthani from 24-25 September 2009. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Heyzer, who also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between UNESCAP and AIT with Prof. Said Irandoust, President, Asian Institute of Technology.
The MoU between AIT and UNESCAP will promote technology transfer capacity among small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in the Asia-Pacific region to undertake technology upgrading programmes in order to effectively utilize environmentally sustainable and low-carbon technologies.
Though the agreement, AIT and UNESCAP intend to work together to strengthen the capacity of countries, especially developing countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing States, to design and deploy national innovation systems that can help them achieve not only the Millennium Development Goals but also foster the rapid diffusion of new and emerging technologies, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, and renewable energy technologies.
Delivering a keynote speech at the conference, the UN Under-Secretary-General spoke of the critical need to push forward toward a low carbon, green society, and stressed the urgency of finalizing a global climate change deal at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, in December this year.
Outlining the many threats to human security in the Asia-Pacific region, Dr. Heyser said most countries in the region face two critical challenges: poverty and climate change. She called for a new global paradigm that must include increased balance, inclusiveness, and sustainability. “AIT’s new research focus can play a role in achieving this vision in Asia, and the new center is one of the building blocks for constructing this future,” Dr. Heyser said.
United Nations Development Programme (UNEP), Executive Director-General, Achim Steiner, echoed Dr. Heyser in his videotape address to the conference. “The United Nations Environment Programme shares the objectives of the AIT Center of Excellence on Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change and we hope to be able to contribute and build on the long tradition that we have developed in working together in partnership with AIT,” the UN Under-Secretary-General said.
The conference gathered together a large number of international scholars and stakeholders to discuss emerging, urgent issues and to plan joint research efforts. The launching ceremony was also attended by other distinguished guest speakers, namely H.E. Mr. Lennart Linner, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Thailand; Mr. Yann Pradeau, Charge d’Affaires a.i. of France to Thailand; and Mr. Cholathorn Dumrongsak, Director, Total Quality Production Center, Siam Cement Group (SCG).
Explaining why AIT is positioning its research under the theme Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change, AIT President, Prof. Said Irandoust, said: “If Asia, which is home 60% of the world’s population, is to have a prosperous future, it must be built upon sustainable and sound green principles. AIT focuses on learning and research strategies that will drive poverty reduction, reduce risk and resource consumption, and create opportunities for green jobs creation by building sustainable livelihoods in Asia.“
The conference was broadcast live via the Internet and was teleconferenced to the AIT Center in Hanoi, Vietnam and the Polytech Nice-Sophia Antipolis University in France by CanalAVIST and interLAB (AIT). Over sixty students interactively attended the conference from the classrooms at the AIT Center in Hanoi.
Photo 1 caption:
Prof. Said Irandoust, AIT President, left, with Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, UNESCAP Executive Secretary, at the MoU signing.
PHoto 2 caption:
Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, UNESCAP Executive Secretary