Deadline: 15 December, 2023 Master Program Offering Gender and Development Studies Natural Resources Management Eligible Countries Cambodia Indonesia Lao PDR Myanmar Malaysia the Philippines East Timor Thailand Vietnam Application Requirements Hold a Bachelor’s Degree with above-average academic performance Have completed their last university not more that 6 years ago at the time of application Clearly show motivation and strong commitment English writing proficiency equivalent to IELTS, AIT-EET 6.0 or above

  Press Release 2nd Flagship Training Programme on Regional Integrated Rural Development, Governance, Trade and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific 4th November, 2023 The opening ceremony of the 2nd CIRDAP-BARD Flagship Training Programme on Regional Integrated Rural Development, Governance, Trade, and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific was held on 4th of November, 2023 at CIRDAP International Conference Centre (CICC).  The training programme is scheduled to run from November 4th to November 26th, 2023, encompassing a comprehensive period of 23 days. The Honorable Minister, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, His Excellency Mr. Md. Tazul Islam, MP embraced the opening ceremony as the Chief Guest and he graced the occasion with an inspirational speech that outlined his vision for the programme and encouraged all participants. At the ceremony, H.E Dr. Pornchai Danvivathana, Secretary General of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD); Mr. Md. Harun-or-Rashid Mollah, Director General of Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD); Dr. Cherdsak Virapat Director General, of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP); and Dr. Somporn Hanpongpandh, former Director General of CIRDAP, course Director for this programme, also graced the occasion with their presence. Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Director General, CIRDAP and Mr. Harun-or-Rashid Mollah, Director General, BARD offered address of welcome in the ceremony. This three week comprehensive training programme is organized by the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) in collaboration with Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD).The curriculum covers a wide range of topics on three modules module 1: Integrated Rural Development Framework, Trade, Sustainable Development & Multi-lateral treaties on Environmental Legal Issues; module 2: Adaptive Management in Rural Development in Asia and the Pacific Region; and module 3: Policy Formulation and Comprehensive Implementation. This year 24 participants from the different nation-states are attending the regional training. Eleven countries from the Asia-Pacific regions (also CIRDAP member countries) which are Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia, IR Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand; and two countries from African nation which are Ghana and Mauritius. For further information please contact: Ms. Hurain Jannat, Communication OfficerCentre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP)Email: communication_officer@cirdap.org

World Fisheries Day on “Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture: Impact of Climate Change and Mitigation Measures” Date and Time: 21st November, 2023 at 11 am Bangladesh time (10:30 am India time). Speaker: Dr. Grinson George Padinjakara Principal Scientist (Fisheries Resource Management), Fishery Resources Assessment Economics & Extension Division, ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, Kerala, India Registration Link: Click here for registration of the webinar https://forms.gle/BVvbmZY2APtzAZLp7 Click here to see the pdf

CIRDAP and its partners, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR, organized an Expert Consultation Workshop on Asia-Pacific Integrated Rural Development and Sustainable Resource Management in the 21st Century: Strategic Actions at the Regional and the National levels from 6th to 7th October 2023 in the Grand Luang Prabang Hotel, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. The event was inaugurated at 9:00 a.m. Laos’s time on 6th October 2023. The workshop provided a forum for relevant experts and stakeholders to address the current challenges of the rural population in Asia and the Pacific, particularly emphasizing Integrated Rural Development and Sustainable Resource Management in the 21st Century. The DG of CIRDAP, Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, provided the welcome address at the onset of the workshop. The opening addresses were provided by Mr. Anosack Phengthimmavong, Deputy Director General, Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Lao PDR; Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Rokhmin Dahuri, President of Indonesia Aquaculture Society, Advisor of Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Republic of Indonesia; and Former Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Republic of Indonesia and Professor in Coastal and Ocean Management, IPB University, Indonesia; Dr. Jie Huang, Director General, Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA); Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director, Mekong Institute (MI); Mr. Wimon Punkong, Representative, Executive Director, International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD), Thailand; and Dr. Nathaniel Don Marquez, Executive Director, Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), Philippines. There were eleven presentations by the Honorable Experts and team of Excellences at the workshop on different thematic topics such as Sustainable Resource Management; Transformation of Global Frameworks, Conventions, and Multilateral Treaties; Climate Change; Disaster Risk Reduction; Agriculture Farm Business and Income Generation; Land and Resource Governance; Upland-Coastal-Ocean Management; Village Administration; Gender Equality; ICT and digitalization; IRD Models in Asia Pacific and their potentials. Mr. Somboon Laoprasert, CIRDAP Expert of the Team of Excellences from Thailand, moderated the panel presentations and Discussion. After the presentations, a brainstorming session was held in the two groups to discuss and identify the actionable strategies and plans at the regional and national levels for collaborative efforts to improve the situations in Asia and the Pacific region. The participants also discussed and came up with several pilot projects for implementation. The Consultation workshop ended with the presentation of the outcome of the brainstorming session by Dr. Muhammad Israr, IRD Expert, and Prof. Dr. Mohammed Helal Uddin, Director (Research), CIRDAP, at 1:00 pm on 7th October 2023. Contact:  Ms. Hurain Jannat, Communication OfficerCentre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP)Email: communication_officer@cirdap.org

The 38th Technical Committee meeting of CIRDAP was held at the Grand Luang Prabang Hotel, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, from 3 – 4 October 2023. The meeting was attended by 40 participants, including 14 CIRDAP member countries. A representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office, Lao PDR; the IRD expert of CIRDAP; the representatives of national and international observers, and CIRDAP experts also attended the meeting. The TC member of Lao PDR, Mr. Anosack Phengthimmavong, Deputy Director General of the Department of Rural Development, chaired the meeting. In his opening remark, Mr. Phengthimmavong sincerely thanked the CIRDAP Secretariat for organizing this face-to-face technical committee meeting. The DG of CIRDAP, Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, sincerely thanked the outgoing Chairman of Thailand for his unwavering support and leadership during the chairmanship. He also presented a small token of appreciation and gratitude to both (the new and outgoing) Chairman. The technical committee noted the report of the Director General with some observations from the member countries and the status of the implementation of the TC-37 meeting. The Secretariat provided the Rural Development Report (RDR) 2023 progress to the Committee. The Technical Committee discussed and endorsed the outcome of the 1st CIRDAP-BARD Flagship Training Programme on Regional Integrated Rural Development, Governance, Trade and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific Region and the Progress Report on the Women, Youth, and Rural Development Programme. The Committee members considered the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) of CIRDAP and set a virtual TC Meeting on 21st December to discuss it further. The Committee members provided feedback on the programme Budgets of CIRDAP for 2024 and 2025. The Committee members discussed the World Rural Development portal and provided suggestions. They selected the theme of 2024 for celebrating World Rural Development Day: “Let’s End Hunger by Making Food Affordable for All.” They also endorsed the venue of the following Technical Committee Meeting (TC-39) in Malaysia in 2024. The Committee members emphasized the visibility of CIRDAP and the spreading of CIRDAP activities across CMCs in general.  On the 3rd of October, CIRDAP and The Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry organized a welcome dinner along with the Aziz-ul-Huq Rural Development Model Ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Luang Prabang Hotel, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. CIRDAP honored seven recipients representing individual persons and organizations with the award, those who worked tirelessly to improve the life standards of the marginalized rural people. The names are as follows: The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Myanmar: award for 2022 The Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development, Myanmar: award for 2022 The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development Malaysia (MRRD), Malaysia: award for 2023 The Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development, Myanmar: award for 2023 Asia Ecosystem Institute, Islamic Republic of Iran: award for 2023 Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP), Pakistan: award for 2023 International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD)Thailand: award for 2023 A Study Tour at the Living Land Farm (a Community Enterprise) in Luang Prabang town, Lao PDR, was organized on 5th October 2023. All the participants and observers attended this fantastic field trip to learn and appreciate the traditional Lao rice farming experiences. The participants learned about the ancient process of harvesting, planting methods, and threshing and winnowing rice. Contact:  Ms. Hurain Jannat, Communication OfficerCentre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP)Email: communication_officer@cirdap.org

Today, CIRDAP organizes the Webinar on the International day for Rural Women on October 15, 2023. Ms. Saifun Nahar, Deputy Director & Project Director: RWSEEDE, Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) was embraced the webinar as speaker. The topic of the webinar presentation was “Rural Women’s Organization for Development: A Case of BARD Experiment”. The DG of CIRDAP Dr. Cherdask Virapat provided the speech on this special day. DG CIRDAP Message link: (PDF) After the presentation, there was constructive discussions amongst the participants. To know more about the presentation of the speaker, please see the link below: Presentation PDF link

Message from Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Director General, Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) on the International Day of Rural Women Sunday 15 October 2023, 11.00 hrs. Today, we celebrate the International Day of Rural Women at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP). The day of 15 October was established at the United Nations General Assembly of 18 December 2007, recognizes the critical role and contribution of rural women in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty. The theme for the International Day of Rural women in 2023 is “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All.” The rural women and girls play an important role in their family. They mainly engage in rural household works and agricultural farming, fish culture and fisheries, poultry and cattle rearing works so that their family life can improve. They are doing these works every day though their contribution is not values in monetary terms; and often their hard works are not noticed in the family and society. They also play an important role in domestic work within their families, as well as households in rural areas. Although they are working in various agricultural activities like male, they are not able to access agricultural inputs, markets, land, agri-food chains of high-values credit and get lower prices for their crops. Education is often referred to as the great equalizer. It can help rural women to learn about how to reduce poverty, increase better crop and agricultural production and helps women for their better livelihoods. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), says leaving no one behind. To reach the SDGs, rural women should be empowered so that, they can also improve their living condition and wellbeing 3 . On behalf of CIRDAP, I call for global attention on gender equality commitments and contribution of rural women to development. CIRDAP is proud to organize a webinar on this day on the topic of “Rural Women’s Organization for Development: A case of BARD Experiment” to celebrating the International Day of Rural Women and looks forward to promoting its gender on rural development programme in the years to come. Thank you.

Webinar on the “International Day of Rural Women” Topic: ” Rural Women’s Organization for Development: A Case of BARD Experiment.”  15 October 2023 11: A.M. Bangladesh Time Click here for Zoom Link Presenter:                    Ms. Saifun Nahar                     Deputy Director, Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD)                    Dr.Usharani Boruah                     Moderator                     Librarian & Gender Coordinator of CIRDAP. Click here to see the pdf.

Join our Next webinar to celebrate the International day for Disaster Risk Reduction. The webinar will be held on 13 October, 2023 4 pm Bangladesh time In 2023, the International Day will look at the reciprocal relationship between disasters and inequality. Inequality and disaster vulnerability are two sides of the same coin: unequal access to services, such as finance and insurance, leaves the most at risk exposed to the danger of disasters; while disaster impacts exacerbate inequalities and push the most at risk further into poverty. The 2023 edition takes place shortly after the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, where the UN General Assembly in May 2023 adopted a political declaration to accelerate action to strengthen disaster resilience. The Day’s theme aligns with the Sendai Framework, the international agreement to prevent and reduce losses in lives, livelihoods, economies and basic infrastructure. Source: https://www.undrr.org/publication/concept-note-international-day-disaster-risk-reduction-2023 Please click on the link below and registrar yourselves to join. https://forms.gle/KW1ohAbip7YXDMi38