The 39 th session of the CIRDAP Technical Committee meeting was held on 5 – 7 August 2024 in Melaka following a Rural Symposium held on 8th August in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The meeting was attended by 35 participants, including 14 CIRDAP member countries, the representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the IRD expert, the representatives of national and international observers, and CIRDAP experts. At the opening ceremony of the TC-39 meeting, YB DATUK HAJAH RUBIAH BINTI HAJI WANG, the Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development of Malaysia warmly welcomed the delegates and representatives. In her opening address, the deputy minister said that CIRDAP is internationally recognised for its role in promoting integrated rural development initiatives across the Asia and the Pacific region. She also stated that Malaysia hold a significant role within CIRDAP as one of the founding and active members in promoting integrated rural development across the region. As a part of the opening ceremony, the Aziz-ul-Haq award for 2024 was also organized. As per the organization’s traditions, the host country, Malaysia, was elected Chair of the 39th Technical Committee. Dato’ Dr. Roslan bin Mahmood, Undersecretary, Strategic Planning Division, Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (MRRD), Malaysia, accepted the chairmanship of TC-39, and he chaired the meeting. The new chair thanked the CIRDAP Secretariat for preparing the meeting and again welcomed everyone to this historic and UNESCO heritage city of Melaka for the TC-39 Meeting. He said that Malaysia would support the CIRDAP secretariat and also wanted to collaborate strongly with all the CIRDAP member countries. He expressed that this meeting would become a successful meeting with fruitful and interactive discussions. 17 agendas were discussed in the meeting. After the two days of successful meeting, the TC members visited Demang Abdul Ghani Gallery – a traditional rural house- in Kampung Merlimau Tengah, Merlimau, Melaka as a part of the field trip.

Dear Cherdsak Virapat, We would like to inform you on a new self-paced course created by UNESCO/IOC/OTGA/ITIC. This online, self-paced course is the first of a series of tsunami courses organized by the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Resilience Section and its Tsunami Information Centres. Tsunami Awareness provides a basic understanding of the tsunami phenomenon, tsunami hazards and risks, tsunami warning systems, and tsunami preparedness. Tsunami Awareness is a pre-requisite for enrolling in later UNESCO-IOC tsunami courses. Learning outcomes The purpose of this course is to create awareness on tsunamis. By the end of the training, you should be able to: Describe the tsunami phenomena, and the causes and impacts of tsunamis. Understand what a tsunami warning system is, how tsunami warning centres work, and what products they issue. Explain the different preparedness actions that communities can take to be ready for the next tsunami Identify the natural tsunami warning signs and response actions for a local tsunami No application/selection process required for this training. The course closes 15 December 2024. All the information on the course and how to access can be found in the event page: https://oceanexpert.org/event/4369 Kind regards OTGA secretariat, Tsunami Unit, ITIC Training Centre

On 10 June, 2024,  CIRDAP organized a webinar to celebrate the World Oceans Day.  The honorable speaker is Sunil Murlidhar SHASTRI FRGS FRSA, Consultant, Educator and Speaker in Ocean and Environmental Governance. Mr. Shastri found his passion for Pacem in Maribus in 1982 under the tutelage of Elisabeth Mann Borgese and has since made it his mission. He is best known for his MasterClass and cogent analysis. On his talks, Mr. shastri talked about the Ocean with three approaches, five issues and seven solutions.  This talk is based on the philosophy Sunil has adapted, developed, and nurtured throughout his career of over four decades, mainly shaped and formed initially under the tutelage of Elisabeth Mann Borgese. At the heart of the philosophy is how we might inculcate the idea of One Ocean in thought, word, and action. Just as we have only one Planet, there is only one Ocean and not the three or five or seven that our nomenclatures have hitherto defined and described. Having given this reason for his assertion, Sunil moves on to the three approaches, namely, advice, advocacy, and action which he had adopted during the latter half of his career as a consultant, educator and speaker and his related pro-bono work. Sunil then introduces five crucial issues or rudimentary questions that address the contemporary concerns which form the very basis of the existence of our civilisation as we have known and imagined. Finally, Sunil talks about the solutions in the form of what he calls the Seven Pillars of Ocean and Environmental Governance explaining how each one of us belongs to at least one of these pillars and which we can adopt and support in our own professional and personal lives and how education and awareness, a pillar which has been central to Sunil’s entire professional career, may well be looked at as a critical and crucial central pillar. To know more, just click on the link of the presentation: Click here More snap shots:

Group Photo of the EC-34 Meeting (4-5 June 2024) Group Photo of the GC-24 Meeting (6 June 2024) CIRDAP in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC), Thailand organized the 34th session of the Executive Committee (EC-34) and the 24th Session of CIRDAP Governing Council (GC-24) Meeting on 4-6 June, 2024 at the Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square, Bangkok, Thailand. The EC-34 meeting was held on 4-5 June with the attendance of the Executive Committee Members of 14 CIRDAP member countries, the representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP), the representatives of development partners, and observers. Whereas, the GC-24 meeting was held on 6th June 2024; and the Honorable Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Secretaries, Representatives of the Embassies in Thailand and other distinguished members of the CIRDAP member countries joined the GC meeting. For the Governing Council of CIRDAP, H.E Mr. Md Tazul Islam MP, the Honorable Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives of Bangladesh, was elected as the Chairperson and H.E. Sakiasi Raisevu Ditoka, the Honorable Minister of Rural & Maritime Development and National Disaster Management of Fiji was elected as the Vice Chairperson for the next two years. Whereas, for the Executive Committee of CIRDAP, Mr. To Viet Chau, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Rural Development of Viet Nam was elected as the Chairperson and Mosammat Shahanara Khatun, Secretary of Rural Development and Cooperative Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives of Bangladesh was elected as the Vice Chairperson. The venue for the GC-25 and the EC-35 meetings will be taken place in Bangladesh in the 2nd Quarter of 2026. At the opening ceremony of the GC-24 meeting and the award ceremony of the Aziz-Ul Haq Rural Development Medals on 6th June 2024, Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Director General, CIRDAP welcomed all the Governing Council & the Executive Committee members of CIRDAP; Ambassadors & diplomatic mission in Thailand; awardees of the Aziz-Ul Haq Rural Development Medals, and distinguished participants, etc In the three days of the meetings, the member countries reviewed the centre’s performance, provided policy advice and discussed how to achieve the center’s goal. The Governing Council also elected and appointed Dr. P. Chandra Shekara from India as an incoming Director- General of CIRDAP for the next four years effectively from 10 September 2024 to 9 September 2028. Besides, the representatives of the CIRDAP Member Countries, international, regional and national organizations provided their statements of cooperation as observers. These includes African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) India, Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Kuwait, Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) The Philippines, Asian Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Thailand, Aspire to Innovate – a2i Bangladesh, Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF) Bangladesh, The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), Cooperative Auditing Department (CAD), FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP) Thailand, International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD) Thailand, National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) India, National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR) India, Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) Thailand.

CIRDAP in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC), Thailand organized the Award ceremony of the Aziz-ul-Haq Rural Development Medals as part of the opening ceremony of the 24th Session of CIRDAP Governing Council (GC-24) Meeting on 6th June, 2024. The award ceremony held at the Alpha Square Room, Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square, Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Director General, CIRDAP welcomed all the Governing Council & the Executive Committee members of CIRDAP; Ambassadors & diplomatic mission in Thailand; awardees of the Aziz-Ul Haq Rural Development Medals, and distinguished participants, etc The opening ceremony was addressed by the Chairperson of the CIRDAP Governing Council, H.E. Mr. Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn, The Honorable Deputy Minister on behalf of the Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Royal Thai Government. In 2024, CIRDAP honored three individuals and 10 organizations for their outstanding achievements and contributions to integrated rural development in their respective countries. These awardees have contributed to improve the livelihoods of the marginalized rural people by reducing poverty and increasing food security in their countries. The recipients of 2024 Aziz-ul-haq rural development medal are Phrakru Suchinnanthakit, Thailand; Mr. Banjong Sanyamoon, Thailand; H.E. Dr. Plodprasop Suraswadi, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (2012 – 2014).And the organizations are Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), Kuwait; Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), Philippines; Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF), Bangladesh; Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), Bangladesh; Cooperative Auditing Department (CAD), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand; Department of Fisheries (DOF), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand; Institute for Poverty Research and Management (InsPek), Malaysia; Mekong Institute (MI); Southern Shan State Department of Rural Development, Myanmar; and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). In 2021, the Governing Council of CIRDAP approved the establishment of the Aziz-Ul Haq Rural Development Medal in memory of the late Mr. Aziz-Ul Haq, the first Director of CIRDAP and the Former Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Bangladesh. CIRDAP awarded its first ‘Aziz- ul- Haq Rural Development Medal – 2021 to H.E. Sheikh Hasina, MP, the Honorable Prime Minister of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. On May 29, 2022 at Gonobhaban, Bangladesh.

TIEMS is in its 31st Year of Operation TIEMS Status and Plans Towards 2030 https://www.tiems.info/images/pdf/TIEMS_2023_Presentation_ver2.pdf First Call for Papers & Posters for TIEMS 2024 Hybrid Annual Conference in Pune, India I am pleased to announce the first Call for Papers and Posters for the TIEMS 2024 Hybrid Annual Conference with the main theme: Risk Governance, Resilience Building and Humanitarian Programming in a Changing World The conference is hosted by Vasundhara Emergency Management Foundation (VEMF), affiliated to The International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS), Brussels as its India Chapter. The conference is scheduled to be held at Pune, India during 26th to 29th November, 2024. The First Call for Papers and Posters are found here: https://www.tiems.info/images/pdf/TIEMS_2024_India_Conference_CFPP_Final_Version1.pdf This conference aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration by bringing together leading researchers, emergency management practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders from around the world to discuss and share their insights, experiences and expertise thereby catalysing innovative solutions, best practices, and future directions in disaster risk management and resilience building. Start planning your participation now! Paper and Poster Submissions For submitting a Paper or Poster Proposal, please, find link to Easy Chair and Templates for Abstracts and Papers in First Call for papers at: https://www.tiems.info/images/pdf/TIEMS_2024_India_Conference_CFPP_Final_Version1.pdf See deadlines to the right CONFERENCE TOPICS The four-day conference programme is curated along four key themes as Global Perspectives on Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation, Innovations in Disaster Management, and Critical Infrastructure Protection. The Conference will address the following sub-themes which are indicative, but not limited to: Disaster Preparedness and Early Warning Systems  Common Alert Protocol (CAP) Emergency Response Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Resilience Building, Capacity Building and Skill Development Risk Governance Toolkits for Emergency Management  Conflict Resolution  Risk Transfer and Disaster Risk Financing Ecosystem Restoration and Nature-Based Solutions Engendering Development Planning (Women Led Development) Critical Infrastructure Protection Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR)  Disaster Preparedness and Response Capacity Advisory Services to Private Sector for Effective CSR and ESG TIEMS International Emergency Management Certification (TQC & TQAC)  Positioning of VEMF, the India chapter of TIEMS, as a Knowledge Partner at national and state levels, for NGOs and other Stakeholder groups, and other TIEMS Chapters worldwide Join us to advance the global agenda on disaster risk management and resilience building and prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, climate change, extreme events and conflicts in a rapidly changing world. Read More about the conference and TIEMS in India at: https://www.tiems.info/index.php/2024-hybrid-annual-conference Local Indian Contact:     arvindjha.dr@gmail.com nvcmenon@gmail.com TIEMS International Secretariat CALL US             +33 1 78 95 83 39 EMAIL US  secretariat@tiems.info   FIND US       Rue Des Deux Églises 39, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Please, share this message in your network! K. Harald Drager TIEMS President PS: Update your subscription settings We hope that our content is useful to you. If you’d like to continue hearing from us, please update your subscription settings, if you have not already done it. We kindly ask you to follow the below instructions to keep in touch with us. Below in this message you find:  Manage Your Subscription Please, click on the link below it and manage your subscription, Thank you! TIEMS Privacy Policy TIEMS Privacy Policy is found at: http://www.tiems.info/index.php/about-us/privacy-policy You may have heard about the new General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), that came into effect May 25, 2018. To help comply with GDPR consent requirements, we need to ensure that you would like to receive content from TIEMS.

FAO and CIRDAP jointly organized the workshop on Revisions to the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) Aquaculture Questionnaire. The workshop held from 8th to 10th May, 2024 at the Novotel Bangkok, Siam Square, Bangkok, Thailand. The experts were invited from regional offices, government and related organizations, who is familiar with the CCRF aquaculture questionnaire process, responsible to the evaluation of country authority or related agencies. About 30 participants, representing a diverse, regionally and gender balanced group of stakeholders, attended the workshop. Since the endorsement of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) in 1995, fisheries and aquaculture have undergone significant transformations, primarily driven by a continual increase in demand and consumption of aquatic food. In 2008, FAO began a participatory process to design a questionnaire for assessing the implementation of the CCRF. This main questionnaire has been used by FAO Members since 2013 to report on theperformance of CCRF implementation, in terms of fisheries management, aquaculture and fish trade separately. In 2015, FAO launched the web-based platform for the CCRF-Aquaculture Questionnaire which contains 53 questions embedded in five parts. During the 11th and 12th COFI:AQ session, members recommended that the CCRF aquaculture questionnaire should be updated and revised. In order to corporate the recommendation, the Sub-Committee on aquaculture organized this expert workshop to analyze the current questionnaire and provide practical suggestions in the revision and structure a new version, which will go to the consideration of the Bureau of the COFI:AQ and improve the response rate of the evaluation process accordingly.

CIRDAP organized a webinar titled “the Malaysia Rural Development Policy” on 9 May, 2024.The honourable speaker is Ms. Nazlinda binti Zamani, Principal Assistant Secretary, Strategic Planning Division, Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Malaysia. The Webinar gave an overview of the Malaysia Rural Development Policy 2030 as well as rural development programmes implemented by Malaysia to achieve the target set in RDP 2030 and SDG 2030.  The Rural Development Policy 2030 (RDP 2030) has summarised the “Prosperous, Inclusive, and Sustainable Rural Living” vision as the main agenda of the rural development approach in Malaysia by 2030. The “Prosperous Rural Living” vision reflects the Government of Malaysia’s aspiration to ensure rural communities have access to infrastructure and social amenities comparable to urban communities. Furthermore, the Government of Malaysia envisage there will be additional jobs and business opportunities in the rural areas that can increase the income and well-being of the rural communities.  RDP 2030 was launched in 2019 and consists of 10 thrusts, 33 policy statements and 88 strategies. Each thrust is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 to ensure that the target of SDG will be achieved through the implementation of RDP 2030.  To know more the presentation, please click on the below link:             Click here to see the presentation

TIEMS is in its 31st Year of Operation and TIEMS 2024 Hybrid Annual Conference Will Take Place In India TIEMS in India TIEMS in INDIA Vasundhara Emergency Management Foundation was registered in India on the 14th of March this year. It is affiliated to The International Emergency Management Society – TIEMS. It will host the TIEMS 2024 Hybrid Annual Conference in Pune, India in November this year. The Office Bearers of Vasundhara Emergency Management Foundation are as mentioned above. Vasundhara is a Sanskrit word which means planet earth. Vasu means wealth and Dhara means the one who holds. Vasundhara holds all wealth, sustains the natural resources and processes, and nourishes all species including the humanity. •Vasundhara Emergency Management Foundation will address the concerns of multi-hazard preparedness, disaster risk reduction, emergency response, climate change adaptation and mitigation and other related themes. •The theme of the TIEMS 2024 Hybrid Annual Conference will be: “Risk Governance, Resilience Building and Humanitarian Programming in a Challenging World” The Vasundhara Emergency Management Foundation Board is actively planning the TIEMS 2024 Hybrid Annual Conference and Call for Papers and Posters will be published soon! For more information about TIEMS in India, contact: Arvind Kumar Jha: arvindjha.dr@gmail.com Vinod Menon: nvcmenon@gmail.com TIEMS International Secretariat CALL US             +33 1 78 95 83 39 EMAIL US  secretariat@tiems.info   FIND US       Rue Des Deux Églises 39, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Please, share this message in your network! K. Harald Drager TIEMS President PS: Update your subscription settings We hope that our content is useful to you. If you’d like to continue hearing from us, please update your subscription settings, if you have not already done it. We kindly ask you to follow the below instructions to keep in touch with us. Below in this message you find:  Manage Your Subscription Please, click on the link below it and manage your subscription, Thank you! TIEMS Privacy Policy TIEMS Privacy Policy is found at: http://www.tiems.info/index.php/about-us/privacy-policy You may have heard about the new General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), that came into effect May 25, 2018. To help comply with GDPR consent requirements, we need to ensure that you would like to receive content from TIEMS.