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 Officer
Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP)
Email: communication_officer@cirdap.org
