Asian experts discuss development strategies

The Asia Foundation (TAF) and the Korea Development Institute (KDI) jointly sponsored a regional dialogue in Colombo on June 15-16 that brought together development cooperation experts from Korea, China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to discuss and compare development assistance strategies employed by these Asian development partners.

This was the second in a series of three meetings under the TAF-KDI project that also involved aid recipient countries regarding development and aid effectiveness. The outputs of the dialogue series will inform the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) to be held in Busan, Korea, November 29 - December 1, 2011.

Senior government representatives from these six Asian partner countries included Lim Woongsoon, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Korea; Mao Xiaojing, Associate Research Fellow, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce, China; J S Mukul, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India; Aiyub Bin Omar, Principal Assistant Secretary, Malaysian Technical Cooperation Program, Malaysia; Tin Fook Koh, Director, Technical Co-operation Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore and Banchong Amornchewin, Director, International Organizations Partnership, Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency, Thailand.

The dialogue was held for two days. Senior government officials from the Ministries of Finance and Planning, and External Affairs, and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka participated on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka. Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal delivered the keynote speech at the welcome dinner.