By Sarosh Bana, Executive Editor of Business India magazine and EWCA Mumbai Chapter President

(Note: This article originally appeared in Business India magazine on April 1, 2013.)

South Asian countries, where wheat is a staple cereal for many, is vulnerably poised in the path of an exceptionally virulent fungus that can wipe out entire farmlands.

Farmers and agriculturist scientists in the region are hunkering down to fortify themselves against this peril that can undermine the food security of millions.

Wheat stem rust fungus.

More than 20 wheat scientists from five South Asian countries – India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bhutan – participated last fortnight in a comprehensive training programme in Kathmandu on wheat rust monitoring and disease management.

Designed to raise a new generation of agro-scientists equipped to identify the more virulent stem, leaf and yellow rusts that can devastate entire farmlands and to create wheat strains that can withstand this scourge, the 2013 SAARC Wheat Rust Surveillance Workshop and Training Programme was the fourth such annual event to be held in South Asia. It was organised by the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat (DRRW) Project, managed by the US’s Cornell University.

An effort of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI), DRRW is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). It is partnered by 23 leading universities and research institutions that include the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Nepalese Agricultural Research Council (NARC), CIMMYT (the Spanish acronym for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre), International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and Hyderabad-based Sathguru Management Consultants.

Gordon Cisar, associate director of the DRRW Project at Cornell who was part of the training faculty, says the programme has its genesis in Uganda in 1998 when a particularly virulent reddish-brown fungus known as stem rust (designated Ug99) started blighting wheat fields. Borne by air as well as by human movement, this treacherous pathogen soon scythed its way across eastern Africa and Yemen and eventually reached Iran, destroying croplands.

“Fears of a spread into Asia were confirmed when this race [of Ug99] was detected in Iran in 2007,” notes Arun Kumar Joshi, South Asia regional coordinator for CIMMYT. “This has raised serious concerns that Ug99 could follow the same migratory route from Africa to Asia as the stripe rust resistant gene Yr9 and cause major epidemics across the epidemiological region of South Asia.” He adds that the global wind systems can funnel this pestilence to any part of the world.

Every region hence needs to guard against this by developing numerous wheat strains, because ultimately only very few of them turn out to be immune to the pathogen, says Joshi. Developing a strain is a painstaking exercise as it takes an average of eight years, and it can well prove futile if the strain proves to be susceptible to the stem rust. The Ug99 pathogen and its variants have a unique virulence to which much of the world’s wheat varieties lack resistance.

Endangered wheat can doom food security, wheat being the third most produced cereal crop today, after maize and rice, and sown on more land area than any other commercial food crop. It is the leading source of protein for people the world over and can be easily cultivated on a large scale, stored for long periods and processed in a myriad value-added ways.

The Ugandan infections inspired the father of the Green Revolution, the late Dr Norman Borlaug, to mobilise a global effort to mitigate this threat. Thus was launched BGRI in 2005, on confirmation that Ug99 had overcome the resistance gene Borlaug and others had developed for wheat over a half century earlier. It was Borlaug’s first visit to India and Pakistan in 1963 that prepared the ground for India’s green revolution, which spawned hardier high-yielding wheat varieties that boosted wheat productivity.

Indu Sharma, head of the Indian agriculture ministry’s Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR) based in Karnal, Haryana, says that sustained research by her agency and its collaborators nationwide has led to preventive measures that may well yield a bumper crop this year on the 29.4 million hectares under wheat cultivation. “India has seen wheat production in excess of 80 million tonnes during each of the last three years and is reporting successful restriction of Ug99 due to 22 wheat lines or varieties found resistant to it,” she mentions. “No type of wheat rust has reached epidemic proportions in our country.”

NARC scientist Sarala Sharma says that with Nepal flanked by India and China, two of the world’s leading wheat producers, protection of her country’s wheat fields from rust is paramount as disease outbreaks can rapidly spread from one country to another, carried by the wind. She adds that in this regard, nearly 6 per cent of the 7.67 lakh hectares under wheat in Nepal has been sown with resistant varieties over the past one year and 15 per cent additional acreage will be covered over the next season. Five more resistant varieties are currently under development by her Council.

Aiding in the research effort has been handheld tablet-compatible software developed by Sathguru. The company’s information specialist, Anantha Murthy, says farmers and scientists can quickly and efficiently update global surveillance data using this information technology known as the SAARC Toolbox, a kit that includes a rust survey application developed by Sathguru. The data are fed into each country’s surveillance database and ultimately into a global “rust mapper”.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in the EWC Alumni questionnaire. We received an overwhelmingly positive response from over 460 alumni within the two weeks allotted for feedback. We truly value your responses and comments and will incorporate them appropriately as we move forward with the Center’s strategic planning process.

To view the summary of questionnaire responses, click here.

Fifty-seven alumni from the Study of the US Institutes (SUSI) at East-West Center and University of Montana Mansfield Center (UMT) spent three intensive days crafting proposals for the chance to win $25,000 from the U.S. State Department’s Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund.

East-West Center SUSI alumni from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, and Singapore came together with UMT’s alumni from Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in the first such collaboration by two SUSI grantee institutions.  The event aimed to foster collaboration among ASEAN youth who will be the first generation to lead in the AEC region.

At the final workshop event, hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce, presentations of the top three top projects, as voted on by participants, were given to a panel of judges from the U.S. Embassy, Nature Society Singapore and Republic Polytechnic.  Projects included mangrove restoration in Cambodia, a pan-ASEAN eco-debate tournament, and Indonesian “ecopreneurship” camps for youth.  Click here to view the project proposals.

“It’s gratifying to see that our project-based teaching methods are reaping benefits,” said Lance C. Boyd, SUSI curriculum designer for the East-West Center. “The participants have the ideas and drive to create change in their communities, and when we’re able to provide the platform and tools, we get exceptional results, as we saw in Singapore.”

As important as the project development and enhanced understanding of regional environmental issues was the participants’ exposure to other ASEAN youth.  As one participant said, “I now understand more about people from different ASEAN countries. We learned and shared with each other, and the network we have built is really beneficial for the entire region as well as for the USA.”

QUARTERLY REPORTS, EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING ON APRIL 18, 2013

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:  Estrella Besinga Sybinsky

ALOHA TO ALL OF OUR US AND INTERNATIONAL CHAPTERS!

For all of the chapters that responded, we extend our deep appreciation for your chapter responses.  We continue to have faith that other chapters will soon follow with their reports for the next Quarterly Executive Board Meeting.

The following chapters and chapter leaders responded:  1)  ASDP Chapter (Jessica  Sheetz-Nguyen)  2)  Bali Chapter (Anak Agung Gde Muninjaya)  3)  Brisbane & Virtual Australia (Iraphne Childs, Leader & Karen Reid Nunan, Secretary))  4)  Hanoi Chapter (Hoang Hoe)  5)  Hawaii Chapter (Carl Hefner)  6) Lahore Chapter (Arfa Zehra) 7)  Laos Chapter (Chantavong Saignasith)  8)  Mumbai Chapter (Sarosh Bana)  9) Nepal (Nirendra Maske)  10)  Okinawa Chapter (Keiko Yamazato) 11) Philippines Chapter (Ramon Clarete and Pauline Bautista) 12)  Singapore Chapter (Seng Seok Hoon)  13)  Southern CA Chapter (Claire Langham Richmond)  14) Tokyo Chapter (Yasukata Yano (current) & Shigeo Tonoike (past))  15) Washington D.C. Chapter (Jacob Dowd).

ASDP CHAPTER

The ASDP special project for 2013 is the planning and hosting of the 20^th National ASDP Conference to be held in Texas on March 13-15, 2014.  Conference coordinators are Betty Buck and the ASDP Alumni Chapter President Jessica Sheetz-Nguyen, University of Central Oklahoma.  Hoping to make this conference the best attended in its history, they currently are supported by a large conference committee and expect to have the participation of many ASDP alumni and members of the EWC community in Houston. Their keynote Speaker will be Dr. Yasmin Saikia, Hardt-Nickachos Chair of Peace Studies at Arizona State University.

Four other chapter activities are reported for this chapter:  1)  The chapter held its 19^th Annual Conference in Phoenix, AZ between February 28-March 2, 2013.  Participants were treated to Junya Shao’s traditional ceramics making and by Xiaoping Luo’s  lecture on “The Evolution of Fine Art in China” and Dr. Llewellyn Howell’s lecture on “The Advance of Han.”  2)  Dona Cady, Dean of Global Studies at Middlesex Community College is the chapter’s new VP.  3)  The chapter updated its by-laws to reflect the growing engagement of the members.  4)  The ASDP alumni newsletter editor Rachana Sachdev, will release the Spring issue din April.

Contact the EWCA ASDP Chapter

BALI CHAPTER

The collaborative program between two chapters, the Bali Chapter and the Hong Kong Chapter, grew out of the EWCA Conference in Beijing.  The collaboration has been a big success, and has promoted and they hope, will continue to promote, further expansion of cooperative activities between the two chapters.  The Bali chapter is appreciative of the effort of  Glenn Shive, Hong Kong’s  chapter leader, in the visit to Bali of students from Hong Kong.  What followed after the Beijing Conference?  The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Udayana University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong provided their institutional support to the chapter collaboration, by completing an agreement whereby 10 post graduate students in the Master of Public Health Program in Hong Kong (with their supervisor, Professor Xialoin We) visited Udayana University.  Their goal:  to learn community health practices and public health programs in Bali which is part of Bali’s village community health student teaching program.  The visiting students were in Bali from March 30 – to April 7, learning about the Indonesian Health System and primary health care practices from Chapter Leader and Prof. Muninjaya’s lecture, visited community health centers, conducted home visits, made a cross-cultural study and shared their reflections about community health problems and primary health care practices.  The program was beneficial to both chapters and the Bali chapter expressed special gratitude for being a part of the East West Center community.

Contact the EWCA Bali Chapter

BRISBANE & VIRTUAL AUSTRALIA CHAPTER

The Chapter continues to engage in EWC related activities for the year relating to:

May 11 Nepali New Year  2) Hike to help Nepal and 3)  Karen and Peter Nunan visited EWC alumni Bruce Allender in Melbourne last October.

For their international community service project, Jeremy Webb is consistent with his Alumni Climate Change Network, sending out press releases and reports on climate change development.  Further, the chapter continues to support two students in Nepal through their partner organization, NAFA.  Two students in Nepal are doing well academically.  One wants to pursue Nursing school, possibly in India, and the other, a daughter of a former prisoner, wants to study fashion.

For their local community service project, four of the chapter members are continuing their work with disaster relief through the Australian Red Cross.  Currently, Queensland  has wetter than usual conditions with cyclones, tornadoes and floods.

The chapter is encouraging members to make contributions to the Center individually.

There are ten current members of the chapter and nine affiliate members.  Please contact the Alumni office for details.

Contact the EWCA Brisbane Chapter

HANOI CHAPTER

The Chapter Leader reminded the Alumni office that they would like to get a list of EWC alumni that had just come back to Vietnam in the last two years so they can follow up with them.  For this quarter, they reported no special activities.

Contact the EWCA Hanoi Chapter

HAWAII CHAPTER

Chapter activities this Spring include regular meetings with members and providing support and assistance to the East West Center.

Monetary donations were given to EWCPA on several occasions:

1)     Support for the collaborative participant-led event titled “Participant Vision: East West Center 2020.”  The event was held on March 15 at the Imin Center from 8 am to 1pm.   The event was a response to President Charles Morrison’s call at the Friends of the EWC Anniversary dinner, challenging the audience to adopt new and creative approaches for the sustainability of the Center.  Perspectives of participants and community members on key opportunities vis a vis the medium term future of the Center were shared at the event and the Chapter hopes that this “world café” inspired dialogue will become an annual event.

2)      The EWCPA students needed donations for a new sound system for their presentations at the East-West Fest.  The Chapter supplied monetary support for the rental or purchase of a new sound system.

The annual Hawaii Chapter Dinner and Fundraiser will again be held at the Pacific Club on April 21, 2013.  The annual meeting will be conducted at the event and will likewise include an Art bazaar, an Asian Art Auction and performances by EWC students. Please contact the Alumni office for tickets.

Contact the EWCA Hawaii Chapter

LAHORE CHAPTER

Although this part of the world is going through strange and difficult times, the Lahore Chapter, as a group of EWC alumni, are trying to do their best to contribute to humanitarian and social needs in their limited sphere.  This quarter they extended themselves to raise the voice against sectarian and targeted killings.  A couple of members, along with the chapter leader, made efforts for public awareness through peaceful demonstrations and talked to the public regarding the issue on different forums. Lahore Chapter is currently very involved in letting people know the importance of the coming elections and the use of their vote as responsible citizens. Our member, Dr. Muhammad Sadiq is investing his time and energy for this vital task.

The Chapter leader spoke to a group of students from the reputed educational institutes in Lahore about East West Center fellowships and gave them a briefing on the programs and their goals.  Lahore Chapter members continue to work towards generating support for the marginalized and underprivileged school going children. This has been a success over the years and the chapter leader is very keen that this project continues to serve the community.  The chapter leader is deeply involved to extend her services and herself to her best.

Regarding the fundraising, it has a different profile of priority in Lahore. It is strongly felt that right here around us there are much more acute and basic needs and the energies would be directed to help the community first. The chapter leader personally contributes to EWC and will make this year’s contribution soon.  The chapter leader emphasizes that the contribution of the chapter may not be visible in quantity, but as a group conscious of its debt of gratitude, they are trying to do their best to reach out to those who are in need of it. In an extremely disturbing environment the chapter is keeping itself focused

Contact the EWCA Lahore Chapter

LAOS CHAPTER

For this quarter, the Lao chapter reported that they have no activities.

Contact the EWCA Laos Chapter

MUMBAI CHAPTER

The Mumbai chapter events for this quarter has been very energizing for its members.

On April 1^st, EWC alumnus D.K. Shankaran who retired as Chief Secretary of Maharashtra state, gave an informative and insightful talk on an issue that the Secretary has been working on:  “Living In A Dangerous Neighborhood.”  Participating in the event were retired senior bureaucrats and EWC alumni chapter members.  The presentation led to animated discussions among participants.

On March 1^st, chapter members and spouses met and dined at Bombay Gymkhana (Mumbay’s best).  Topics covered included the EWC, chapter activities and an enthusiastic initiative by the chapter to forge an India-Pakistan Friendship Forum under the aegis of the EWC.  Alumni from both sides of the border have enthusiastically embraced the initiative. Further, there appears to be a strong idea to enhance the bi-lateral initiative and expand the scope to a comprehensive SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Countries) Friendship Association Forum, given the problematic and dispute ridden relationship characteristic within this grouping.

In the context of EWC alumnus enhancing EWC connections, the chapter leader was in Kathmandu on an official visit  and spent a pleasant dinner with Nirendra Maski, one of Kathmandu’s prominent citizen and his family.

Contact the EWCA Mumbai Chapter

NEPAL CHAPTER

One, January 23rd, three Executive members from each of the three alumni Associations, namely Fulbright, Humphrey and East west Center, were invited to meet U.S. Ambassador Peter W. Bodde at the USEF Commission. What was really exciting to note was the strategic input sought by the Ambassador, which is perhaps the first time ever, such a statement was made openly. It was great to reconnect with colleagues from FAAN, and NAHF, and the other younger alumni.

The Chapter would like to acknowledge appreciation to Dr. Laurie Vasily and Yamal Raj Bhandari of the USEF for successfully organizing a collective interaction with Ambassador Bodde.

On February 16th, the East West Center Fellows, State Alumni Team members, Nepal in association with Sabalturn Forum, Asia Media Forum, and Trinity International College invited Nirendra Maske  to attend the inaugural ceremony of a week long Leadership Training Program on “promoting dialogue for Nepal’s peaceful transformation and a lasting democracy, “ as a guest. Fifteen students in class X1 and X11, were selected through open competition on the basis of ethnicity, marginalized group, women and regions. They indeed were an enthusiastic group.

One February 22nd, the Chapter attended a talk program sponsored by the Fulbright Alumni Association Nepal entitled “non communicable diseases through diet, exercise and stress management: best practices.” It was held at the USEF Auditorium, in Gyaneshwar.

The three Alumni Associations – Humphrey, Fulbright and East West Center, on the initiation of Humphrey Alumni Association Nepal, have planned for quite some time  to hold a combined symposium on a thyme “Corruption”. The plan is to have two keynote speakers from each organization. The timing and other details are being worked out.

Contact the EWCA Nepal Chapter

OKINAWA CHAPTER

The chapter is proud to announce that one of their younger member, Tetsuji Matsumoto, has just been elected as the new Mayor of Urasoe City on February, 2013.

He attended the EWCA Beijing Conference and meeting so many participants from different countries, he was inspired to work for others by tending his candidacy.  He is the founder of NPO TEDAKO Life Support Center and the chapter believes that his EWC experience working with others and in the area of welfare services contributed strongly to his electoral victory and to his new leadership role among the young leaders of Okinawa (his competitors were in their 60’s).

The chapter is also proud  of their NPO Okinawa Language Center Manager, Ms. Jinko Itokazu (APLP alumnus).  She succeeded in securing a 3 year contract and financial support from the local government on EWC related business as recruitment of EWC candidates and specialist workshops like the workshop of EWC Nicholas Parker.

The Okinawa chapter is happy and elated at the prospect of hosting the 2014 EWC/EWCA International Conference and is currently busy working towards the end.

Chapters in Japan have been asked to assist and Okinawa’s VP chapter attended the Tokyo Chapter’s General meeting to solicit support about the upcoming conference.

Rinda Yamashiro Kayatani is the leader of the 2014 international conference and the chapter believes she is well qualified to lead and coordinate this event.  The chapter wishes to thank the EWC for the rich education programs they received at the Center.

Contact the EWCA Okinawa Chapter

PHILIPPINES CHAPTER

On February 3^rd, the Chapter gathered at the residence of Senen and Yolie Bacani for their chapter meeting.  The summary of their discussion follows:

2016 EWC International Conference – They will make a bid to the host 2016 international conference at MOA and can have a tour of the Walled City. Senen deposited P500,000 in the EWCAA-P bank.  They will aim to partner with the US State Department and DOT.

EWC Events in 2013 – They intend to hold meetings to consolidate members in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and partner with institutions to mount these events.

April 27 meeting event in Luzon – The theme is RICE.  They will use “PalayBigasKanin”.  The event will be hosted by Bruce at IRRI.  (Many alumni in UPLB).

After elections meeting event in Mindanao – The theme is PEACE.  They will partner with Mac to host it at MSU. A model for this is the EWCAAP- PILG Feb 4, 2012 event entitled “Muslim Perspectives on the Peace Forum” held at University of Makati.

For future discussion meeting event in the Visayas – Cres Gonzaga will coordinate with alumni in the Visayas and update the board.

Contact the EWCA Philippines Chapter

SINGAPORE CHAPTER

The chapter was involved in an important event in Singapore.  The East West Center, Honolulu hosted about 50 ASEAN alumni from the Environmental Institute’s workshop held in Singapore from March 8 to 11.  The purpose of this alumni workshop was to gather information about effective environmental practices that participants can bring home and share with their respective countries.  The study of the US Institute for Student Leaders on Global Environmental Issues was the topic of this alumni workshop.

Contact the EWCA Singapore Chapter

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER

For this quarter, the chapter had a potluck get-together at the home of Jay & Geeta Brara on February 16^th.  In addition to the delicious lunch, the host shared a power point presentation on their African Safari in 2012.  EWC connections and highlights on the members respective lives and preoccupations were shared.  More importantly, one of the chapter members, Elizabeth Susie Chen, described for the group the process and the ease that she experienced in creating a memorial scholarship fund during her visit to Hawaii.  She strongly encouraged other members of the chapter to consider creating an EWC memorial scholarship fund also.

Contact the EWCA Southern California Chapter

TOKYO CHAPTER

The General Assembly of the Tokyo chapter, EWC Association of Japan, was held on March 16^th.  Twenty-three members and two guests attended (including Fumiko Nishihira, VP of the Okinawa chapter who gave a speech about Okinawa’s 2014 EWCA International Conference and asking for the Tokyo chapter’s assistance).  The following activities are reported by the chapter:  1) The outgoing chapter leader, Shigeo Tonoike reported on the 2012 activities which included the March 2^nd general assembly and the September 27^th summer Aloha party.2)  The financial report presented by Michiko Yamashita was approved.  3)  The election of the new President, Yasutaka Yano was approved.  In his brief inaugural speech, he expressed his desire to initiate small group activities for the chapter, including participation in the United Nations charity walk  for the world food program on May 7^th.  4)  The chapter budget for 2013 was approved.  5)  EWC alumnus Matori Yamamoto gave a special talk on “Modern Pacific Arts,” including works of Samoan artists in New Zealand.  6) The chapter revised their Executive Board membership.  Please contact the Alumni Office for the most current names and titles.

Contact the EWCA Tokyo Chapter

WASHINGTON, D.C. CHAPTER

Chapter Leader Jacob Dowd, Mike Anderson and Mary Jo Furgal met in early February to discuss re-energizing the Washington D.C. chapter and are working on a plan towards this goal.

The Washington D.C. chapter held a reception in October for the APLP fellows visiting Washington D.C.  While in Washington, fifteen APLP fellows met with high level personnel, leaders, policy makers and multilateral institutions, NGO’s -  persons and institutions involved in interpreting the Asia Pacific region for the United States.

Chapter members Mary Jo Furgal and Mike Anderson over dinner and conversation, introduced Dr. Somei Kobayashi, EWC Japan Studies visiting fellow and International Scholar from Kyung Hee University, Seoul  to the D.C. area.  Likewise, the visiting fellow was familiarized with the Arlington VA version of the Mardi Gras parade.

Contact the EWCA Washington, D.C. Chapter

ALOHA AND MAHALO TO ALL OUR CHAPTERS WHO RESPONDED TO THE CALL FOR CHAPTER REPORTS AND TO THOSE CHAPTERS THAT WILL SOON FOLLOW ON THE UPCOMING QUARTER REPORT.

ON A RELATED NOTE, SPECIAL MAHALO TO NOREEN FOR GRACIOUSLY PREPARING SEPARATE REPORTS FOR EACH OF THE 49 CHAPTERS.  THIS IS A FOLLOW UP ON THE CHAPTER LEADERS WORKSHOP IN BEIJING.  CHAPTER LEADERS WANTED TO CONTACT AND INCORPORATE RECENT EWC ALUMNUS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES, ENCOURAGING THEIR SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION VIS A VIS THE ONGOING CHAPTER ACTIVITIES.

As an East-West Center alumna/alumnus you are among over 60,000 people who have shared an experience as a student or professional conference/exchange participant engaging with your counterparts from the Asia-Pacific region, the United States and beyond.

As the East-West Center looks toward the future, we would like to capture the impact your East-West Center experience has had on your professional and personal life.

Could you please take a few minutes and respond to a short questionnaire? The link to the questionnaire is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EWC_Alumni_Feedback. Please submit your responses by May 3, 2013. We plan to use the combined answers to help us with our strategic planning and also to share with members of the US Congress and others who support our programs.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Dr. Abdul Rashid inspects a wheat field in Pakistan.

East-West Center Distinguished Alumnus Dr. Abdul Rashid of Pakistan has received the International Fertilizer Industry Association’s 2013 Norman Borlaug Award for excellence in crop nutrition research. In May, Dr. Rashid and his wife will travel to the IFA Annual Conference in Chicago to receive this prestigious recognition.

Dr. Rashid earned his Ph.D. in soil science from University of Hawai‘i as EWC-RSI Degree Participant (1980–84) and JDRI (1984–86). His micronutrients research is recognized globally, and his farmer-friendly fertilizer use technologies have been adopted in Pakistan, where his monograph “Soil Science” is a well-known textbook. Currently, he is investigating zinc biofortification in wheat to combat malnutrition.

Dr. Rashid’s research established boron deficiency as a constraint to rice productivity and quality.

Dr. Rashid is a past president of the Soil Science Society of Pakistan and has served as a member of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and a Chief Scientist & Director General of the National Agricultural Research Center in Islamabad. He has received many Pakistani and international awards, included the East-West Center’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998. Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief at the Pakistan Academy of Sciences. He can be contacted at: dr.rashid50@gmail.com.

Shaxi, a restored historic town in Yunnan Province, China, faces key tourism development decisions. Photo by APLP Fellow Taku Jindo.

Asia Pacific Leadership Program Fellows Alisha Bhagat and Gretchen Alther report from the field:

Last autumn, a group of 14 Asia Pacific Leadership Progam fellows from the East-WestCenter  traveled to China for a fall field study program. China provided the perfect environment to engage in dynamic processes of change and apply classroom learning to the real world. The fellows explored the rapid economic development of China, political change, and the prominence of China in the Asia-Pacific.

During the field study, a team of three students travelled to Shaxi, a historic town in rural Yunnan Province that had recently been restored as a tourism site. Shaxi is an ideal place to see the drivers of change in China occurring in a small space.

The town is located in a minority farming community, but the interest and investment in its historic architecture by foreign donors has lifted it to the status of ecotourism destination. Visitors can bike through rice fields and hike to Buddhist temples while still enjoying Western-friendly accommodations.

The APLP team conducted a stakeholder analysis of people and organizations interested in Shaxi’s development. Foreign investors, foreign tourists, and local preservationists desire that Shaxi remain a rustic rural town catering to small groups of high-end eco tourists. Local government, many local business owners, and the local community are eager to open up Shaxi to mass Chinese tourism. This would entail building large hotels and cafeteria-style restaurants to accommodate a large volume of tourists.

“Those of us who support cultural preservation cannot compete with local politicians and their goals for rapid economic development,” said Lu Yuan, an EWC alumna who runs a semester abroad program for US students that stops in Shaxi. “My husband and I first came to Shaxi in 2000 before it became developed.” Yuan went on to say that she is considering other towns for her study program that are less commercial and more traditional.

Based on interviews with local business leaders, the APLP team identified three possible futures for Shaxi. It could remain an exclusive tourist destination and have minimal economic growth. Another possibility is that Shaxi could prioritize ecotourism for slower, more sustainable growth. A third option is Shaxi could open up to mass tourism, which would generate rapid growth but likely crowd out higher end tourism.

By studying a small town, the research team was better able to understand the drivers of change impacting China as a whole. Like much of China, Shaxi is at a crossroads. Its story is not unique. The challenge Shaxi faces is to develop but to do so in a sustainable manner that preserves local culture and the surrounding environment. Many, including government officials, see economic development as the most pressing need. But very few people can afford to consider the long-term effects of this growth.

China is developing rapidly. A highway currently being built will reach Shaxi in 2014 and inevitably bring more tourists. Yin Wu Huang, an architect working on Shaxi’s restoration, stated “the highway is a mixed bag…it might not bring the right kind of tourists. The infrastructure is not in place here for large group tours.” Huang commented, “The thought process behind the [Shaxi restoration] project was to demonstrate that tourism could be a driver for social and economic development and that cultural and natural heritage of an area doesn’t need to be lost when it becomes developed.”

Dr. Verner Bickley, first Director of the Culture Learning Institute (1972-1981) remains a loyal supporter of the work of the East-West Center. In his new book, Steps To Paradise and Beyond (11 April 2013), he gives a history of the Culture-Learning Institute and the East-West Center from the time of its beginnings up to date. The book is graced by a Preface by Dr. Charles E. Morrison, President, East-West Center, who writes: “Dr. Bickley’s book should remind us that the present emerges out of the past, and that much of what we today take for granted about our world derives from the ingenuity, labor and persistence of those who came before.  Dr. Bickley describes many of the projects of his era at the East-West Center and includes a list of the publications he was associated with. These and the students he and others mentored are among the proudest products of his generation at the East-West Center, and remain a vital part of the region’s intellectual heritage and its internationalized human resource base of today.”

Steps to Paradise is available for early and ongoing orders from Amazon.com and from the website, proversepublishing.com.

Just as quickly as you can end the previously hours-long debate on ‘what countries border Moldova’ with a Google search on your smartphone, human rights activists can now eliminate doubts that abuses are happening.

It’s a new open source transparency. But instead of sharing software for free, scientists and NGO workers are sharing tools to document events. These events used to happen in secrecy, but now they’re in the public domain for all to see. These tools, in the hands of willing citizens, can force public accountability and ultimately more transparency from powerful players in every society.

I recently took part in a briefing for East-West Center’s Asia Pacific Leadership Program fellows with the Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC. I’m fascinated by how they use GIS and remote sensing to support human rights organizations.

An analysis of high-resolution satellite images of Aleppo, Syria, appears to reveal the deployment of heavy armored vehicles in civilian neighborhoods as well 117 instances of damage to buildings and infrastructure. Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science.

They can see by satellite, for example, that on a certain day and time heavy earth-moving equipment was used at the exact place an Afghan village claims a mass grave was excavated to destroy evidence. They can see which Niger delta gas flares still blaze despite the 2008 regulations mandating oil companies to sequester them. They are documenting daily changes in Aleppo by satellite to note fires and evacuations in anticipation that the evidence will be useful for international criminal trials in the future.

I’m reminded of a meeting in New York last year with Witness, an NGO that gets video equipment into the hands of persecuted communities and individuals. Next time these communities claim abuses, they can bring more than oral stories – they can bring video footage.

Thanks to new technologies in the right hands, reason and factual evidence are democratically distributed so that no one can obfuscate the truth. Now everyone can see with his or her own eyes. It’s the Age of Enlightenment 2.0.

QUARTERLY REPORTS, EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING (1/17/13)

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY Estrella Besinga Sybinsky

HAPPY 2013!  Despite the hectic holiday schedule worldwide, seventeen chapters managed to respond to the call for chapter reports.  We continue to thank you for your response, though your respective chapter may not have much activity to report.

The following chapters responded: 1) Bali Chapter (Agung Muninjaya) 2) Brisbane Chapter (Iraphne Childs) 3) Chandigarh (India) Chapter (Rajesh Kumar Aggarwal) 4) Chennai Chapter (P. Subramaniyam) 5) Hawaii Chapter (Carl Hefner) 6) Kansai Chapter (Seiko Furuhashi) 7) Korea Chapter (Jeong Taik Lee)  8) Kuala Lumpur Chapter (Gan Siowck Lee) 9) Laos Chapter (Chanthavong) 10) Mumbai Chapter (Sarosh Bana) 11) Nepal Chapter (Nirendra Maske) 12) N.Y., CT, N.J. Chapter (Bill Armbruster) 13) Papua New Guinea Chapter (Solomon Kantha) 14) Singapore Chapter (Alice Seng Seok Hoon) 15) S. California Chapter (Claire Langham 16) Sri Lanka Chapter (GBA Fernando) and 17) Taiwan Chapter (Nora Chiang).

 

BALI CHAPTER

Two significant results came out of the Beijing Conference for the Bali Chapter.

Following on the lead of the EWC’s mission, first, the Conference provided a venue for the Bali Chapter leader (Agung Muninjaya) to have a productive and intensive collaborative meeting with Glenn Shive, the Chapter leader for Hong Kong.  Glenn’s connections with Public Health Schools in Hong Kong and Agung’s management of Udayana Community Development Program in Bali paved the ground for a common linkage between the two chapters.  For 2 years, five villages in Bali have been used as a field laboratory by students to organize a community outreach program to minimize poverty in the village based upon the 5 pillars of Education, Health, Economic, Agriculture and Environment.  With the goal of benefiting students and universities in both places, both chapter leaders agreed on a joint field study on public health programs to be organized in Bali in 2013.

Second, after the Conference, communications continued including contact with the Dean of Public Health School of Hong Kong University and the Dean of Medical Faculty and Health Sciences at Udayana University in Bali.  Specifically, a first Field Study Program on Public Health was decided and will be organized in Bali for 10 days in April of  2013, followed by 10 post graduate Hong Kong Public Health students to be paired with selected Udayana University students.   Udayana University will organize the technical aspect of the field study and Hong Kong University will cover all costs of their field study to Bali.

Contact the EWCA Bali Chapter

BRISBANE CHAPTER

Congratulations to the Brisbane Chapter for receiving the 2012 Outstanding Chapter Award plaque and certificate at the Beijing Conference.

Brisbane’s partner organization NAFA (Nepal-Australia Friendship Association) had a Christmas market stall in Brisbane, proceeds helped the Chapter’s project in Nepal which includes funding for remote area eye clinics, education programs and schools.

The Chapter Secretary, Karen Nunan, sent a condolence message to the Senator’s office, especially since several older chapter members remember the Senator with fondness. For this quarter, several members of the Chapter have traveled overseas or have been absent from Brisbane.

Contact the EWCA Brisbane Chapter

CHANDIGARH (INDIA) CHAPTER

The Chapter wants to transmit that the Beijing Conference has been a wonderful experience- interacting, discussing and being informed about current issues relating to the EWC.  Informal interactions among the Chapter members have continued after the Conference, with the hope that they could continue to expand chapter activities with the support of the EWCA community.  Meanwhile, the Chapter welcomes EWCA members visiting Chandigarh and extends logistical and other related support towards this end.

Contact the EWCA Chandigarh Chapter

CHENNAI CHAPTER

The Chapter Leader reports that for this quarter, no significant activity took place.  However, the Chapter is currently engaged in working out something innovative for 2013.

Contact the EWCA Chennai Chapter

HAWAII CHAPTER

The Hawaii Chapter continues the following notable activities:

First, incoming EWC participants were welcomed by the EWC Community Building Institute. The Chapter Leader coordinated a very successful EWCA Alumni & Professionals Networking Lunch with the EWC staff on August 9, 2012.  Invited were professionals and UH faculty, allowing new EWC participants to consult with the professionals and faculty regarding their respective discipline areas.  At the end of the EWC CBI week, the Hawaii Chapter hosted the Annual Kapiolani Park Picnic on Aught 18^th.  The event had over 200 EWC staff, alumni, and incoming participants. Attendees benefited from the brief Hawaiian culture lecture by alumnus, Alapaki Luke.

In December, Itsuko Suzuki organized several members of the Hawaii Board to staff a table of handicrafts and jewelry at the EWC Christmas Fair.  Funds went towards student scholarships.

By April 2013, the Hawaii Chapter plans to hold its annual Dinner/Fundraiser at the Pacific Club in Honolulu.  In addition to the annual meeting, an art bazaar, Asian auction and EWC student performances will be held at the April event.

Contact the EWCA Hawaii Chapter

KANSAI CHAPTER

The Kansai Chapter Leader noted that it was great to meet old and new faces at the Beijing Conference.  Two EWCA alumni linkages resulted in the following successful activities from the Kansai Chapter:

A Finnish exchange student to Japan, who the Chapter leader recommended for the APLP program, expressed his desire to do graduate work in Japan, after his undergraduate study in Finland. With Seiko Furuhashi and a Kansai University Professor’s help and tutelage, the student passed the entrance exam and was surprisingly granted a full scholarship at the university (the first case for a non-Japanese student at Kansai University).  The Chapter Leader is convinced he would be a good candidate for the EWC in the near future.

The Kansai Chapter leader noted that the Director of the International Affairs Div., Hiroshima Prefectural Government, Mr. Maeda, was an alumnus of an EWC International Forum and always expressed that the EWC program changed his life and helped his career.  On an official delegation visit to meet the Governor of HI, Seiko recommended to Mr. Maeda, EWC Charles Morrison as Speaker to the delegation, on the topic of the International Affairs between Japan and the US (Dr. Morrison accepted).  The EWC invited Mr. Maeda to an official meeting with the EWC staff, which he greatly appreciated. The Kansai Chapter hopes to sponsor a reunion with Mr. Maeda in the near future on the occasion of his future visit to the Kansai region.

Contact the EWCA Kansai Chapter

KOREA CHAPTER

The Korea Chapter Leader emphasized that the next five years will be critical for the South-North unification and that he wishes that the EWC would provide an important bridge towards this end.  He sees future multilateral seminars at the EWC with the participation of North Korea, South Korea, Russia, Japan, USA and the PRC.  Jeong Taik Lee inquired about an EWC resource person that he could contact to initiate discussion on this issue. The Alumni Office responded that currently, the EWC cannot make program commitments as it is on a holding operation vis a vis Federal government funding.

Contact the EWCA Seoul Chapter

KUALA LUMPUR 

We thank the Kuala Lumpur Chapter for their written response.  At this point, since the chapter has not been active, they have nothing to report.

Contact the EWCA Kuala Lumpur Chapter

LAOS CHAPTER

It is with deepest regrets that the Laos Chapter passed on the sad news that one of their member EWC alumnus, Mr. Sombath Somphone, has been missing since December 15, 2012.  The Chapter suspects that he was abducted and will let us know on the progress of this issue.

Contact the EWCA Vientiane Chapter

MUMBAI CHAPTER

December 2012 party: the Chapter reaffirmed their wholehearted support for the EWC as a member of the worldwide EWC family and discussed issue agendas for 2013.

Contact the EWCA Mumbai Chapter

NEPAL CHAPTER

The Chapter Chair, Nirendra Maske, was especially congratulated at the USEF-Nepal Fall 2012 Newsletter, for his 3 year Chairmanship of the EWCA Executive Board.

A joint lunch meeting between the Humprey, Fulbright and EWC Associations was held on November 26, 2012. The result:  a collaborative Symposium will be sponsored by the three associations on the topic: “Corruption, Good Governance, and Peace & Development” to be held in April-May, 2013.

On December 9^th, 2012, the Nepal Chapter was invited to a cocktail reception at the US Department of State in Nepal with the Branch Chief for South & Central Asia Academic Exchange Fulbright Programs and the Executive Director of USEF-Nepal.

Also on December 10^th, the Fulbright Alumni Assoc invited the Chapter to a talk program on health in Nepal.

Contact the EWCA Kathmandu Chapter

NEW YORK, CONNECTICUT, NEW JERSEY CHAPTER

The Chapter had a dinner meeting in November. Of the 30 people invited by the Chair, 10 came.  Likewise, 10-12 alumni responded that they were interested in the dinner get-together but had other commitments that evening. Bill Armbruster, the Chapter Leader, considered the response encouraging and asked the Alumni office for names and contact information of EWC alumni in the NY, CT, and NJ metropolitan area.

Noreen responded expeditiously to the report and will be sending out, by the end of the month, reports regarding recent alumni to the rest of the chapters. The Speaker at the dinner meeting was the Chairman of the US Catholic China Bureau, which follows religious developments in China, especially as it relates to Catholics.

Contact the EWCA New York (Greater Area) Chapter

PAPUA NEW GUINEA CHAPTER

The Chapter held 4 events in June of 2012:  First, on the 8^th, the Chapter held a lunch meeting to provide pre-orientation advise about the EWC, the University of Hawaii and the United States to 2 USSP (US South Pacific Scholarship) recipients.  Second, also in June, the Chapter provided logistical arrangements in New Ireland Province and Morobe Province to the EWC Election Observation Team (from the EWC Pacific Islands Development Prgram).  Third, on June 21^st, the Chapter leader and the EWC PNG Election Observation Team were invited to a reception at the residence of the US Ambassador.  Fourth, on June 28^th, EWC alumni were invited to the July 4^th US Independence celebration at the US Embassy (which serves PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.  For the month of July, the Chapter leader was invited to join the EWC Election Observation Team in Timor Leste’s parliamentary elections held from July 2-10.  Lastly, on November 2012, the entire Chapter was invited to the US Ambassador’s residence for the US Presidential election results.

Contact the EWCA Port Moresby Chapter

SINGAPORE CHAPTER

The Chapter held 2 events for the quarter.  The Nov. 6^th event was in honor of EWC grantee Tim Hoffman who performed the traditional Indian Music Gathering at the Singapore Management University.  The Dec. 24^th event was a lunch get-together for Garrett Kam, EWC alumnus who was in Singapore to present his Masked Dance Performance.  A UH alumnus discussed the link between the EWCA and UH alumni.

Contact the EWCA Singapore Chapter

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER

Currently, the ex-officio former Chapter Leader, Claire Langham Richmond, is the Chair with the departure (without an election) of the previous Chapter Leader.  The Chapter had 2 events to report for 2012: On June 23^rd, nineteen members held an Aloha Pot Luck celebration at one of the EWC grantee’s home.  Earlier, in January 21^st, 18 Chapter members were treated to Indian dinner and a PowerPoint presentation update on Afghanistan. Bonita Chamberlin, the presenter, started a project 10 years ago to support income-generating projects in Nuristan, which the Chapter supports. The project has generated 1.5 million US dollars, which has been instrumental in building orphanages, a clinic with a doctor, a school and training of 400 teachers and the clearing of mine fields for conversion to fruit and nut trees. February 16, 2013 is the next scheduled chapter gathering.

Contact the EWCA Southern California Chapter

SRI LANKA CHAPTER

The Chapter held 2 events for the quarter.  First, the group created awareness among the potential candidates for the Asia Pacific Leadership Program by providing information on the 2013-2014 Fellowship Competition.  Second, the chapter sponsored a meeting on the re-organization of chapter activities.  It was strongly suggested that new members take over the Chapter responsibilities.  A general meeting will soon be set to follow up on this re-organization.

Contact the EWCA Colombo Chapter

TAIWAN CHAPTER

The Chapter has an impressive number of board members – nineteen representing UH graduates and EWC fellows.  The Chapter held a lunch gathering reunion on general matters on September 7^th.  The former President, Tony Kao, proposed a change of name for the association to accommodate the inclusion of non-EWC grantees that graduated from UH.  The Chinese name is registered with the Ministry of the Interior, ROC.  They anticipate further expansion of membership in the near future.

Contact the EWCA Taipei Chapter

OTHER MATTERS:  LATIN AMERICAN CHAPTER

Representing South and Central America, the Chapter has been formed and has in October 2012, submitted to Noreen (Alumni Office) their By-Laws and Board member signatures.  The Chapter will have co- chapter leaders:  Michelle Taminato (APLP 2012) and Laura Viana (Graduate Degree Fellow, 2008-2012).  The Chapter wishes to be officially recognized by the Executive Board at this meeting and I will make a motion to approve the chapter at the meeting.

Contact the EWCA Latin America Chapter

IMPORTANT NOTE:  FUNDRAISING KITS ARE GOING TO BE MAILED TO ALL CHAPTER LEADERS.  THE OKINAWA CHAPTER, WHERE EVERY MEMBER NO MATTER HOW SMALL CHIPPED IN, IS A GOOD MODEL FOR ALL OF US TO COPY.  KINDLY ENCOURAGE YOUR MEMBERS TO DONATE TO THE ALUMNI ENDOWMENT FUND FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS.  SENATOR DAN INOUYE (OUR STRONG US CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORTER) HAS PASSED ON, CREATING FUNDING UNCERTAINTY FOR THE EWC. OUR EWC STUDENTS COULD DEFINITELY USE OUR HELP.  TO OKINAWA, KOREA, MYANMAR (AND OTHERS I MAY HAVE MISSED), YOU HAVE THE EWC’S GRATITUDE.

ALOHA & MAHALO TO ALL OF YOU THAT RESPONDED.