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DU.1/108-
6 July 2009
Press Release
Changing Rural Livelihoods in the CIRDAP Member
Countries: Opportunities and Constraints
Regional Seminar on
CIRDAP’s 30th Foundation Day
Dhaka, 6 July 2009: The Centre on Integrated Rural Development for
Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) on occasion of its 30th founding
anniversary, held a Seminar on ‘Changing Rural Livelihoods in the
CIRDAP Member Countries: Opportunities and Constraints’, at the
Centres’ Headquarters in Dhaka today. Academicians, rural
development practitioners, and development professionals took part
in the half-day seminar.
The seminar was chaired by the Dr. Durga P. Paudyal, Director
General of CIRDAP. Two papers on Changing Rural Livelihoods in the
South Asia
and South-east Asian Region were presented by Dr. S.K. Singh,
Director Training of CIRDAP and Dr. Mokbul Morshed Ahmad, Assistant
Professor of Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand respectively.
Dr. Mokbul Ahmad in his paper stated that people’s livelihoods
throughout the Southeast Asian region have significantly changed in
the past decades and that climate change and food security are two
major factors likely to impact the whole region, where the rural
population are worst hit. Gender and education disparities, health
and sanitation issues, access to ICT etc. are some of the factors
influencing livelihood. In general, people’s livelihoods and the
level of development have been affected by the interlinked social,
economic and political factors of each nation.
Dr. Singh in his paper identified factors and issues that influence
livelihood in the South Asian countries. He particularly focused on
the situation in India and on the various efforts of reducing
unemployment by the government and other bodies and identified
unemployment and poverty as the major threats for sustainable rural
livelihoods.
While emphasising on the analysis of sustainable rural livelihood
Dr. Durga Paudyal deliberated the context of this seminar. He
mentioned that CIRDAP is going to host a high level Asia-Pacific
Ministerial meeting on Rural Development towards the end of this
year and four policy papers are going to be prepared as inputs for
that meeting, of which, this (changing rural livelihood) was the
first one. The other three policy issues for the meeting would be
Access to land, Climate change and CIRDAP’s role and relevance in
rural development. He also mentioned that CIRDAP strives to
influence policy agendas of the national policy-makers of its member
countries.
The presentations were followed by an open discussion. Academics,
researchers and development officials participated in the lively
discussion. The discussion brought out several important issues
relating to sustainable rural development.
K.A.S. Dayananda
Director
Information & Communication Division |
