MI Executive Director underscores the importance of capacity building and greater international cooperation as drivers for transformative change
October 5, 2022
On September 20, 2022, Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director of MI, was invited to be one of the speakers in a panel discussion on “Transformative trends and drivers of change in Asia and the Pacific”. The panel discussion was part of a 5-day program in a GIZ internal regional conference that saw more than 150 technical experts gather in Bangkok with a common goal: to share knowledge and experience in project implementation and learn from one another.
Speaking about trends and drivers that will shape the future, he said that MI, as an intergovernmental organization committed to building capacity and facilitating regional integration and cooperation, recognizes that capacity development will never be a thing of the past but has proved to be more and more important.
“Capacity building is not just conducting training or workshops, it also means harnessing the potential of digital tools. That is why MI is always on the lookout to explore new ways of learning. We have been implementing capacity building activities with a purpose and ensuring that results and impacts are reached.”
He also noted how in the post COVID-19 world, many national development agendas have become transboundary. This requires countries to come together and people to talk to each other. Therefore, greater international cooperation will be a key driver for transformative change.
The regional conference, titled “Joint Sector Networks Regional Conference of SNRD Asia and the Pacific and TUEWAS”, serves as a knowledge-sharing platform among technical officers of GIZ who are working in rural development, natural resources, agriculture, transport, and water, among others.
The panel featured:
Prof. Sherman Cruz, Chair, the Association of Professional Futurists (virtual)
Ms. SungAh Lee, Deputy Director General, IUCN (virtual)
Ms. Nathalie Phaholyothin, Chief Executive Officer, WWF Thailand
Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director, Mekong Institute
Dr. Katinka Weinberger, Chief of Environment and Development Policy Section, UNESCAP
The talk was moderated by Mr. Jost Wagner, Conference Facilitator and Chief Navigator, Asia-Pacific Futures Network (APFN).