Tuesday, 24 June 2008 - Opening Ceremony Keynote Speaker
Lee Hsien Loong
Prime Minister
Republic of Singapore
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Lee Hsien Loong was sworn in as Singapore’s third Prime Minister on 12 August 2004. Mr Lee was first elected Member of Parliament (MP) in 1984 as a candidate of the People's Action Party (PAP) in Teck Ghee Constituency and has been re-elected in five consecutive elections, most recently in 2006 as an MP for the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency. He was elected to the Central Executive Committee of the PAP in 1986, and became its Secretary-General in 2004.
Mr Lee was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Ministry of Defence in 1984. He was confirmed as full Minister for Trade and Industry in 1987, and was concurrently Second Minister for Defence. In 1985, Mr Lee chaired the Economic Committee, which recommended changes to long established government policies to reduce business costs and revive the economy during a severe recession, as well as policies to foster longer term growth, including drastic reduction of corporate and personal taxes and the introduction of a consumption tax.
In 1990, Mr Lee was appointed Deputy Prime Minister with responsibilities for economic and civil service matters. He also concurrently served as Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from 1998 until 2004, and Minister for Finance from 2001 until 2007.
At the MAS, Mr Lee initiated reforms to liberalise the financial sector and to shift the emphasis from one-size-fits-all regulation towards a lighter supervisory touch, relying more on disclosure and caveat emptor.
As Minister for Finance, he chaired the Economic Review Committee which in 2003 proposed strategies to further restructure and upgrade the economy. These included tax changes to make Singapore more competitive and a major restructuring of the Central Provident Fund system.
As Prime Minister, Mr Lee has launched policies to build a competitive economy and an inclusive society. He has introduced new programmes to upgrade the education system, invest in R&D and infrastructure, and transform the city and living environment. Mr Lee chairs the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), an international panel to oversee Singapore’s major effort in promoting R&D.
Mr Lee’s Government is also strengthening Singapore’s social safety nets. Significant measures include the Workfare Incentive Scheme, which is a negative income tax to encourage and reward older, low-income workers, and Community Care (ComCare), an endowment fund to support a wide range of welfare and social programmes targeted at the poor.
By tackling long-term issues such as the ageing population and the pressures of globalisation, Mr Lee seeks to gear up Singapore to seize the abundant opportunities in a vibrant Asia.
Before entering politics, Mr Lee was a Brigadier-General in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He attended the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and held various staff and command posts, including the Director of the Joint Operations and Plans Directorate, and Chief of Staff of the General Staff.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008 - Plenary Session 1 - Good Governance: Sustainable Cities
Yoshiro Mori
President
Japan Water Forum
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Yoshiro Mori
Member of the House of Representatives of the National Diet, Japan
Biography
July 14th, 1937
Born in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture
March, 1960
Graduated from Waseda University
December, 1969
First elected as Member of the House of Representatives
1983 – 1984
Minister of Education
1992 – 1993
Minister of International Trade and Industry
1995 – 1996
Minister of Construction
2000 – 2001
Prime Minister of Japan
2006-
President of Japan Water Forum
2006-
President of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum
2006-2007.12
Chair of the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit Steering Committee
Abdullah Bin Abdurahman Al-Hussayen
Minister
Ministry of Water & Electricity Saudi Arabia
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EDUCATION:
— 1392H (1973G): B.S. Electrical Engineering
B.S. Mathematics
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon U.S.A.
— 1395H (1976G): M.S. Computer Science
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
EXPERIENCE:
— 1394H-1397H (1974G – 1977G) LECTURER
King Saud University
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
— 1397H-1400H(1977G – 1980G) DIRECTOR
Computer Department
Saline Water Conversion Corporation
— 1400H – 1405H (1980G – 1985G) DIRECTOR
Operation & Maintenance Dept.
Saline Water Conversion Corporation
— 1421H-1423H(2001G – 2003G) GOVERNOR
Saline Water Conversion Corporation
— 1423H-1425H(2003G – 2004G) Deputy Minister for Water & Electricity).
Ministry of Water & Electricity
— 24.2.1425H (14.4.2004G) MINISTER OF WATER & ELECTRICITY
Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka
Executive Director
United Nations Habitat
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Anna Tibaijuka is the first African woman elected by the UN General Assembly to serve as Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of a United Nations programme. A Tanzanian national, she was educated at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Uppsala.
As the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT she is credited with promoting water, sanitation and slum upgrading and in placing urban poverty high on the global development agenda. She served as a Member of the Commission for Africa, and is currently a member of the World Health Organization Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, and a member of the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor. She is winner of several awards including honorary Doctorate degrees conferred by the University of McGill in Canada, University College London, and Herriot Watt in Scotland. She is a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture.
In her personal capacity she founded the Tanzanian National Women’s Council to promote women’s economic and social rights, and the Barbro Johannson Girls’ Education Trust that advocates for quality education for poor girls in Tanzania and Africa.
Tommy Koh(Moderator)
Ambassador-at-Large
Republic of Singapore
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Professor Tommy Koh is currently Ambassador-At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies and the National Heritage Board. He is also a Director of SingTel. He is on secondment from the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore.
Prof Koh was the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Singapore from 1971 to 1974. He was Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York from 1968 to 1971 (concurrently accredited as High Commissioner to Canada) and again from 1974 to 1984 (concurrently accredited as High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico). He was Ambassador to the United States of America from 1984 to 1990. He was President of the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea from 1980 to 1982. He was Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for and the Main Committee of the UN Conference on Environment and Development from 1990 to 1992. He was the founding Chairman of the National Arts Council from 1991 to 1996, Director of the Institute of Policy Studies from 1990 to February 1997 and from December 2000 to July 2004. From February 1997 to October 2000, he served as the founding Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Foundation. He was also Singapore's Chief Negotiator for the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (2000 to 2003). He is the agent of Singapore in two legal disputes between Singapore and Malaysia. He chairs three committees for the National University of Singapore relating to law, Asia research and environmental management.
Prof Koh was appointed by the United Nations Secretary General as his Special Envoy to lead a mission to the Russian Federation, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in August/September 1993. Prof Koh was a member of three WTO dispute panels, two of which as Chairman.
Prof Koh was the Second Arthur & Frank Payne Visiting Professor at the Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, USA, for 1994/95. He was a visiting Professor at Zhejiang University. Prof Koh is on the Board of Directors of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. He is a member of the International Council of The Asia Society (New York) and a co-convenor of its Williamsburg Conference.
Prof Koh received a First Class Honours degree in Law from the National University of Singapore, has a Masters degree in Law from Harvard University and a post-graduate Diploma in Criminology from Cambridge University. He was conferred a full professorship in 1977. In 1984, Prof Koh was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by Yale University. He has also received awards from Columbia University, Stanford University, Georgetown University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Curtin University. On 22 September 2002, Prof Koh was conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by Monash University.
For his service to the nation, Prof Koh was awarded the Public Service Star in 1971, the Meritorious Service Medal in 1979 and the Distinguished Service Order Award in 1990. Prof Koh was appointed Commander in the Order of the Golden Ark by HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in March 1993. He received the award of the Grand Cross of the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins from the Government of Chile on 3 April 1997. He also received the 1996 Elizabeth Haub Prize from the University of Brussels and the International Council on Environmental Law on 17 April 1997. Prof Koh was awarded the 1998 Fok Ying Tung Southeast Asia Prize by the Fok Ying Tung Foundation in Hong Kong on 29 May 1998. On 22 February 2000 he was awarded the "Commander, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland" by the President of Finland. On 2 May 2000, he was conferred the title of "Grand Officer in the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" by the Prime Minister of Luxembourg. On 6 August 2001, he was conferred the rank of Officer in the Order of the Legion of Honour by the President of the French Republic. He was presented with the Peace and Commerce Award by the US Secretary of Commerce, Donald Evans, in Washington DC, on 5 May 2003. His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain has bestowed upon Prof Koh the Encomienda of Isabel la Catolica on 24 May 2004. On 21 April 2006, Prof Koh received the Champion of the Earth Award from the United Nations Environment Programme. On 10 November 2006, Prof Koh received the inaugural “President’s Award for the Environment” from President S R Nathan. He was conferred the Watermark Honorary Award by the Public Utilities Board on 17 July 2007.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008 - Address
Haruhiko Kuroda
President
Asian Development Bank
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Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda is the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors. He was elected President by ADB’s Board of Governors in November 2004 and was reelected in November 2006 for a new five-year term. Before joining ADB, Mr. Kuroda was Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and a professor at the graduate school of economics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.
In a career spanning nearly four decades, Mr. Kuroda has represented Japan’s Ministry of Finance at a number of international monetary conferences as Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs. During his terms as Director-General of the International Bureau and as Vice Minister of Finance between 1997 and 2003, Mr. Kuroda helped design and implement the US$30 billion Miyazawa Initiative – Japan’s response to Asian economies hit by the 1997-1998 financial crisis.
Under his leadership, Japan helped Asian nations establish the Chiang Mai Initiative, a network of currency swap agreements designed to avert another crisis.
He joined the Ministry of Finance in 1967. Eight years later, he was seconded to the International Monetary Fund. After returning to the Ministry, Mr. Kuroda assumed a number of senior posts in the Ministry’s international finance and taxation bureaus. While Deputy Director-General of the International Finance Bureau, he was responsible for Japan’s official development assistance as well as relations with multilateral development financial institutions including ADB.
Mr. Kuroda served as President of the Ministry’s research arm, the Institute of Fiscal and Monetary Policy, for one year before returning to the International Bureau as Director-General. Two years later, he was promoted to Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, responsible for policy planning, international coordination, and external representation. After retiring from the Ministry in 2003, Mr. Kuroda was appointed Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Koizumi to advise the premier on international monetary issues.
James W Adams
Vice President, East Asia and Pacific Region
World Bank
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Mr. Adams is Vice President for the East Asia and Pacific Region, both at the World Bank. In this capacity, he has overall responsibility for World Bank operations in the one of the world’s most dynamic regions, covering than a dozen states ranging from the world’s most populous country to the smallest and most remote Pacific Islands states. Last year alone, the World Bank provided US$2.9 billion in loans and grants to governments in the region for development projects designed to increase economic growth, reduce poverty, enhance social stability, increase intraregional integration, and improve governance.
Previously, Mr. Adams was Vice President and Head of Network, Operations Policy and Country Services, at the World Bank. In this capacity, he was responsible for operational policy development, procurement and financial management activities, relations with United Nations and nongovernmental organizations, and support to Regional staff working in all these areas.
Since joining the Bank in 1974, he has held a variety of operational positions in East Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa, including as Country Director for Tanzania and Uganda, as Director for Operations Policy, and as a Division Chief of several departments.
Before joining the Bank, Mr. Adams worked as a loan officer for Merchants Bank, in Syracuse, NY, and with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Mr. Adams studied at Colgate University, and holds an MPA from Princeton University.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008 - Plenary Session 2 - Collaboration between the Public and Private Sectors for Urban Development
Noeleen Heyzer
Executive Secretary
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
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At the end of August 2007, the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed Noeleen Heyzer (Singapore) as Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at the level of Under-Secretary-General. She is the first woman to occupy this position.
Since taking office, Ms. Heyzer has championed institutional change and development effectiveness positioning ESCAP as the regional hub assisting countries to build the economic and social foundations for inclusive and sustainable societies in the Asia Pacific region. She has been cultivating regional co-operation and strong partnerships to mobilize support and harness new energies to address shared development concerns, striving for common prosperity, social progress, stability and ecological sustainability in a region challenged by high growth with growing inequalities and persistent poverty.
Before her appointment to ESCAP, Ms. Heyzer was the first Executive Director from the South to head the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Through her leadership, UNIFEM assisted over 100 countries to formulate and implement legislation and policies to realize women’s security and rights. This resulted, for example, in changes in inheritance laws for women, better working conditions for migrant workers, the inclusion of women as full citizens in the constitution of Afghanistan and as full participants in several peace negotiations and electoral processes. Ms. Heyzer also played a critical role in addressing violence against women and in the Security Council’s adoption of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security and undertook extensive missions to conflict-affected countries worldwide. She led UNIFEM’s restructuring to maximize performance. Consequently, UNIFEM increased its resources tenfold, strengthened its ground presence and successfully advocated to put issues affecting women high on the agenda of the whole United Nations system.
Ms. Heyzer served on numerous boards and advisory committees of international organizations, including the UNDP Human Development Report, the UNDP Eminent Persons Group on Trade and Sustainable Development. She convened and chaired the International Women’s Commission for a Just and Sustainable Palestinian-Israeli Peace, was on the High-Level Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding chaired by Nobel Laureate Prof. Amartya Sen. Ms. Heyzer successfully mobilized private sector partners such as Macy’s, CISCO, and the Calvert Investment Fund to provide high value employment and market access to women and youth in conflict and tsunami-affected areas, and to the Arab States, as well as to set new standards for ethical investment.
Ms. Heyzer has received several awards for leadership, including the UNA-Harvard Leadership Award, the Woman of Distinction Award from the UN-NGO Committee on the Status of Women, the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) “Women Who Make a Difference” Award in 2005, Women of the Year Award (2007) by the Singapore Press Holdings, and the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal in 2004, given to “a person who has promoted, in action and spirit, the values that inspired Dag Hammarskjöld as Secretary-General of the United Nations and generally in his life: compassion, humanism and commitment to international solidarity and cooperation”. In recognition of her contribution to women, peace and justice, Ms. Heyzer was among the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005.
Ms. Heyzer received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from the University of Singapore, and a doctorate in social sciences from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
John So
Mayor
City of Melbourne
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Lord Mayor John So is one of Melbourne’s longest serving councillors, and twice elected Lord Mayor.
Campaigning for social equity has been a constant theme in John So’s public career, subsequently leading to community representation on a broad range of business, social, planning and environment issues.
During Lord Mayor So’s tenure Melbourne has enjoyed a major transformation marked by rejuvenation of inner urban landscapes, strong tourism and retail sectors, cultural diversity and leadership in urban sustainability.
His focus on international business, culture and trade has resulted in the development of strong partnerships with world economic centres.
In 2006, Lord Mayor So’s promotion of Melbourne nationally and internationally led to him being named World Mayor by the international World Mayor Project.
Most recently, Lord Mayor John So has been a key figure in Australasian capital city and local government responses to climate change. An invited participant in global summits, he has represented Melbourne in South Africa, New York and Kyoto.
Hiroshi Nakada
Mayor, City of Yokohama
President, CityNet
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POLITICAL HISTORY
On April 8, 2002, Hiroshi Nakada, then 37, became the youngest person ever to head one of Japan’s major cities when he was elected as the 28th Mayor of Yokohama. In April 2006, he was reelected for his second term as the Mayor of Yokohama. With over 3.6 million citizens, Yokohama ranks as the second largest city in Japan after Tokyo, and is a prominent stage for the young leader to demonstrate his abilities.
Since being elected as the Mayor in 2002, realizing the era of so called:‘non-growth, non-expansion’, the city administration has been actively working to increase transparency and to implement an open policy of information disclosure, including the finance situation and process of city administration. In addition, the ‘Yokohama Revival Plan’ that relates to the administration, finance, and operation, is also progressing steadily. He has implemented new initiatives such as, Yokohama style’ in resident registry network, ‘Cool Biz’ campaign, with the slogan ‘Enjoy summer with a summer feel’, that supports energy saving and the promotion of advertisement business. These policies are reshaping Japan from Yokohama and the trend of these policies will continue to roll out.
In 2006, various planning, such as the basic plan of the 150th anniversary of the opening of Yokohama port in 2009, ‘Yokohama General Plan (Long Term Vision)’ for the next 20 years, and the ‘Yokohama City Mid-Term Plan’ have been formulated. In order to create the citizens’ value in Yokohama in the future, Mayor Nakada will be more active in the municipal administration.
Mayor Nakada was nominated as the Global Leader of Tomorrow (GLT) in 2003 and Young Global Leader (YGL) in 2005 by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Prior to assuming the Mayoral position in Yokohama, Hiroshi Nakada served three terms as a member of the House of Representatives of Japan.
Abdullah A. Al-Nuaim
President
Arab Urban Development Institute
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— Attended school in 1356H when the first elementary school was established
— Worked as teacher at the same school since 1370H (1950) up to the beginning of 1374H (1954).
— Opened the first school in the Kingdom for combating illiteracy in 1373H where he and his colleagues volunteered to work as well as to pay for its expenses including renting of the building. This continued several years until the government program started and the school was transferred to the Ministry of Education, he was Headmaster of that school.
— Established with his colleagues in 1372H the first cultural independent club, he was the Secretary General.
— Established with his colleagues in 1372H the first cultural independent club, he was the Secretary General.
— Established, with some interested, the AlBirr Social Fund in Unaiza City in 1372H. This was the first Social Fund in the Central Reginal of the Kingdom, and may be the second after the one in Makkah Al Mukarama.
— He was Deputy Headmaster of the secondary school in Unaiza for two years.
— Then Deputy Headmaster for the Model Secondary School in Jeddah for one year.
— Then Director, Teachers Institute in Riyadh for 5 years.
— Director General for Education in Riyadh region for 5 years.
— Assistant Secretary General, King Saud University for 2 years.
— Administrative General Manager, King Saud University for 6 years
— Cultural Attache, responsible for government sponsored higher education student in the United Kingdom (started his Ph.D in modern history of Southern Region of the Kingdom, University of Cambridge.
— Awarded honorary Ph.D by Sorbonne University, Paris
— Selected to work as Director General for the National Gas and Manufacturing Company at the beginning of 1394 H (1974) then Chairman, Board of Directors which he assumes up to now. (Gas Company is a public utility company that fills and distribute gas around the Kingdom.).
— Mayor of Riyadh City 3.11.1396H to 06.01.1411H (1976 – 1990).
— Chairman, Board of Trustees, King Fahd National Library 1411H (1990) till now.
— Chairman, Organizing Committee for the Exhibition: the Kingdom Yesterday and Today.
— Chairman, Board of Directors of the Saudi Company for Mna`qlia Centre (a semi governmental company that owns a commercial complex considered the larger of its kind in the Middle East and is owned by: Riyadh Municipality, Public Pension Agency, General Organization for Social Insurance and the Saudi Real Estate Company.
— Honorary Citizen of Atlanta City (Geyyia ,USA)
— Honorary Member of French Geographical Society
— Honored by King Saud University (as part-time professor with some other personalities) in a great assemblage under the auspicious of H.M. Late King Khalid during the celebration of the 25 years of establishment of the university.
— Honored by the Municipality of Riyadh, on the occasion of his retirement, in a great assemblage headed by H.R.H. Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Riyadh Region. During this celebration one of the important and busy streets in Riyadh was given the name of "Mayor Abdalla Al Ali Al Nuaim Street".
— Honored by Gulf States Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs, during the celebrations of the Fifth Arab Gulf Week for Social Work, held in Qatar, as a pioneer in the field of voluntary social work.
— Honored by the Cultural Club in Riyadh, on the occasion of Honorary Doctorate awarded by the Sorbonne University, France.
— The Riyadh Chamber of Commerce also honored him for the same occasion.
— Mr. Abdul Maysoud Khoja also honored him at his famous weekly "Monday" for the same occasion.
— Shaikh Osman Alsaleh: Weekly "Monday".
— Nominated as Director General for the Gas and Industrialization National Company, at the beginning of 1394H (1974), then became Chairman, Board of Directors up to now. Gas Company is a public utility that supplies liquidized gas throughout the Kingdom.
— Assigned as Mayor of Riyadh City Municipality (from 3/11/1396H to 6/1/1411H : 1976 – 1990).
— Then Chairman Board of Trustees for the King Fahd National Library 1411H (1990) to date.
— Head of the Organizing Committee for the "Kingdom: Yesterday and Today" Exhibition.
— Chairman, Board of Directors for the Saudi Company Muaq`lia Centre " A semi Governmental Company that owns a trade centre, the biggest of its kind in the Middle East. The company is owned by the Municipality of Riyadh, Public Pension Agency, Social Insurance General Organization and the Saudi Real Estate Company.
— Citizen of Atlanta, Georgia, USA
— Honorary member of French Geographic Society.
— Honored by the City of Unaiza in a great ceremony headed by HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz, and a book was issued on the occasion, titled: Management through the Will.
— Author of several books.
— Management of Metropolitans, the experience of Riyadh City
— Management through the Will
— Social Voluntary Work, with emphasis on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
— Awarded King Abdul Aziz badge of honor "Higher Degree" and several other badges of honor from Jordan, Morocco, France, Sweden, Denmark, Venezuela, South Korea, Spain and Indonesia.
— Posts he still occupies:
— Chairman, Board of Directors and Commissioned member for the Gas and Industry National Company.
— Member, Riyadh Development Authority.
— Founder and Chairman Board of Directors, the Salhia Social Society, Unaiza (Home City). This society includes cultural centre of wide range of activities, cultural, social and athletics. It also includes a school and a large library and another library for females which is the first of its kind in the Kingdom. The Cultural Centre which is a very large building and contains all the activities, was established by the efforts of donors.
— One of the founders and Chairman Board of Directors of the Prince Salman Social Centre for elders.
— This is a social, athletics and cultural centre which was established to honor H.R.H. Prince Salman for his continuous efforts in developing Riyadh City and for his humanitarian activities. It is a distinguished building on an area of 100,000 sq.m.
— It contains two sections one for men and the other for women. Before completing its first year its membership exceeded two thousand citizens (men and women) who practice various activities starting 9 O' clock in the morning and up to 10 O' clock in the evening. It is not a lodging place, it is a sort of "Club"
— Founder and Chairman, Board of Trustees and President of the Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI), an affiliate of the Arab Towns Organization (ATO), based in Riyadh.
— Associate Member of Board of Directors of the "Metropolis", based in Paris.
— He is member of various other societies and associations.
Chong Siak Ching
President & CEO
Ascendas Pte Ltd
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Ms Chong is the President & CEO of Ascendas Pte Ltd since January 2001. Ascendas is Asia’s leading provider of business space with presence in 10 countries across Asia. Ascendas also sponsored and manages Singapore’s first industrial and business space Reit, listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange as Ascendasreit (A-REIT). In August 2007, the Ascendas India Trust (a-iTrust) was launched as Singapore’s first listed Indian property trust.
In January 2004, Ms Chong was appointed as one of Singapore's three representatives to the APEC Business Advisory Council. She is also a Board Director on the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore-India Partnership Foundation. In March 2007, Ms Chong was appointed Chairman of IE Singapore’s Network India Steering Committee. In April 2008, she was appointed Deputy Chairman of the enterprise development agency SPRING Singapore. She is also a Management Board member of the Institute of Real Estate Studies at the National University of Singapore.
Prior to joining Ascendas, Ms Chong was the Deputy CEO of JTC, Singapore's largest industrial developer, where she was in charge of the business planning, development, customer service and corporate services groups. She was also the Managing Director of JTC's wholly owned subsidiary, Arcasia Land Pte Ltd from 1996 to 1998, and its General Manager from July 1991 until 1996.
Ms Chong studied Estate Management at the National University of Singapore where, in 1981, she graduated with honours and was awarded a Gold Medal by the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers. In 1991, Ms Chong obtained a Masters in Business Administration from the same university. Ms Chong was registered as a licensed valuer in 1983 and has also completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 1998. Ms Chong was conferred the National University of Singapore's Distinguished Alumni Award by the Faculty of Architecture and Building Management in 1999.
Christine Tan
Presenter
CNBC Asia
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Christine Tan is the Singapore-based anchor for "Worldwide Exchange," CNBC's groundbreaking program coming live every weekday from Asia, Europe and the U.S. She also anchors CNBC's longest-running feature program "Managing Asia" interviewing prominent CEOs and leaders of top companies doing business in Asia.
Tan has more than 14 years experience in journalism, half of which was with CNBC. During her career, she has covered the business and financial market impact from major news events like the Asian Economic Crisis, the Dot Com Bubble Crash, 9-11 attacks in the US and Sars Outbreak.
She received the Best News Program award at the 2004 Asian Television Awards on behalf of The Asian Wall Street Journal. The same program also won a finalist award at the 2004 New York Festivals for Coverage of a Breaking News Story.
Christine Tan was a finalist for Best News Anchor in 2001 and 2002 at the New York Festivals Awards and also a Best Current Affairs Presenter finalist at the 1997 and 2006 Asian Television Awards.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and English and a Masters of Arts with Honors in Sociology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.Tan has more than 14 years experience in journalism, half of that with CNBC.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008 - Plenary Session 3 – Sustainable Development: The Way Forward
Mah Bow Tan
Minister for National Development
Republic of Singapore
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Mr Mah Bow Tan was first elected as one of three Members of Parliament (MPs) for the Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in 1988. He held various portfolios in the Government, including Trade and Industry, Communications and Information, and the Environment before he was appointed the Minister for National Development on 3 June 1999.
Educated at St Joseph’s Institution, Mr Mah was awarded the President’s and Colombo Plan Scholarships to study at the University of New South Wales, Australia. He graduated with First Class Honours in Industrial Engineering in 1971 and received his Master of Engineering degree in Operations Research in 1973.
Mr Mah joined the public sector as an Administrative Officer in 1973, and was seconded to the Singapore Bus Services in 1974 where he served in various positions. He was then seconded to the Singapore News and Publications Ltd (SNPL) as the Chief executive Officer of the Singapore Monitor. He was also Group General Manager of SNPL and Group General Manager (Co-ordination) of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd from 1985 until1988.
In the 1991 General Election, Mr Mah was re-elected as one of four MPs for Tampines GRC. He was returned unopposed as one of four MPs for Tampines GRC during the General Election in 1997. In the 2001 and 2006 General Elections, he was re-elected as one of the 5 MPs for Tampines GRC.
Mr Mah was born on 12 September 1948 and is married to Dr Sheryn Kaye Von Senden. They have two sons and two daughters. He enjoys golf, travelling, and reading, and is a passionate soccer fan.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008 - Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Award Ceremony & Banquet and Dialogue with
Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Minister Mentor
Republic of Singapore
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Lee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore in 1923. He was educated at Raffles College, Singapore and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, England. He was called to the Bar, Middle Temple, London, in 1950 and practised law in Singapore where he was adviser to several trade unions.
In 1954, he was a founder of the People's Action Party and was Secretary General up to 1992. He became Singapore's Prime Minister in 1959, serving successive terms until he resigned in November 1990, when he was appointed Senior Minister by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. He was re-appointed again after the 1991, 1997 and 2001 general elections. He was appointed Minister Mentor by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in August 2004.
Kishore Mahbubani(Moderator)
Dean
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
Republic of Singapore
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Kishore Mahbubani was appointed the first Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy on 16 August 2004. Currently, he is the Dean and Professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY SPP) of the National University of Singapore. He is also a Faculty Associate for the LKY SPP’s Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG). He served in the Singapore Foreign Service from 1971 to 2004.
He was Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Ministry from 1993 to 1998 and he also served twice as Singapore’s Ambassador to the UN. Prof. Mahbubani has published and spoken in all corners of the globe and is the author of “Can Asians Think?”, and of “Beyond the Age of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust between America and the World”. His next book entitled “The New Asian Hemisphere: the irresistible shift of global power to the East” will be published in New York in early 2008. He graduated in philosophy from Singapore and Canada and served as a Fellow of the Center for International Affairs in Harvard University from 1991 to 1992. He was also listed as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines in September 2005.
