Seminar on ASEAN financial initiatives
JAKARTA (JP): The ASEAN Business Forum, a nonprofit group consisting of firms from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is to stage a conference on ASEAN Financial Initiatives for the 21st Century in December.
The ABF's executive director, Kho Hock Aun, said here yesterday that the conference, co-organized by the ASEAN secretariat would be held in Kuala Lumpur from December 1-3 in tandem with an exhibition on banking and finance. .
Some of the world's top policy-makers and corporate executives will speak at the event, he said.
Scheduled speakers include executives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and Moody's Asia-Pacific, he said.
Kho added that ABF would also hold the Fifth ASEAN Achievement Awards on Aug. 7, at the Shangri-la Hotel in Jakarta.
Two Indonesians will receive awards this year, businessman Aburizal Bakrie (ASEAN Businessperson of the Year) and Emil Salim (Environmental Protection).
Bakrie is the chairman of both the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and of the ASEAN Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also chairs the diversified Bakrie Group.
Emil Salim, former minister of population and environment, is now chairman of the board of trustees of the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation and the U.S.-based Council of Appropriate Technology.
The awards are presented to outstanding individuals from ASEAN for 12 categories: architecture, business, community service, education, engineering, environmental protection, information technology, medicine, research and development, science, sport and visual and performing arts.
Nominees must be ASEAN citizens who have made significant contributions to the community. Nominees are reviewed by a selection committee and a short list is forwarded to a panel of judges for the final decision.
This awards have been held annually since 1992.
Kho said the general public and selected national and regional organizations and were invited to make nominations for this years awards over the last two months.
He said no award in architecture would be presented in 1997. "Sometimes, it's hard to select a winner in certain fields."he said. Besides Bakrie and Emil Salim there have been six other Indonesian winners since 1992: Didi Suwardi (engineering, 1992), Johan Silas (engineering, 1993), Susi Susanti (sport, 1993 and 1994), Wiratman Wangsadinata (engineering, 1994), Aditya Indradjaja (architecture, 1995) and Ibnu Sutowo (community service, 1995).
As of last week, the ASEAN group has included nine countries, Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (icn)