Seminar on
"Sustainability and Asian Cities - ADB's Regional Vision and Singapore's Role"
Friday, 16 March 2007
IPS Conference Room, 6th Floor
Synopsis
Urbanisation and sustainability are key challenges that Asia will face. The Asian Development Bank has been working alongside countries to respond to the challenges of Urbanisation. In his presentation, Dr Lohani discussed ADB’s urban sector strategy. He also assessed the performance of urban projects that the Bank has funded, and articulate ADB’s vision for the region.
There is a huge need for urban management in the region - in terms of investments, institutions, and capacity development. The ADB's Urban Services Initiative envisages addressing the needs in these areas, and boosting urban investments in the region to over $1 billion a year, with innovative financing instruments, and modalities of engagement with development partners. Dr Lohani also covered the role of partners through linkages under the new initiative with Singapore, ATRIUM. He also shared his insights on how to develop leaders in urban management to serve the future needs of the region.
About the speaker
Dr Bindu N Lohani is Director General of Regional and Sustainable Development at the Asian Development Bank. His professional experience covers the public sector and the academe, and his expertise includes sustainable development programs and projects, and senior management in multilateral organisations.
During his first career with the Government of Nepal, he worked
successively in the Departments of Housing and Physical Planning, Roads,
and Local Development. From 1977 to 1985, he was at the Asian Institute
of Technology (AIT), an international post-graduate institute. He was
Division Chairman of the Environmental Department at AIT until he joined
the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 1985. From 1985 to 2004 at ADB, he
held several positions: first as Manager, then Assistant Chief of the
Environment Division, Office of Environment and Social Development
Department; Deputy Director (equivalent to Deputy Director General in
the current organizational structure) of the Infrastructure, Energy and
Financial Sectors Department (West); and The Secretary of ADB in 1999,
until his appointment to his current position as the Director General of
Regional and Sustainable Development Department (RSDD) in January 2005.
Dr Lohani has also served as consultant to several UN agencies and
international consulting firms. He has more than 30 years of experience
covering all facets of sustainable development - from programmes and
projects to crosscutting issues (environment, social, governance,
capacity building and policy and strategic planning).
Dr Lohani has a Bachelor’s degree (Honours with gold medal for 1st rank)
in Civil Engineering, Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering with
Phi Kappa Phi Award, and Doctoral degree in Environmental Engineering
(Environmental Technology and Management). He is an elected member of
the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) of the
United States - the highest
professional distinction accorded to an engineer - for his work on
economic-cum-environmental approach to sustainable development. He is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (awarded
for excellence in the practice of environmental engineering) and is a
licensed professional engineer. He holds professional memberships and
serves in advisory boards in several prestigious international
societies.
Dr Lohani has more than 120 publications in reputed journals, manuals,
monographs, technical reports and conference papers, and has authored
seven books. He has received several awards, medals and
honours and is
listed in several “Who’s Who in the World.”
Programme
Download
Presentation slides by Dr Lohani
For enquiries
For more information, please contact Ms Shirley Fong at tel: 6215-1032 or email: Shirley_Fong@ips.org.sg.
