August 06, 2007
By Mikhail Raj Abdullah
LANGKAWI, Aug 6 (Bernama) -- It was perhaps the perfect setting for a perfect holiday but rest and recreation is far from the minds of leaders and participants at the eighth edition of the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID).
They are here not just to discuss poverty but to help fulfil their host Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's compassionate plea for a better world for the poor not via grandiose self-fulfilling schemes but through a practical plan of action.
The Prime Minister's strong yet simple message to the Asian and African leaders at LID 2007's opening last night is to use smart partnerships to provide workable solutions to "eradicate poverty in every part of our developing world".
He called for the sharing of experiences and "real-life" input in finalising a document to be called "The Way Forward" because the reality of the situation is that "more than one billion people live in extreme poverty on US$1 per day".
Ten heads of state or government plus 500 participants from 40 nations are meeting behind closed doors in an informal setting to look for answers for what seems to be a perennial malaise of human society.
And poverty is no stranger for the mostly southern and east African countries, with three Asean newcomers - Thailand, Laos and Cambodia - participating for the first time at LID which made its debut in 1995.
Like Africa, they too grapple with poverty, just like Malaysia did during its formative years.
However, Abdullah is hoping to share Malaysia's experience in bringing down the poverty rate from 50 percent of the population in 1970 to 5.5 percent at present.
To this end, he will convene the first free-wheeling session right after breakfast to be facilitated by former Mozambique President Joaquim Alberto Chissano with input from, among others, King Mswati lll of Swaziland, Namibia's President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Sudan's President General Omar Hassan Al-Bashir.
Thereafter, there will be networking sessions and interactive dialogues and feedback, which will be the order of the day until LID 2007 ends tomorrow.
An interesting session will be the dialogue on "Poverty Eradication - The Smart Partnership Way" between the leaders and the media.
To be chaired by Bernama chairman Datuk Mohd Annuar Zaini, it will entail leaders "grilling" the media on how they can be "partners" in overcoming the scourge of poverty.
Unlike all the other sessions, this one is not behind closed doors.
Other sub-topics include "Smart Partnership Approach to Global Poverty: Geo-Economic-Political Dimensions" and "Smart Partnership Opportunities through Networking/Country Tasks" where the lead facilitator will be Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
As for the First Ladies of the heads of state or government, they were even more earnest when they held their special social issues activity yesterday, attended by the Prime Minister's wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah.
A force to be reckoned with, the First Ladies pledged to influence their spouses to do more for children in their respective countries, including the right to a decent living.
Jeanne, making her first appearance at LID, is the host patron for the First Ladies programme.
Today's session will end with a feedback forum on "Making Opportunities Happen" before Abdullah convenes a dinner session on "Poverty Eradication and Smart Partnership Movement".
They are here not just to discuss poverty but to help fulfil their host Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's compassionate plea for a better world for the poor not via grandiose self-fulfilling schemes but through a practical plan of action.
The Prime Minister's strong yet simple message to the Asian and African leaders at LID 2007's opening last night is to use smart partnerships to provide workable solutions to "eradicate poverty in every part of our developing world".
He called for the sharing of experiences and "real-life" input in finalising a document to be called "The Way Forward" because the reality of the situation is that "more than one billion people live in extreme poverty on US$1 per day".
Ten heads of state or government plus 500 participants from 40 nations are meeting behind closed doors in an informal setting to look for answers for what seems to be a perennial malaise of human society.
And poverty is no stranger for the mostly southern and east African countries, with three Asean newcomers - Thailand, Laos and Cambodia - participating for the first time at LID which made its debut in 1995.
Like Africa, they too grapple with poverty, just like Malaysia did during its formative years.
However, Abdullah is hoping to share Malaysia's experience in bringing down the poverty rate from 50 percent of the population in 1970 to 5.5 percent at present.
To this end, he will convene the first free-wheeling session right after breakfast to be facilitated by former Mozambique President Joaquim Alberto Chissano with input from, among others, King Mswati lll of Swaziland, Namibia's President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Sudan's President General Omar Hassan Al-Bashir.
Thereafter, there will be networking sessions and interactive dialogues and feedback, which will be the order of the day until LID 2007 ends tomorrow.
An interesting session will be the dialogue on "Poverty Eradication - The Smart Partnership Way" between the leaders and the media.
To be chaired by Bernama chairman Datuk Mohd Annuar Zaini, it will entail leaders "grilling" the media on how they can be "partners" in overcoming the scourge of poverty.
Unlike all the other sessions, this one is not behind closed doors.
Other sub-topics include "Smart Partnership Approach to Global Poverty: Geo-Economic-Political Dimensions" and "Smart Partnership Opportunities through Networking/Country Tasks" where the lead facilitator will be Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
As for the First Ladies of the heads of state or government, they were even more earnest when they held their special social issues activity yesterday, attended by the Prime Minister's wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah.
A force to be reckoned with, the First Ladies pledged to influence their spouses to do more for children in their respective countries, including the right to a decent living.
Jeanne, making her first appearance at LID, is the host patron for the First Ladies programme.
Today's session will end with a feedback forum on "Making Opportunities Happen" before Abdullah convenes a dinner session on "Poverty Eradication and Smart Partnership Movement".
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