South Asia has experienced a long period of robust economic growth, averaging 6 percent a year over the past 20 years. This strong growth has translated into declining poverty and impressive improvements in human development. However, such economic development is also causing environmental degradation: air pollution in only 36 Indian cities was estimated to have contributed to 40,351 premature deaths in 1995, and the situation is worse now. Eight South Asian countries are emitting 6.2% of the world’s total greenhouse gases, and India has become the fifth largest emitter (2005). GHG emission of Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives are nominal, but they are the countries facing the most serious threats of climate change. As for biodiversity, South Asia hosts some of the most endangered species on Earth, and habitats across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal are home to over 65 percent of the 3,000 or so remaining wild tigers.
South Asia has the largest concentration of poor people—home to 1.5 billion people with over 1 billion living on less than US$2 a day. More than 500 million people in South Asia do not have access to electricity, and balancing environment and development in South Asia is a huge challenge.
Taking the opportunity of the visit by the Mr. Herbert Acquay, the World Bank's Sector Manager for Environment, Water Resources and Climate Change Unit in the South Asia Region, the World Bank Tokyo Office would like to invite you for a public seminar titled "Environment and Development in South Asia: Challenges and Opportunities", which features his presentation and invites participants to an interactive discussion on environment and development issues in South Asia.
Mr. Herbert Acquay, Sector Manager for Environment, Water Resources and Climate Change Unit in the South Asia Region, World Bank
Mr. Acquay, a Ghanaian national, joined the Bank in 1993 as a Young Professional and he has since held various positions in the East Asia and Africa Regions. Mr. Acquay was appointed as Sector Manager for the Environment, Water Resources and Climate Change Unit in the South Asia Region as of November 1, 2010.
Before joining the World Bank, Mr. Acquay worked for the Government of Ghana and non-governmental organizations, including Friends of the Earth- Ghana, the largest environmental NGO in Ghana, which he founded in 1986.
Mr. Acquay holds a B.Sc. in Natural Resources Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (GH), and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Natural Resources Management from Cornell University (US).
Language
Japanese and English (with simultaneous translation)
Registration
To attend, please register online at the World Bank Tokyo Office website http://www.worldbank.org/japan or send your name, affiliation, contact information via email to ptokyo@worldbank.org (admission is free). As seating is limited, registration will be on a first come, first served basis.
Inquiries
Yukako Hiraki, World Bank Tokyo Office ptokyo@worldban.org Phone: 03-3597-6650
Mr. Herbert Acquay, Sector Manager for Environment,
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