Resources For

Praxis Discussion Series

In January 2009 the World Bank started a monthly panel discussion series called Praxis to open up debate and exchange ideas on international development. Held in partnership with Australian public affairs channel A-Pac, the series encourages discussion of key development ideas and initiatives.

Each session brings together three specialists from different fields to discuss topics ranging from energy, migration and remittances, rural development to the international financial crisis. A World Bank representative is usually a member of the panel in order to comment on work being carried out in the Pacific.

Audience members are given the opportunity to question these specialists and to hear opinions from the general public. Further, Praxis has partnered with the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) in Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, with participants taking part in the discussions via video conference.

The event is televised in full on A-Pac. Content is also provided to television stations in Fiji, Samoa, and Papua New Guinea, as well as to ABC Radio National, and the School of Economics at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji.

To recommend a future topic for the Praxis series, suggest a speaker or ask a question, email here.

To register on our audience list, please detail your name, organisation, contact number and email here.

Topic:	Youth
When:	Monday 16 November, 1pm to 2pm
Where:	World Bank office, Sydney, Australia
RSVP:	If you’re interested in attending, please email Barbara Ratusznik at bratusznik@worldbank.org
Speakers:	CAROLYN HARDY Carolyn Hardy was appointed Chief Executive of UNICEF Australia in 2004. UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund. UNICEF’s mission is to protect children and contribute to their well-being through the provision of education, healthcare, essential medicines, vaccines, water and sanitation and emergency supplies. JOEL KALPRAM Joel Kalpram is a ni-Vanuatu student who worked for 6 years as project manager for the Australian NGO 'Youth Challenge Vanuatu', working to develop leadership and capacity building through the involvement of young people in Vanuatu. Joel joined the organisation after participating in the youth program's leadership development workshops. He has also worked in HIV/AIDS awareness, land issues, life skills training and was twice selected to attend the Oxfam International Youth Partnership meetings, one in Sydney and the other in Fiji. He is presently studying in Australia to complete a Bachelor of Social Science degree, majoring in community development. FABIA SHAH Fabia Shah is a Senior Education Advisor with the Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID) in Canberra. She has extensive field experience in the education sector with a specific focus on Asia and the Pacific including teaching and technical assignments in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and India. She has worked for a range of international development agencies including the ADB, GTZ/KfW (Germany), the EU and the UN. Fabia has recently returned from 3 years in Pakistan where she was AusAID Chief Program Adviser with responsibility for education.