Contact: In Washington: Tsutomu Shibata (202)458-9449 tshibata@worldbank.org HANOI, MAY 26, 2006 – The Joint Japan-World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) held its first regional conference in Hanoi on May 26, 2006. The conference was part of JJ/WBGSP’s Scaling-Up Program launched by the World Bank in 2005 to disseminate and apply the research carried out by JJ/WBGSP scholars and to strengthen the worldwide network of alumni. The objective of the program is to facilitate lifelong knowledge exchange and dialogue among development practitioners and scholars. “Today, some five hundred mid-career professionals and policymakers from over 100 countries are engaged in graduate studies in leading universities,” says Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank. “With the knowledge and skills that they acquire, it is our hope that they will unleash their potential and go on to lead productive lives.” The scholarship program’s 84 alumni from Vietnam were all invited to this one-day conference where several received awards for outstanding research and presented their papers. These included: Responses to Poverty and Risks in Vietnam: How Effectively Can the Current Public Safety Net Target? by Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Quynh from Vietnam, a graduate of University of Tsukuba; A Study of Roadside Slope Management in Bhutan by Ms. Chimi from Bhutan, a graduate of Yokohama National University; and Adaptability of E-Government Policy in Mongolia: Comparative Study with Japan by Mr. Ulziikhutag Odgerel from Mongolia, a graduate of Yokohama National University. Several excellent presentations particularly addressing to development in Vietnam and the rest of Asia were also made, including: Human Capacity and the Development of Vietnam Agriculture and Rural Sector by His Excellency Mr. Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam, and also an alumni of the JJ/WBGSP, and The World Bank Strategy Towards Vietnam by Mr. Klaus Rohland, Country Director, World Bank Office, Hanoi. “The JJ/WBGSP supports the World Bank Institute’s mission by enabling scholars from developing countries to pursue studies in development-related fields and to apply and disseminate their knowledge and skills back home,” says Frannie Léautier, Vice President of the World Bank Institute. “The program includes scholars from 103 countries; and fifty percent of the 210 scholars selected in 2005 come from some of the poorest countries in the world, with urgent needs to strengthen their human resources,” The JJ/WBGSP was established in 1987 with funding from the Government of Japan and is administered by the World Bank Institute. Each year, the Program awards scholarships to individuals from World Bank member countries to undertake graduate studies at leading universities throughout the Bank’s member countries. The Program's objective is to help create an international community of highly trained professionals working in the field of economic and social development. Now in its 19th year, the JJ/WBGSP has awarded 3,427 scholarships through a highly competitive selection process.
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