Asian Regional Conference in Indonesia, June 4, 2008
The Joint-Japan World Bank Scholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP) held its third Asian regional conference in Jakarta, Indonesia. This one-day conference was a part of the JJ/WBGSP scaling-up activities which aim to promote knowledge sharing with the JJ/WBGSP community and development stakeholders. | 
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Indonesia is one of the countries with a large number of JJ/WBGSP alumni. There are 66 Indonesian alumni and 3 current scholars. The conference brought together about 60 participants from the alumni (17 from Indonesia), prospective scholars, representatives from universities, the Indonesian government, the Japanese government, and the World Bank's country office.  | | Mr. Nizam, Representative from Higher Education, Ministry of National Education, and Mr. Ken Okaniwa, Minister for Economic Affairs and Development, Embassy of Japan in Indonesia, launched a day of extensive knowledge sharing. In their remarks Mr. Nizam and Mr. Okaniwa both emphasized the importance of investing in human capacity building and appreciated the contribution that has been made by the JJ/WBGSP. |
Mr. Okaniwa also gave a presentation on Human Capacity Development Strategy and Activities in Indonesia and the Region. The objectives of the Japanese assistance in human capacity development, explained in his presentation, are: - to promote mutual understanding between Japan and foreign countries and build networks
- to nurture Japanese students with global outlook and shape and open vibrant society
- to internationalize Japanese universities & increase their international competitiveness, &
- to make an intellectual contribution to the international community
Mr. Shubham Chaudhuri gave a presentation on behalf of Mr. Joachim von Amsberg, Country Director. Mr. Chaudhuri spoke on the Bank's development Strategy for Indonesia. He acknowledged the strength of Indonesia's development while pointing out that its education sector still has room for further improvements. Mr. Chaudhuri also talked about how the World Bank has been working with Indonesia with its new country partnership strategy,
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focusing on investing in institutions for an inclusive, sustainable, and competitive Indonesia.
Mr. Tsutomu Shibata, Senior Adviser, WBI, gave a presentation on the knowledge economy and its implications for the development of Indonesia.
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Mr. Robert Pakpahan, Director for Business Process Transformation, Directorate General of Taxes, presented on Effective Tax Program in Japan. |
This was followed by a panel discussion. The panelists represented the JJ/WBGSP's partnership universities: - Professor Masahiro Endo, Keio University
- Professor Daisuke Arie, Yokohama National University, and
- Mr. Satoru Yanagisawa, JICA Expert (Ministry of Finance) on behalf of Mr. Fujiki Hayashi, President, National Tax College
Many of the Indonesian alumni have pursued their masters study under the JJ/WBGSP in the field of tax policy and most of them now work for Directorate General of Tax at Ministry of Finance, Republic of Indonesia. 
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Professor Neantro Saavedra-Rivano spoke about Economic Policy Management program at University of Tsukuba. |
Mr. Kamel Braham, Scholarships Administrator, WBI, talked about how to apply for the JJ/WBGSP. Officials from the government of Indonesia who attended the conference showed keen interest in applying for scholarships in the future.
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Representing the Indonesian alumni, Ms. Vivi Alatas, Senior Economist, World Bank Jakarta Office, spoke about her own experience as an alumni of the JJ/WBGSP. Ms. Alatas also encouraged her peers to apply for the scholarships. | | 
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Three alumni who were recognized for their outstanding Master’s degree papers presented their findings at the conference. Their topics were: 
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Current problems and challenges vis-à-vis Taxation by Estimate in Bhutan: an urge for re-structuring by Mr. Gyeltshen, Deputy Commissioner, Tax Administration Division, Department of Revenue and Customs, Bhutan, a graduate of GRIPS. |
Industrial Clusters in the Palm Oil Industry in Indonesia by Mr. Gorga Parlaungan, Staff, Directorate of Potency, Compliance, and Revenue, Directorate General of Taxes, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, a graduate of Yokohama National University.
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Environmental Management Systems for Strategic Decision Making Practice: A Case Study of Khulna City Corporation, Bangladesh by Mr. Md. Matiar Rahman, Senior Assistance Secretary, Ministry of Establishment, Bangladesh, a graduate of Asian Institute of Technology. |
The conference marked an establishment of JJ/WBGSP alumni association in Indonesia. For details see: See also:
 | African Regional Conference in Cameroon, May 7, 2008 | | JJ/WBGSP Tokyo Conference, June 6, 2007 | | African Regional Conference in Tanzania, March 6, 2007 | | Asian Regional Conference in Vietnam, May 26, 2006 | | African Regional Conference in Kenya, May 11, 2006 |
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