Please click here to view the BABA 9 Tentative Program


BABA 9 NARA Retreat Organization

Dear All BABA Fellows,
This message is for all BFs. I want to thank you all for your understanding and cooperation in the last few weeks. We had a tough time making the selection. I did agonize over it because everyone who applied to attend B9 did deserve to be selected. I have received only kind responses from those who did not get a chance to attend. I want to thank you all for it.

This message is for all BFs including those who did not apply for B9. I want to share with you the developments in the organization of B9 and hopefully –where possible- make contributions to what is happening.

I had mentioned in a previous announcement that BABA 9 will be fundamentally different from previous retreats. The focus is on the exchange of ideas and views of the fellows. To this end I have put together 4main panels to deliberate issues of general concern. Each panel will comprise 4-5 persons who will prepare papers for presentation during the retreat. Each panel will have a chairperson whose role will be to work with the panelists when they are preparing the papers. This approach, we hope, will create a wealth of information and analysis. Each panel will be assisted by a Mentor.

The panellists were invited according to their interest or expertise in the particular subject. The four main panels and the persons involved are:

PANEL One: Leadership & Governance Issues in Asia
1. Novri Susan/Indonesia/TNF/4
2. Ronnel Del Rio/Philippines/TNF/BB
3. Guanghua Liu/China/SYLFF/7
4. Muhammad Iham/Indonesia/SYLFF/5

Chair: Sadia Khan/Pakistan/SYLFF/6
Mentor: Louis Goodman

PANEL Two: Promoting a Green Economy Through Asian Volunteerism
1. Noriko Hashimoto/Japan/UNP/7
2. Tuan Quang Tran/Vietnam/TNF/6
3. Mohammed Al-Masud/Bangladesh/UNP/8
4. Sanjeev Kumar/India/SPF/6
5. Oyundelgar Sedragchaa/TNF/8

Chair: Citra Wardhani/Indonesia/SYLFF/4
Mentor: TBC

PANEL Three: on Human Security in Asia
1. Sunitha Nair/India/SYLFF/8
2. Ryuhei Sano/Japan/TNF/6
3. Sherilyn Siy/Philippines/SYLFF/1
4. Yoshimi Horiuchi/Japan/TNF/BB
5. Payoshini Mitra/India/SYLFF/3

Chair: Kejin Qian/China/SPF/7
Mentor: Amitav Acharya

PANEL Four: Peace and Cultural Dialogue
1. Nirosion Perera/SPF/6
2. Ngeow Yeok Meng/Malaysia/SYLFF/8
3. Kyi Kyi/Myanmar/UNP/3
4. Kamrul Hossain/Bangladesh/SYLFF/4
5. Sarojini Imran/SYLFF/7

Chair: Kamei Aphun/India/SYLFF/4
Mentor: Thai Quang Trung

I have also formed a 5th panel which will comprise the rest of the fellows who are not panellists. The role of this panel is yet to be defined but I hope the chair and the mentor can do this so that the workshop will be very participative. But I hope that it does not stop you from offering your views and ideas to the panellists as they develop their papers. For one at least you can start also designing –individually or in groups-ideas and concepts that can be implemented. I direct this to those BFs who make be interested to work with those attending B9.

PANEL Five: Projects
1. Zeya Thu/Myanmar/SPF/1
2. Alwin Aguirre/Philippines/API/3
3. Saroth Chuon/Cambodia/TNF/7
4. Xiangxiang Ma/China/SYLFF/3
5. Menandro Abanes/SYLFF/5
6. Saman M Don/Sri Lanka/UNP/7
7. Nguyen Ngoc Anh/Vietnam/UNP/7
8. Uwen Wong/Singapore/TNF/BD
9. Dang Hoai Phuc/Vietnam/TNF/BB
10. Enkhbayar Janchivnyambuu/Mongolia/TNF/BD
11. Qifang Tang/China/TNF/7


Chair: Katherine Lacson/Philippines/SYLFF/2
Mentor: Lau Sim Yee

I hope that we can get two outcomes from these papers:
1. A report
2. Ideas that can be realised as implementable projects

These papers are expected to be circulated to the rest of the participants at least 10 days before the workshop. Each paper-writer will be given 15 minutes to make the presentation.

It is also time to develop a simple directory of all BABA Fellows. If there is any of you who is keen to edit this so that I can get it published please let me know.

I am attaching also a tentative programme of the Nara retreat so that you will have some idea of what is in store. I am finalizing the agenda.

Warm regards
Raja