The Philippine government will host this year’s international conference on rural development through the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) form May 28 to June 2 at Traders Hotel in Manila.

The weeklong event will be led by President Arroyo and vice President Noli de Castro, who will be chief guests for the regional dialogue and inaugural session of the governing council meeting, respectively.

CIRDAP is a regional organization of 14 countries that promotes regional cooperation among national decision-makers and planners through the conduct of research and training on integrated rural development.

Aside from the Philippines, CIRDAP’s member countries include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

CIRDAP’s main headquarters is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with subregional office for Southeast Asia in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is CIRDAP’s contact ministry in the country.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser C. Pangandaman disclosed that the international conference seeks to identify areas for collaborative efforts that could benefit the ongoing rural development program and project of each member country.

“The ultimate objective is to maintain continuity in addressing the economic slump that affects the poor countries in Asia and the Pacific region,” he said.

The conference will feature a policy dialogue on agrarian reform issues in the country to be presented by Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) director Antonio Quizon, Agrarian Justice Foundation Inc. executive trustee Conrado Navarro, and Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) director Arsenio Balisacan. CIRDAP director Nasreen Khundker will also speak on the status of agrarian reform and rural development of CIRDAP member countries.