Winners of Asia and Pacific Student Essay Competition Gather in Kyoto

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Winners of a student essay competition on Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific gathered over the weekend in Kyoto, Japan, to discuss Asia’s future.

The week-long Youth Camp of the Asian and Pacific Youth Forum on Sustainable Development provided winners of the contest a chance to deliberate on sustainable development issues. The event concluded with the adoption of a Youth Statement on Sustainable Development, which will be presented at ADB’s 40th Annual Meeting.

“Many developing countries in Asia have a young demographic profile,” said ADB Vice President Khempheng Pholsena. “To effectively address the long-term growth and development challenges confronting the region requires that young people be fully informed and engaged. The free and frank discussion among youth at this event helps in that process.”

Topics discussed by the essayists include economic growth and environmental conservation; human resources and institutions; and industry and infrastructure. Panelists during the discussions included Ms. Khempheng Pholsena; Professor Toshihisa Toyoda of Hiroshima Shudo University; Professor Hiromi Yamamoto, of Kyoto University; Masaki Omura, Executive Director for Japan for ADB. The event will be moderated by Professor Tsuneaki Yoshida, of the University of Tokyo.

The Youth Camp concluded with adoption of “The Voice of the Youth,” a statement written by the students on sustainable development. In addition, the winning essays will be assembled and published in a book.

The 25 winning essays – written from a country or regional perspective – were judged on the basis of originality and creativity of thought, structure and coherence of arguments, awareness of sustainable development within the context of the essayist’s environment and realities, and relevance to the competition’s themes.

The competition is part of a series of educational events that will precede ADB’s 40th Annual Meeting that is to be held in Kyoto, Japan, 6-7 May.

Sponsors for the essay contest include ADB's Japan Special Fund, financed by the Government of Japan; Kyoto Committee for the 40th Annual Meeting of ADB; Shanghai Center for Economic Research, Kyoto University; Ritsumeikan University; and ROAD, a network of Japanese university students concerned about development issues.

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