VOL.4 APR-JUN 2007 - Borneo Talk

ConferenceTalkAZAM invites you to itsSustainable CommunityDevelopment 2008An International ConferenceOctober 2008Kuching, Sarawak, MalaysiaMore information will be available by July 2007. Watch out for further announcements on this conference in future issues of Kuching Talk andAZAM’s website at www.azam.org.my.Facilitating Community ChangeAZAM is an organisation that strivesto “think global and act local”. It iscommitted to undertake programmesand activities with the goals of enhancingthe quality of life of the people. It seeksto do this by empowering the people withthe relevant information and knowledgethrough communication activities, andwith the platforms to deliberate, discussand debate development issues forcollective enlightenment and affirmativeactions.More specifically, AZAM’s activitiesinclude conferences, workshops, forums,dialogues, exhibitions, publications, andactivities with the media. Its keypartners range from the public sectorto the business community and themedia, and, its networks of friendsand collaborators also extend beyondMalaysia’s shores.Although AZAM’s primary traditionalpartner and client are the people ofSarawak, AZAM is increasingly activein contributing to the internationalcommunity as well. After about 24years of actively working with localcommunities, AZAM has much to sharewith others having similar missions.This is particularly at times when theinternational community needs tothink and work together to address thesame pressing concerns such as threatsto the environment and other pertinentsustainable development and sustainablelivelihood issues.An example of such effort by AZAMis the forthcoming SustainableCommunity Development Conference2008 in Kuching. The second in a series,the conference is designed to fosterincreased awareness and understandingof community development approaches.The first conference in this series washeld in 2006 also in Kuching, Sarawakfocusing on the theme; StrengtheningCommunities Through a ParticipatoryApproach. Among the achievementsof this conference was the enhancedcollaboration among organisationscommitted to comprehensiveapproaches to sustainability at thecommunity level.Generally, sustainable communitydevelopment is a “continuousadjustment to meet the social andeconomic needs of the communitywhile preserving the environment’sability and community’s values tosupport it”.The 2008 conference hopes to buildon the efforts and achievementsmade at the last conference. While thetheme and concept for the forthcomingconference is being developed, theorganiser welcomes views andrecommendations for the conference’stheme and content coverage(email to zaba@azam.org.my orrosa@azam.org.my) Please submit yourinputs by the end of June 2007.ANGKATAN ZAMAN MANSANG (AZAM) SARAWAKKompleks AZAM, Jalan Crookshank, 93000 Kuching, Sarwak, Malaysia. Tel: 6 082 411799 Fax: 6 082 258372/411535 Website: www.azam.org.myApr-Jun2007KuchingTalk 29