IN THIS ISSUE

ASSIST team gathers for annual planning, tackles roadmap to 2015 he entire team of Asia Society for Social Improve‐ment and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) convened last October 3 to 5, 2012 at the ASSIST

headquarters in Manila for the Annual Planning Meeting. Highlights of the three‐day event include the discussion of regional updates, workshops on ASSIST's generic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and talks from spe‐cial guests Dr. Juergen Bischoff, Senior Advisor to GIZ, Dr. Stephan Kunz of AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial De‐velopment Cooperation, and PUMA Sustainability Project Manager Adam Brennan. Managing Director Sreeni Narayanan welcomed all partici‐pants who came from ASSIST offices in India, Vietnam and the Philippines. They are: India‐based Projects and Grants Management Director Sathappan and South Asia Director Platosen Samarasam, Philippines‐based Finance Director Suganya Sreenivas, Partners and Network Management

Director Kamesh Ganeson, Services Manager Matthias Wichmann, Social Enterprise Manager Olga Babina, Project Manager Sunil Narayanan, Communications and Visibility Associate Margaret Yarcia, and Vietnam staff Le Nguyen Hoang Long, Quynh Tran and Vy Truong. Platosen was especially happy to report on the takeoff of EU projects in Nepal and Bhutan, while Mekong Director Aru David proudly announced the successes in forging Pub‐lic‐Private Partnership (PPP) deals. Executive Director Murali, for his part, discussed the status of Blueprint 2012, while Project Manager Yatheender P.M. presented on AsianNGO portal/magazine. Kamesh and Mat‐thias also reported on their achievements: new contacts established and service contracts approved. The team also tackled the roadmap to 2015, focusing on their vision of ASSIST as a more established NGO in Asia in terms of reach, funding, visibility, size, competency of peo‐ple and partnerships.

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ASSIST is also on

VOL 3 ISSUE 3 JULY-SEPT 2012

SAFE Cambodia ends with a Best Practice Forum

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Back to back introductory work‐shops conducted for ACIDLOOP

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ASSIST kicks off UPSCALE Morocco with multi‐stakeholder dialogues

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our hundred local and foreign dignitaries as well as representatives of private companies gathered for the ECOSWITCH Awarding Ceremony held at

the New World Hotel in Makati City, Philippines last September 25, 2012. A total of 150 participating companies received plaques and certification for facilitating the switch in their organization towards more environmentally sustainable operations. The list of awardees includes Goldilocks, Mekeni Food Corporation, Philippine Airlines, Lufthansa Technik, Yokohama Tire Corpora‐tion, Panasonic, Toyota Motors, and Mapua Institute of Tech‐nology. The event marks the end of the second phase of the Green

Philippines Islands of Sustainability (GPIoS) Project, an initia‐tive funded by the European Union’s SWITCH Asia program. GPIoS seeks to contribute to an improved environmental and sustainable industrial development of Metro Manila and CALABARZON regions by introducing measures to save on en‐ergy, cut down on wastage and promote best environmental practices within organizations. GPIoS is implemented by the Technical University of Ostrava (VSB) in Czech Republic, Center for Appropriate Technology (GrAT), Austria Recycling (AREC), ASSIST, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Philippine Business for the Environment, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Indus‐tries, and STENUM. Project Directors Thomas Dielacher and Alena Labodova led the event, along with Project Manager Juvy Jem Perez, and Technical Consultants Wilson Baldonado, Joshua Rey Albarina Rolando Sumabat, Ryan Tabora, Helen Joyce Basco, Maricris Elemos, Arlyn Gonzales and Mariefe Kim. Keynote Speaker Neri Acosta, Presidential Adviser for Environ‐mental Protection and General Manager of Laguna Lake De‐velopment Authority lauded the initiative, while also express‐ing the government’s commitment to environmental protec‐tion. Mr. Matthieu Penot of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines commended the businesses and the Project Team for their contributions to greening the business sector. He was joined by other members of the delegation, Mag. Wilhelm Donko, Ambassador of Austria, Mag. Isabel Schmiedbauer, Commercial Attache, Austrian Embassy; Gabriel Zobl‐

400 dignitaries, company reps convene for ECOSWITCH Awards

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Mr. Matthieu Penot congratulated the Project Team and the participating companies for engaging in a project for sus‐tainable development.

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Sights from the 2012

ECOSWITCH Awarding Ceremony

September

25, 2012

New World Hotel, Makati City

talk on Project Management by ASSIST repre‐sentatives headlined AIESEC's Global Youth Sum‐mit 2012 held at SM North EDSA's Skydome last

September 7, 2012. The Global Youth Summit, according to organizer AIESEC, is a "gathering of thousands of youth leaders from all over the country in pursuit of designing their future, developing their leadership skills, and delivering on the promise of a better society—one person, one community at a time." Through the event, AIESEC seeks to inspire the world's youth by cultivating a more global mindset, providing an avenue for cultural exchange and responding to the most pressing social issues of the day. ASSIST Social Enterprises Manager Olga Babina presented on the topic: Project Management: Defining Critical Factors of Success, while Project and Grants Management Associate Juvy Jem Perez discussed the before an audience of 1,000

students from all over the world. The 2012 summit especially advocated innovation and devel‐opment of leadership skills among the youth, with a program called GYS in 3D: Design, Develop, Deliver. Health and educa‐tion were the focal themes, and the delegates conceptual‐ized projects which then became their entries to a case com‐petition. Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (AIESEC; pronounced "aie‐sek") is the world's largest student‐run organisation, with presence in over 110 countries and territories and with over 60,000 members. Other speakers at the event include Brad Geiser, CEO of Geiser‐Maclang Marketing Communications Inc.; musician and educator Jim Paredes; and San Vicente, Palawan Mayor Pie Alvarez.

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Global Youth Summit features ASSIST talk on Project Management

(Above left) Barangay officials from Brgys. 169 and 172 Malibay, Pasay discuss their current practices in dealing with victims of gen‐der‐based violence for discussion in the workshop. (right) Members of the Project Team Meg Yarcia of ASSIST, Anamabel Garcia and Lilibeth Santos of WCC, Atty. Claire Luczon of WomenLEAD, and Olive Tripon of WFS pose with Mar Raynera of the European Union (fifth from left).

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400 dignitaries, company...continued from p. 2

Kratschmann, Vice Consul at the Austrian Embassy; and RNDr. Jakob Cerny of Czech Republic Embassy. Other award presenters were Atty. Juan Miguel Cuna, Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau; Mr. Arnel Go of ASSIST; Mr. Bobby Banaag of Plantersbank and Ms. Teresa Pacis, Vice President for Corporate Affairs, GMA Network. The ceremony also featured partnership testimonials from Ms. Susan Benitez, President of Pollution Control Association of the Philippines (PCAPI); Mr. June Alvarez, Executive Director of the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sus‐tainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), and Ms. Victoria Tam‐bunting‐Alfonso, Vice President of the Plantersbank.

Select companies were also cited for special awards: ECOSWITCH Planet Award for Energy Efficiency: Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation ECOSWITCH Planet Award for Water Conservation: Freshtex ECOSWITCH Planet Award for Waste Minimization: United Pulp & Paper Company, Inc. ECOSWITCH Green Coin Award: United Pulp & Paper Com‐

pany, Inc. ECOSWITCH People Award: Atlantic Coatings ECOSWITCH Award for Impact and Dissemination: GMA Net‐work, Incorporated and Plantersbank ECOSWITCH Award for Networking: Manila Water Company Young actress and TV host Bettina Carlos hosted the event.

SSIST is proud to have hosted a design thinking session in cooperation with TechSoup Asia last August 1 to 2, 2012 at its Manila office.

Dubbed ‘Inspiration and Innovation – Infinite Possibilities when we join hands’, the session was launched to facilitate a brainstorming activity on ASSIST Social Initiatives. The two‐day activity featured design, prototyping and plan‐ning challenges for select ASSIST initiatives. Techsoup Asia was represented by Mr. Glenn Fajardo, a member of the global team working on international partnership and program de‐velopment. TechSoup Asia is a collaborative venture between TechSoup Global and its Partner Network, including Connecting Up in

Australia and the Hong Kong Council of Social Services. It en‐gages in delivering technology and other capacity develop‐ment resources to NGO’s and civil society organizations in the Asia Pacific region. EDITOR’S NOTE: TechSoup Asia is seeking a smart, independ‐ent, tech‐savvy Customer Service and Outreach Intern who:

Has an enthusiasm for consulting and serving NGOs

Is comfortably bilingual (English/Tagalog)

Able to communicate with technical staff

Has a desire to touch potentially hundreds of NGOs through his/her work.

The intern will be stationed with ASSIST, the TechSoup's part‐ner NGO in Manila. Questions/CVs should be sent to olga@assistasia.org.

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ASSIST partners with TechSoup Asia for Design Thinking Session

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SPECIAL REPORT

ASSIST welcomes new faces in PH, VN offices

Olga Babina Social Enterprises Manager After her exchange semester un‐der the Asian Institute of Man‐agement, Olga decided to work for ASSIST. She took up Bachelor of Science in Economics and Busi‐ness Administration at the Stock‐holm School of Economics.

Ethel Acorda Projects and Grants Management Associate A holder of Bachelor’s degree in International Studies, Ethel brings to ASSIST her expertise in conducting research analy‐sis. She now serves as support for several ASSIST projects.

Marivic Barsaga Research Associate Marivic is a graduate of Bache‐lor of Arts major in Social Sci‐ences from UP Manila. As a research associate, she will contribute her skills at Qualita‐tive/Quantitative research, socio‐economic profiles, urban planning, and community‐based monitoring system.

Zhyra Ellaine Patacsil, Group Associate Zhyra is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Communication from University of the Philippines (UP) ‐ Baguio. She has wide experience in writing, photog‐raphy and multimedia produc‐tion.

Quynh Tran Partners and Network Management Associate Quyn took up Bachelor of Arts, major in English for Banking and Commerce at Ho Chi Minh City’s Banking Uni‐versity. She now provides ad‐ministrative and logistical sup‐port to Project Managers in Vietnam.

SSIST welcomed new members in its Philip‐

pines and Vietnam offices, in time for the

launch of its many new endeavors, espe‐

cially more Public‐Private Partnership Projects,

and new social ventures. The latter includes the

AsianNGO, a web portal/magazine featuring a

learning resource, grants, and network database

for development organizations in Asia, and in

Vietnam.

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ASSIST reps meet with partners in Indonesia August 8: with Holcim From left: Mr. Vincent Aloysius, Country Manager from Geocycle Arm of Holcim; Miriam Yap‐Gabon of ASSIST, Geocycle Communica‐tions & Relations Officer Shinta Maryke; Ms. Ellys Simamora, Energy and Sustainability Services Manager of TUV NORD Indonesia; Mat‐thias Wichmann of ASSIST

August 9th with DB Schenker From left: Thomas Pawlytta and Milda Yunus,

with Miriam and Matthias

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he ACIDLOOP Project held introductory work‐shops last August 27, 2012 at Hotel Jayapushpam in Chennai, India.

Graced by special guests B.Vijayakumar, President of AeA association and Mr. Sivagnanam, Director of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), the event introduced the project and its objectives to the SMEs. ACIDLOOP is a PPP initiative that advocates sustainable pro‐duction through market penetration of closed loop technolo‐gies in the metal finishing industry. Set to run for four years, it is implemented by a project consortium composed of ASSIST, The Energy and Research Resources Institute (TERI), Austria Recycling (AREC), Adelphi, BFI, STENUM Asia, and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). The project partners were represented by Mr. Christian Anger‐bauer and Stefan Melnitzky of AREC, Mr. Sebhastian and Mr. M.R.Srinivasan of ASSIST, Dr. Frank Roegner, and Dr. Miriam Sartor of BFI, Germany, Mr. Rajat Batra of Stenum Asia, India, and Dr. Malini Balakrishnan and Dr. Vidya S. Batra of TERI. ACIDLOOP was launched in response to the growing demand for SMEs dealing with various types of metal surface treat‐

ments amid the boom in India's automobile industry. In par‐ticular, the Project Team saw the inefficient processes, out‐dated technology, poor environmental performance and un‐safe working conditions among the SMEs. Through this initiative, the Project Team seeks to help SMEs meet the industry requirements by transferring the best prac‐tices on process optimization, resource efficiency, cleaner production, waste minimization/management, pollution con‐trol and acid recovery. Specifically, the project seeks to 1) provide training and on‐site consultancy to the SMEs on resource efficiency which would lead to reduced lead to reduced operating costs and improved environment and 2) introduce Acid Recovery technologies among SMEs in the target sector. As the project proceeds, three demonstration systems will be integrated in the companies identified during the introductory workshops. Continuous training workshops will also be held. The event was launched through the efforts of ASSIST South Asia Director Platosen Samarasam, Project Managers Daphne Serena and Sebhastian, and Senior Technical Expert M.R Srini‐vasan.

Back to back introductory workshops conducted for ACIDLOOP

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ustainable and Efficient Industrial Development (SEID) in Bhutan and Nepal was launched through a stakeholders conference last June 20

and 22, 2012 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The event served as introduction to the three‐year project which targets agro‐based enterprises, product manufacturing

industries, hospitality and service organizations, government agencies, academic institutions and NGOs working in the field of tourism and agro‐enterprise development in Nepal and Bhutan. The first conference was attended by Mr. Keshav Sthapit, Commissioner of Kathmandu Development Board, European Union Ambassador to Nepal Dr. Alexander Spachis, and Fed‐eration of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) President Mr. Suraj Vaidya President. Dr. Spachis talked about the importance of SWITCH Asia Pro‐gram launched by the EU to support the developing countries in utilizing resource and incorporating energy efficient technol‐ogy in enterprises. For his part, Mr. Vaidya pointed to the need for the value addition to indigenous agro‐ and forest‐based products, and the promotion of tourism. The second conference was led by Pokhara Chamber of Com‐merce and Industry (PCCI) President Mr. Krishna Mohan Shrestha while Lekhnath Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Mr. Suman Bhattarai served as guest of honor.

SEID project holds conference in Kathmandu

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PROSPECT EnMS visits select SMEs in Vietnam

romote Sustainable Program of Energy Consump‐tion Through Energy Management System (PROSPECT EnMS) conducted a visit to the first

batch of pilot Vietnamese SMEs last September 14‐15 in Hanoi and 19‐22 in Ho Chi Minh. The Hanoi visit was participated in by five (5) Board of Man‐agement (BOM) representatives of Song Cong Diesel Limited Company (DISOCO), while the visit in Ho Chi Minh was at‐tended by 8 BOM representatives of Van Don Plastic, and 4 BOM representatives of Saigon Paper Joint Stock Company. Through the visit, the Project Team sought to hold an initial evaluation on the system management and internal energy audit for pilot companies regarding the ISO 50001 standard (Energy Management System). The event is considered as the

kick‐off activity for the Technical Assistance phase of the pro‐ject. PROSPECT‐EnMS is a Public‐Private Partnership project jointly implemented by DEG, TUV NORD Vietnam and ASSIST. Sched‐uled to run from March 2012 to August 2013, it hopes to pro‐mote environmental sustainability amid Vietnam's rapid socio‐economic growth. For two days, ASSIST Partnership and Network Management Director Kamesh Ganeson assessed the companies' docu‐mented procedures, while local consultant ENERTEAM au‐dited their internal energy systems. Le Sy Trung of TUV NORD Vietnam and Le Nguyen Hoang Long of ASSIST also helped organize the event.

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SAFE Cambodia ends with a Best Practice Forum

The Structured Program to Achieve Food Safety Excellence in Cambodia (SAFE Cambo‐dia) initiative culminated with a Best Practice

Forum held August 3, 2012 in Phnom Penh. SAFE Cambodia is a Public‐Private Partnership (PPP) initiative implemented by Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) along with TUV Rheinland and DEG. It seeks to instill mass awareness on in‐ternational food safety and cleanliness standards amongst local SMEs operating in the agriculture and fishery industry. The target SMEs were introduced to the international supply chain model, the expectations of international buyers and

the importance of improving the safety, hygiene and re‐source efficiency practices to protect the health of the local community and boost export of agriculture and fishery products. Through the forum, the Project Team hoped to gather les‐sons learned by pilot factories during the in‐house technical assistance phase of the initiative. TUV Rheinland Cambodia CEO Alexandra Herbel welcomed the participants, while ASSIST Project Manager Vy Truong presented a Project Overview and a quick report on the deliverables. Then, Yea Bunna of the National Productivity Center of Cambodia discussed the current situation of food safety in the country, and the challenges it faces in imple‐menting the standards. Three best‐performing pilot compa‐nies were also selected to share their experiences: The Fair Manufacturing Company (FMC), Men Sarun and Phnom Meas Association. Finally, Project Consultant Odette Mangaban facilitated the open discussion among SMEs and provided advice on the implementation of food safety standards, especially how to keep the good practices after the project completion. In the afternoon, the Project Team arranged a tour for all partici‐pants to witness the FMC and Men Sarun on‐site improve‐ments in their factories, taking into account the project rec‐ommendations.

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Meanwhile, Dr. Uttam Kunwar FNCCI‐SEID Coordinator pre‐sented paper on baseline situation in tourism and agro‐enterprise sector of Nepal. SEID seeks to reduce costs and pollution; improve health and safety performance in the target sector, and enhance the capacity of national anchor associations/service provid‐ers to collaborate and promote sustainable practices to their supply chain/members, and provide technical support and input to SMEs to improve the overall resource efficiency of their production processes from the life cycle perspec‐tive. Further, it aims to build strategic partnerships with on‐going initiatives in the target sector, providing access to existing knowledge, Information Education Campaign material to address needs of SMEs; and facilitate dialoguing and net‐working amongst key stakeholders including government, financial institutions, industry associations, academe aimed at creating and enabling environment which propagates and incentivizes adoption of sustainable industrial practices. It is implemented by ASSIST along with GrAT (Center for Appropriate Technology), FNCCI, Austria Recycling (AREC), Bhutan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI), and Stenum Asia.

SEID project holds...continued from previous page

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ROmoting Sustainable Practices on Environment and Resource optimization (PROSPER) in Sri Lanka held another batch of training of trainer (ToT)

workshop on cleaner production in Colombo, Sri Lanka last September 11 to 13, 2012.

Co‐financed by DEG and UL DQS and implemented by UL DQS, ASSIST, and Sri Lanka NCPC, PROSPER Sri Lanka hopes to raise overall awareness on the need and means to implement Re‐source Efficient and Clean Production (RECP) methodologies and strategize transfer of knowledge through a series of train‐ings and capacity building initiatives. Select companies will then be chosen for the pilot implementa‐tion of RECP in their organizations. The three‐day training was led by Sri Lanka NCPC Deputy Direc‐tor Samantha Kumarasena, and Director Sena Peiris, and was attended by members of the chemical, textile, and service in‐dustries. Following the event, the project team is set of conduct two more ToTs, implement the training curricula, and distribute an e‐toolkit among the SMEs. ASSIST Project and Grants Management Director Sathappan Sathappan and PGM Associate Kruti Shah helped launch the activity.

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PROSPER Sri Lanka graduates new batch of trainers

ASSIST carbon reduction awareness efforts gains foothold in China

y holding a series of training of trainers (ToT) in four key cities in China last July to September, AS‐SIST and TUV NORD hoped to gain foothold in their

carbon reduction awareness efforts through the Ad‐vancing Carbon‐Neutral Economy (ACE) initiative. The Project Team held the ToT workshops in Guangzhou last July 25‐27, 2012, Beijing on August 22‐24, Chongqing on Sep‐tember 5‐7, and Shanghai on September 10‐12. Mr. Nat Lim served as trainer in Beijing and Chongqing and co‐trainer in Guangzhou and Shanghai, while ASSIST Project and Grants Management Sathappan Sathappan led the workshop in Guangzhou and Shanghai. ACE is an 18‐month Public‐Private Partnership Project co‐financed by DEG and implemented by TUV NORD China and ASSIST.

Attended by top executives and representatives of govern‐ment agencies, non‐government organizations (NGOs), aca‐demic institutions, and private companies, the ToT workshops featured the knowledge transfer on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In particular, the trainers introduced the In‐ternational Standards and best practices such as ISO 50001 (Energy Management System), ISO 14064 (GHG Inventories), and PAS 2050 (GHG Assessment) in curbing their own emis‐sions. By the end of the session, participants are expected to have learned the following: Carbon neutrality and the underlying concepts, international standards on carbon neutrality, meas‐urement and reduction of GHG emissions based on various international standards, and the benefits and challenges of implementing carbon neutrality.

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Sights from the ASSIST Annual Planning Meeting

October 2 to 5, 2012

ASSIST Philippines Office, Makati City

urope is on its toes these days, amid calls for the North, especially Germany, to facilitate the bailout of the trou‐bled banks of countries in the eurozone peripheries.

Funds for the new package being discussed in the German Constitutional Court as of this writing amount to 500bn euros, and there could be more. At the core of the bailout is a laudable concept of burden‐sharing, with the more able members of a group giving a hand so that others can get back on their feet. But the suited men of Wall Street may have ruined it for us. In the case of the United States, for example, millions were infuri‐ated to see the mismanaged beleaguered companies being saved from their misery using taxpayer dollars. Worse, as the deal was being brokered, top executives of GM, Chrysler and Ford flew to Washington using their private jets. Indeed, while most do want companies to survive amid the crisis, taking into account the number of people who depend on them for employment, we are compelled to set important principles for bailout. For one, it should be a last‐ditch effort, not the main frame‐work with which the eurozone can ever wish to address the crisis plaguing Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. At the very most, a bailout can struggling firms a few months, but long‐term changes need to be instituted for the entire economies of these countries to stay afloat.

That said, the players in this crisis should agree on the non‐negotiables of their troubleshooting efforts, lest they worsen the situation. Solutions should never involve taking from the poor themselves, through ridiculous austerity measures. At this point, the Greek parliament’s proposition last March to cut 3.3bn euros for salaries, pensions, and health benefits come to mind. Most of these impositions are set by the richer parties, supposedly to ensure that they can clean up their mess. However, these steps can be greatly counterproductive, as they further incapacitate the citizens who would have been more helpful in re‐building the economy. For a bailout to be effective, it should be accompanied by measures that address the very root of the eurozone debt

crisis. The question is, how many of the policymakers have actually figured out why they are heavily in debt? Economist Kash Mansori attributes the crisis to the sudden stop in the huge capital inflows in the PIIGS countries,

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COMMENTARY Bailout Margaret Yarcia Communications and Visibility Associate

“For a bailout to be effective, it should be accompanied by meas‐ures that address the very root of the eurozone debt crisis.”

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Protesters march against the austerity measures in Madrid, Spain (Photo from AFP).

August 10: with TUV NORD From left: Mr. Robert Napitupulu, President, and Mr. I Putu Ma‐

harta Adijadnja, Director

August 9: With IMPRIMA From left: Mr. Andre Susanto, Head of Renewable Energy Division, Miriam, Matthias, Mr. Barry Japadermawan, Man‐ager

from page 6: ASSIST reps meet….

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as part of a sudden wave of investments in many of the cheap properties in the region. Historian and commentator Walter Laqueur, on the other hand, point to the underlying political crisis –how it was "a fatal mistake to introduce a common currency in Europe without a political frame‐work leaving vital decisions to na‐tional governments." There is, of course, the view that chastises the governments of these countries for their irresponsible fiscal behavior. Clearly, there is no one answer; the current crisis is a conflu‐ence of many economic and political factors. And an analysis of these factors provides us valuable insights about collective growth. First, where ‘growth’ is heavily reliant on external factors, especially the highly volatile property investment trends, we can always expect a recoil. A true growth needs to be an‐chored on deep, lasting changes in the socio‐economic fun‐damentals – the enhanced capacity of local businesses, the expansion of skills training programs for the workforce, and the improved economic standing of the people. Second, growth should not be based on a culture of borrow‐ing, which masks inherent flaws in the economy. This, after all, has been the sad story of developing countries: money for social welfare is redirected to foreign debt payments

which come with onerous interest rates. Finally, we see the dangers that come with liberalizing mar‐kets under ‘unions’ of states, and the corollary wisdom of

protectionist policies. As world his‐tory tells us, laissez faire is a good concept on paper, but maybe not in the real world, where capacities are not the same, and the powerful can simply eliminate their competition. A united Europe would have been The Dream, except that at the be‐ginning, the countries were funda‐

mentally different, and the small players could not catch up.

from previous page: Commentary

True growth needs to be anchored on

deep, lasting changes in the socio‐

economic fundamentals – the enhanced

capacity of local businesses, the expan‐

sion of skills training programs for the

workforce, and the improved economic

ToT launched for Food Industry Competitiveness Project

SSIST’s initiative PRO‐FIT (Promoting Food In‐dustry Competitiveness Training Program) con‐ducted a training of trainers last July 30 to Au‐

gust 24, 2012 at the University of the Philippines In‐stitute for Small‐Scale Industries in Quezon City. Co‐financed by Sequa and BMZ, PRO‐FIT is implemented by ASSIST, AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation (AFOS), TUV Rheinland and UP Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP ISSI) that will run for 2 years. It aims to train practitioners on a variety of qualification op‐tions on food safety and sanitation practices at the UP ISSI. Covered in the ToT are five qualification courses: Certified Quality Associate, Basics of Food Safety & Hygiene, Certifi‐cation Programme on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Certified Food Safety Professional, and Diploma in Food Safety Management.

The training was led by speakers Engr. Leoncio T. Cubillas, Jr. (Chairperson, TEEDD, UP ISSI), Prof. Nestor O. Rañeses (Director, UP ISSI), and Mr. Israel S. Baleta (Program Man‐ager, HAVI Logistics Philippines, Inc.). Meanwhile, the Project Team was represented by Tristan

Loveres (Chief Operating Officer, TUVR), Pinky Zamora‐Villacrusis (Sales and Marketing Manager, TUVR), Alexan‐der Go (Business Development Officer, TUVR), and Miriam Ruth Yap‐Gabon (Group Associate, ASSIST). Said qualification courses will be taught in UP ISSI for a pi‐lot run. All participants will receive certificates or diplomas upon successful completion of the courses.

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UP ISSI Director Prof. Nestor O. Rañeses speaks before the gathering of food safety practitioners.

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PP Project UPscaling Sustainability, Competence

and Leadership in Energy Excellence (UPSCALE Mo‐

rocco) was launched with a series of multi‐

stakeholder dialogues last September 7 and 11 in Casa‐

blanca and Rabat, Morocco.

The initiative aims to promote energy efficiency among energy

‐intensive industries in Morocco. The project features aware‐

ness‐raising among various stakeholders, policy dialogue, best

practices sharing, development of energy consumption stan‐

dards for energy‐intensive industries, training programs on

energy management, and creation of a local pool of energy

efficiency champions through the introduction of certification

programs.

Recognized as the fifth largest economy in Africa, Morocco is

also the largest energy importer in North Africa, with 97% of

energy supply coming from outside sources. Hence, the ex‐

pected expansion of the economy would exacerbate the risks

to the country’s energy security situation.

The event was attended by representatives of consultancy

firms, enterprises, associations, public institutions and univer‐

sities. Special guests include Mr. Said Mouline, president of

Sustainable Development Commission at the General Confed‐

eration of the Moroccan Companies (CGEM) and Director of

ADEREE; Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Vice President of CGEM; Mrs.

Hanan Hanzaz, Director of Morocco Cleaner Production Centre

(CMPP); and Mr. Belgacem Raoudi, Director of DQS Morocco.

Mr. Ahmed Bouzid, Head of Energy Efficient Division, ADEREE

talked about the current energy efficiency practices and sce‐

nario in the industrial sector while Energy Expert Mr. Abdellatif

Touzani presented his views on ISO 50001 standard.

Mr. Bouzid talked about Morocco's structured strategy for

economic development especially related to energy efficiency.

A detailed view of the project pilot initative to introduce ISO

50001 Energy Management Sytems to the industries in the

country was then discussed by Mr. Manwah Ayassor, Project

Manager at CMPP.

A partnership was signed between CMPP and the Association

of Quality and Management (AQM). The event ended with a

call for particiapants to share their views and expectations for

the project.

Following the dialogues, awareness training sessions will be

conducted focusing on energy efficieny standards and prac‐

tices in three locations to build capacity of the SMEs.

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ASSIST kicks off UPSCALE Morocco with multi‐stakeholder dialogues

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ASSIST launches 2nd TPSW

photo contest anew

ASSIST, an international non‐profit organization based in the Philippines launched the 2nd Run of the Ten Photos to Shake the World Nationwide Photo Competition on August 6, 2012. Entries may be sub‐mitted until November 15, 2012.

Open to anyone who holds a Filipino citizenship, the pho‐tography contest looks for ten compelling photos to shake the world under the theme “Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Sustainable Development.”

Photos may show any of the following themes: poverty, political crises, global recession, the changing climate (challenges), and people’s movements, innovations, devel‐opment partnerships (triumphs).

Each participant may submit up to three entries, which should be e‐mailed along with his full name, complete ad‐dress, e‐mail address, and mobile and landline numbers to tenphotos@assistasia.org. Each entry should have a 3 to 5 sentence description of what is in the frame and how it is relevant to the contest.

Photo‐editing programs may be used, but only for basic post‐processing actions for contrast, color balance, sharpening, cropping, dodging and burning. Collages will not be quali‐fied. Entries should not bear watermarks, signatures, frames or other markings such as date and/or time stamps.

There will be 10 winners to be announced in December 2012, in an awarding ceremony that will also feature an exhibit of the finalists’ entries.

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ASSIST NOW! is published quarterly by the ASSIST Research and Knowledge Management Unit.

ABOUT ASSIST ASSIST is an international non‐profit organization focused on capacity building. It seeks to promote sustainable prac‐tices to address social problems in the developing world, with focus on Asia and Africa. It is presently based in Makati City, Philippines, but also has operations in India and Vietnam and manages projects in over `10 countries. Through its Partner to Progress philosophy, it has success‐fully implemented such projects in collaboration with the European Union, United Nation Environment Program (UNEP), United Nations Industrial Development Organiza‐tion (UNIDO), USAID, International Finance Corporation (IFC), GIZ, and DEG/ KFW amongst other organizations. We welcome interns and volunteers. Please feel free to check our website, www.assistasia.org for more details or contact us at:

PHILIPPINES Level 5, A&V Crystal Tower, 105 Esteban St., Legaspi Village, 1229 Makati City T : (+63) 2‐403 8668 F : (+63) 2‐403 8358

INDIA No‐9, Desika Road, Mylapore, Chennai 600004 T : (+91) 44‐45548 438 / 420 72357 F : (+91) 44‐ 2072357

VIETNAM Room 301A, 109 Cong Hoa St., Ward 12, Tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City T : (+84) 8‐394831 42‐43/ 3814705 F : (+84) 8‐8114701

e‐mail: info@assistasia.org