The eighth RENPER Conference has been a success. The conference held by San Beda University, Philippines, for two days, 24 and 25 October 2018. This year’s theme is “Urban Poverty Reduction Challenges, policy initiatives, programs, and practices”. This conference brings together researchers and scholars to discuss various topics and development on the issues of poverty reduction and eradication aimed at helping countries around the world, and particularly in Asian region. The Conference was attended by more than 100 researchers from various universities in Asia. The pre-researchers came from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and from the Philippines.
A two-day conference was held on the campus of San Beda University, in the center of Manila. A very beautiful campus filled with many ancient buildings that are very conducive to teaching and learning. The hospitality of all staff, lecturers and students has made this conference very memorable. Traffic problems in the City of Manila are like redeeming an atmosphere of peace and friendliness when entering the campus area of San Beda University. Most participants stay at the Linden Suites Hotel, 20 minutes of normal traffic, transfer and pick up with San Beda Bus, and with great hospitality.
In the series of opening ceremony, Very Rev. Fr. Aloysius Ma. A. Maranan, OSB, Ed.D, Rector-President, San Beda University, Manila, Philippines, as the host, conveyed the welcome remarks and acknoledgement of guest and participants. Fr. Aloysius believe that this conference is important to make a real contribution to various efforts for poverty reduction and eradication in all countries around the world, and particularly in Asian region. President of RENPER and also Rector-President of the University of Bengkulu, Bengkulu, Indonesia also delivered a welcome message. The President of RENPER underlined that RENPER must move from a series of dialogues towards making a real contribution to various poverty reduction efforts in each member country. Discussions and dialogues continue to be carried out to share and update new knowledge and experience in poverty reduction. On the other hand, RENPER’s thoughts must enter and color various poverty reduction policies in member countries.
There are four keynote speakers whose presentation material provides inspiration for further discussion in the panel. These inspirations, in addition to providing new insights for participants, also provide interesting ideas to be applied at each university in carrying out poverty reduction activities. The first keynote was delivered by Prof. Dato. Dr. Hj. Ibrahim Che Omar, Founding President of RENPER, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia, delivered the material entitled “RENPER: Championing Social Entrepreneurship”. The second keynote by Dr. Ridwan Nurazi, M.Sc., President of RENPER, Rector of the University of Bengkulu, Bengkulu, Indonesia, delivered the material entitled “The contribution of financial development on income quality and poverty: Empirical evidence from the ASEAN economy”. The third keynote by Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Ph.D., Founder of Kalinga Institute of Technology and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Member of Parliament, India, with the title “Poverty Eradication through Quality Education”. And the fourth keynote was delivered by Sueji Ueda, Ph.D., Professor Department of Education, Deputy Vice President, University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, Japan, with the title “Approach to poverty, inequality, and health.
61 selected papers were discussed in two days. Presenters from these papers are grouped into 6 sub-themes. The sub-themes include ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’, ‘Poverty and Hunger’, ‘Education and Employment’, ‘Environmental Sustainability’, ‘Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions’, and ‘Health and Wellness’. After the closing program on the second day, participants were invited to be guided tour on poverty and social realities in Manila.
In accordance with the RENPER tradition, at each international seminar event, a Council Meeting is also held. The Council Meeting is different from the regular council meeting which has formal invitations to all council members. The Council Meeting which is held in conjunction with a seminar or conference is taking advantage of the opportunity for council members present at the seminar to discuss the latest relevant issues.
Present at the Council Meeting, Prof. Ibrahim Che Omar and Prof. Nik Maheran represents Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Prof. Ridwan Nurazi, Prof. Zainal Muktamar, Prof. Fahrurrozi, and Prof. Yansen represented the University of Bengkulu, Prof. Tita Evasco Banzuela (San Beda University), Prof. Haslan Abu Hasan (Universiti Sains Malaysia), Prof. Ha Thi Thieu Dao (Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City), Prof. Zumilah Zainalaludin (Universiti Putra Malaysia), and Prof. Sarker Rezaul Karim (Bangladesh Agriculture University). Present at the council meeting interested guests to join RENPER include Prof. Seiji Ueda (University of Sacred Heart), Prof. Men Sotharin (Saint Paul Institute), and Prof. Achyuta Samanta (Kalinga Institute of Technology).
This meeting was chaired directly by the President of RENPER, Prof. Ridwan Nurazi. Some of the issues discussed included membership issues, country chapters, membership fees, collaborative research, RENPER Web, journal publishing, and prospective organizers of the 9th RENPER International Seminar 2020. The issue of membership underscores the need to immediately issue a membership certificate so that it can be used for various purposes network. The President agreed to immediately follow up the procurement of this membership certificate, and asked the members of the council to help immediately send a list of names of RENPER members in their respective universities. For Country Chapter, this meeting agreed for each country representative to prepare the formation of country chapters in each country. For membership fees, all meeting participants confirmed that in the RENPER statute it was stipulated that there was no membership fee, there was no need to change. Fee is only possible to withdraw at international seminars. Initiatives for collaborative research will soon be realized, and each member is asked to think of the simplest and most easily applied scheme, and will be discussed in more depth at the Annual Council Meeting in Bengkulu, Indonesia, 2019. The official RENPER web will soon be completed so that communication between members can be more smooth, also so that the socialization process is more effective. For journals, meetings agree that the 8th RENPER Conference committee will immediately send papers presented to journal editors for selection and publication in the Asian Jornal of Poverty Studies. For the organizers of the next international seminar, the Council is still awaiting the readiness of three candidates namely Prince of Songkla University Thailand, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City. Certainty of the organizers will be decided at the Annual Council Meeting in Bengkulu, Indonesia, 2019.
Due to economy recession, poverty, food shortage, and inequality, the United Nations (UN) has declared sustainable development goals (SDG), 17 goals, to seek cooperation among all sectors including government, private, territory, and university networks to drive the goals for authentically sustainable development. This cooperation in all levels of these sectors, regional, national, and international are the key elements driving forward to meet 2030 goals.
Poverty is a problem that persists in Thai society regionally and nationally. The condition is results from a lack of economic security. On an individual level, it causes misery in people’s lives, including a lack of opportunity to improve the quality of life in many ways. Poverty also affects the development of the country in the end. The problems and causes of poverty come from factors within the individual and also by factors external to the individual.
Due to regional and national issues of poverty, Regional Network on Poverty Eradication (RENPER) has been initiated which aimed to share and exchange body of knowledge and best practices of each agency in solving the poverty among their regions. RENPER is initially and officially established on October 26–28, 2010 by Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) witness by University of Battanbang, Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Agriculture University, Yangon University, Andalas University, Bengkulu University, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidan and Prince of Songkla University.
Every year, RENPER organizes the International Seminar on Poverty Eradication. which is rotately hosted by university member. In 2021, the 9th RENPER will be organized and hosted by Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus with the theme “Breaking the Cycle of Urban Poverty: Challenge and Strategy” on September 13, 2021. The aims are to be a platform for academicians, researchers, scholars, students and related parties in sharing and exchange knowledge related to poverty and its impacts as well as providing effective solutions eradication in these regions.