SEAMEO BIOTROP Governing Board Meeting is held annually to evaluate the Centre’s programs implementation and seek for the Board’s recommendations as  references to conduct future activities in the next fiscal year. Due to the pandemic,   SEAMEO BIOTROP still held its 59th Governing Board Meeting using online platform on 5-6 October 2021.  

Eleven (11) Governing Board (GB) members from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam; SEAMEO Secretariat Director, SEAMEO Secretariat Deputy Director for Programme attended the meeting virtually through ZOOM platform. As virtual attending observers were the Program Officer of the SEAMEO Secretariat, the Director of International Center for Collaboration Office of Institut Pertanian Bogor, while two observers from the Bureau of Cooperation and Public Relations of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (MoECRT), the Board of Directors, managers and staff of SEAMEO BIOTROP attended the meeting in person at the IPB International Convention Center in Bogor.

The SEAMEO BIOTROP 59th Governing Board Meeting was virtually opened by HE Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, while the Vice Mayor of Bogor City delivered his remarks in person.

In his remarks during the Opening Ceremony, SEAMEO BIOTROP Director, Dr Zulhamsyah Imran, highlighted that the 59th GBM is his first GBM in his directorship. He invited and embraced the MoEC,  SEAMEO Secretariat, SEAMEO BIOTROP Governing Board members, SEAMEO member countries, SEAMEO Centres and Network for the opportunities,  continuous support,  collaborations,  guidance  and warm relationships.  Videos of the latest SEAMEO BIOTROP Profile, SEAMEO BIOTROP Virtual Tour and SEAMEO BIOTROP’s Accomplishments for Fiscal Year 2020/2021 were also presented during his remarks. 

The Centre submitted nine (9) Working Papers and five (5) Information Papers to the Board. The highlighted issues were the 11th Five-Year Development Plan (11th FYDP), the proposed change of organizational structure as well as research and training plans for the year 2022.  The Board Member from Indonesia, Prof Dr Arif Satria and the Board Member from Lao PDR, Mr Vongvilay Vongkhamsao, were unanimously elected as the Chair and Vice Chair of the 59th SEAMEO BIOTROP Governing Board Meeting, respectively.  (sis).