Professor Sandra Harding, the Vice Chancellor and President of James Cook University spoke on the topic of “The Tropical Agenda” on 19 March 2010 in Singapore. This talk was part of JCU Singapore Public Lecture Series and was supported by the Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS).
Ambassador Mark Hong, Research Fellow, ISEAS and Vice President, International Committee, Singapore Business Federation gave the introductory speech on that occasion. The world’s tropical zone accounts for nearly half of the world’s people, around 80% of the world’s biodiversity, 90% of the world’s coral reefs, around 20% of Gross World Product, and population growth twice that of the rest of the world – and the tropics are expanding.
However, many tropical regions, including that of Asia and the Pacific, are among the poorest in the world, facing many challenges and problems. At the same time, the tropical world features a rapidly growing middle class with growing expectations, and needs a capacity to support, improved health, education and environmental sustainability.
Professor Harding said, “Singapore and Australia, as two developed nations in the region, have a strong leadership role to play on the issues of the tropical world. In particular, the development of knowledge, products and services through coordinated effort has the capacity to generate a massive ‘win-win’ for the tropical world.”
The lecture was well received and attended by more than 200 guests, including Dr. Alblas Anton, First Secretary Education (Australian High Commission) and His Excellency, Juan F Cordero, Costa Rican Embassy (Ambassador of Costa Rica to Singapore). JCU is committed to working on issues such as ecology, conservation, health and disease, earth and environmental science, and indigenous people and cultures associated with the tropical world.
Research productivity at JCU Singapore is increasing every month. In addition, JCU students and staff are committed to playing a positive role in their community.