The Praxis Discussion Series was established by the
World Bank office in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in order to provide a forum to discuss ideas, approaches, initiatives and policy pertinent to
international development
International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classifications ...
. Launched in January 2009 in partnership with Australian public affairs television channel
A-PAC, the series aims to stimulate debate and promote the exchange of ideas. A one-hour panel-style program, the show is recorded throughout the year at the World Bank office.
Each session features three specialists on a select topic relating to international development. To coincide with the World Bank's work in the
Pacific region, a World Bank representative is usually a part of the panel, joined by two other guest speakers providing different perspectives on the issue at hand.
Recognising a gap in the development conversation, Praxis opened its doors to one and all, allowing the general public to sit alongside representatives from
Australian government departments,
civil society and
non-government organisations
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
, and the
private sector, as well as various
academics and
students
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...
, in order to tackle development issues from a variety of perspectives. With the deadline for achieving the
Millennium Development Goals coming up in 2015, such discussions are becoming increasingly important. Interactivity is valued above all else, and every audience member has the opportunity to have their say and question the views of the panelists.
Discussions are also broadcast in
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
,
Samoa,
Tonga and
Papua New Guinea,
World Bank: Pacific Islands - Praxis Discussion Series
/ref> while th
World Bank's YouTube channel
provides content online. Further, the involvement of the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) has meant that audiences in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea have been able to take part in discussions via video conference.
Past Discussions
{, class="wikitable" border="1"
, + 2009
, -
! width=15% , Topic
! width=20% , Date
! width=65% , Speakers
, -
, Migration and Remittances
, Wednesday 21 January
, Manjula Luthria, World Bank; Nic Maclellan, Freelance journalist and researcher; Edward (Ted) Wolfers, University of Wollongong; Mark Getchell, International Organization for Migration
, -
, Global Financial Crisis
, Friday 20 February
, Vikram Nehru, World Bank; Mark Thirlwell, Lowy Institute; Tim Harcourt, Austrade
, -
, Climate Change
, Monday 23 March
, Wanita Limpus, Kiribati Australia Association; Paul Gilding, Independent writer and advisor; Marianne Grosclaude, World Bank
, -
, Energy
, Tuesday 28 April
, Dr. Mark Diesendorf, University of NSW; Jack Whelan, Foundation for Development Cooperation; Tendai Gregan, World Bank
, -
, Education
, Monday 25 May
, Archie Law, ActionAid Australia; Felicity Mitchell, teacher and former Australian Youth Ambassador; Barbra Daufanamae, student from Solomon Islands; Stephen Close, World Bank.
, -
, Technology
, Monday 29 June
, Margaret Duckett, Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and the Pacific; Jonathan Greenacre, Clayton Utz and Step Safe; Greg Tucker, Payment Services Ltd. and Money Mover Systems.
, -
, Gender
, Monday 20 July
, The Hon. Duncan Kerr, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs; Sarah Marland, Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
; Sonali Bishop, International Finance Corporation (IFC).
, -
, Health
, Tuesday 25 August
, The Hon. Bob McMullan, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance; Tim Costello, World Vision Australia; Stephen Close, World Bank.
, -
, Development in Post-Conflict States
, Monday 21 September
, Kanthan Shankar, World Bank; Mark McGillivray, AusAID; and Michael Smith, Asia Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence.
, -
, Climate Change 2
, Monday 26 October
, Robert Hill, Australian Carbon Trust and University of Sydney; Brian Dawson, AusAID; and Charles Feinstein, World Bank.
, -
, Youth
, Monday 16 November
, Carolyn Hardy, UNICEF Australia; Joel Kalpram, ni-Vanuatu student; Fabia Shah, AusAID.
Notes
External links
Praxis Discussion Series
World Bank: Pacific Islands
YouTube: World Bank channel
A-PAC
World Bank