SURYAMALANG.COM|MALANG-The Program of Regional and Urban Planning (PWK) Studies at the National Institute of Technology (ITN) Malang organized a hybrid international conference on Monday (6/6/2022).

The theme was sustainable rural development which took place at the Auditorium of Campus 1 ITN Malang. Chancellor of ITN Malang, Prof. Dr. Eng Ir Abraham Lomi MSEE felt happy during the pandemic, PWK organized this event.

Moreover, the speakers came from various countries namely India, Nigeria, Malaysia and PWK ITN Malang. “In the future, we hope to be able to organize the same (international) conference with other subjects”, explained the chancellor met after the opening of the conference.

It is said that with an international conference like this, the results will be used to develop curricula, faculties and ITN Malang in general.

In addition, this also provides an opportunity for ITN Malang to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Global Forum for Sustainable Rural Development (GFSRD) in India. The MoU was signed by ITN Chancellor Malang with Dr. Jayanta Choudhury, Founder of GFSRD India.

This cannot be separated from the role of PWK ITN Malang speaker Maria Christina Endarwati ST MIUEM as GFSRD Country Director for Asia-Pacific.

“We are proud that one of our speakers, Ms. Maria, is the Chair of GFSRD Asia-Pacific. It is recognition for us as ITN speakers play an important role in a global forum such as this,” the Chancellor said.

He hopes other areas can do the same. So that it can form a community or organize it in another form. The activity brought together dozens of participants among students, PWK ITN Malang lecturers and guests.

90 Participants outside Indonesia, also Malaysia, India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, etc. The international conference has 11 sub-themes. Such as climate change, rural management and community development.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ir Agustina Nurul Hidayati MT, the General Manager of this activity, said that the international conference was attended by members of GFSRD.

It is a grouping of several universities involved in rural development. The speakers were Dr. Jayanta Choudhury (Founder of GFSRD, India), Mustapha Kamal (Malaysian Association of Architects (PAM), Ambassador Ihuoma C (Chairman of Favor Discovery Foundation, Nigeria) and Dr. Ibnu Sasongko (Urban Planning and regional, ITN Malang, Indonesia) .

In this activity, participants from Mahatma Gandhi University and several Indian NGOs also shared their best practices in India. “GFSRD is a forum made up of decision makers struggling to move villages forward in Asia-Pacific,” explained this ITN speaker.

A group of policymakers from Asia-Pacific countries concerned with rural development. They build communities. The GFSRD has chapters in each country, he added. In GFSRD India, there were two groups at the conference. Namely universities, NGOs and village governments. Prior to the international conference, the Indian group was invited to visit Pujon Kidul Tourist Village, Pujon District, Malang.

“They received an explanation from Rudi, the head of Pujon Kidul village regarding the management of Pujon Kidul village. Where it was initially an ordinary village, it has become a tourist village with various national and international awards,” said He explained. They said that the character of Pujon Kidul village is almost similar in their region (India). So the concept of village development will be tried to be applied in India. Sylvianita Widyawati