Media Releases
Nobel laureate to launch landmark report
Nobel Laureate and Chair of the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi is to launch a landmark, global report, The State of the Tropics.
The State of the Tropics brings together 12 research institutions from around the world to answer the critical question: is life in the tropics getting better?
Aung San Suu Kyi will be the keynote speaker at the launch of the report on June the 29th in Rangoon/Yangon.
Her speech will be broadcast to simultaneous events in Singapore, Cairns and Townsville. James Cook University is the convener of the international project.
JCU Vice Chancellor, Professor Sandra Harding says she’s delighted Aung San Suu Kyi has accepted the offer to launch the report.
“The report’s release and the forthcoming discussion will be a significant moment for an important zone of the world: Aristotle's torrid zone, or as we know it, the Tropics,” Professor Harding said.
“She is a woman of the Tropics who cares deeply for the future of the tropical world. To have someone of her stature release the report underscores the challenges and opportunities that the Tropics face”, Professor Harding said.
For the first time, 12 research institutions from across the globe have combined to develop the comprehensive report.
The State of the Tropics analyses a broad range of environmental, social and economic indicators and is designed to provide a foundation for policy makers, analysts and others to examine in greater detail the Tropics and the major issues affecting the region.
Professor Harding said that from an Australian perspective, the current national focus on northern Australia brings our place in the Tropics into sharp focus.
“The truth is that Australia sits at the intersection of two great axes of global growth – the Asian axis that everyone is seeing, and the tropical axis that fewer have seen.”
“The report will shine a huge spotlight on the significance and the potential of the Tropics, and the impact the Tropics will have on our world and our understanding of the world for decades to come,” Professor Harding said.
Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She spent 15 years under house arrest for her efforts to develop a non-violent protest against the brutal rule of the U Ne Win regime.
Further details of The State of the Tropics can be found at www.stateofthetropics.org/
Details of media arrangements for the June 29th launch will be revealed closer to the date.
Media inquiries: Caroline Kaurila, Media Liaison, (07) 4781 4586 / 0437 028 175
Issued April 23, 2014