Leading Filipino Government, industry and civil society representatives recently met with 30 Australia Awards scholars from the Philippines.
The informal event was hosted by Layton Pike, incoming Minister Counsellor and Head of AusAID in the Philippines, and was in honour of the AusAID sponsored Filipino guests who attended the Mining for Development and EITI Conferences in Sydney last week.
The evening was an opportunity for future Filipino leaders studying in Australia to meet key officials from the Philippines and discuss how they intend to use the knowledge acquired during their Australia Awards Scholarship to contribute to the development of their country.
The reception featured speeches by Secretary Elisea Gozun, Presidential Assistant for Climate Change, and Head of the Philippines Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Multi-stakeholder Group; as well as Cielo Magno, National Coordinator of the Filipino NGO Bantay Kita. Also present were the other 15 members of the Multi-stakeholder Group representing Government, industry and civil society.
Ms Magno thanked AusAID for bringing together the group of scholars and delegation.
'I am very excited to see so many scholars here tonight. I myself was a product of a scholarship, so I can say firsthand what a very good investment it is,' Ms Magno said.
Secretary Gozun thanked AusAID for its continuing development assistance, and in particular for supporting Australia Awards recipients who continue to contribute to the growth of the Philippines.
Australia Awards Scholarships provide talented individuals from developing countries with opportunities to undertake full-time undergraduate or postgraduate study at Australian institutions. They aim to contribute to the long-term objectives of developing countries, by equipping recipients with the skills and knowledge needed to drive change and contribute to the economic and social development of their countries.
Australia Awards Scholarships are an important component of the Australian Government's aid program. Australia works closely with its partners in developing countries to ensure the scholarships support the development priorities of each country.
There are currently more than 250 Australia Awards recipients from the Philippines supported by AusAID and the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Research, Science and Tertiary Education, studying in Australia.