By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix Shahiddan Saidi

BANGI, 16 July 2012 – The National University of Malaysia (UKM) wants more of its faculties and research centres and not just the Law Faculty, to take part in programmes of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs), Professor Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali said as a research university, UKM may be able to offer assistance to the ICRC in Healthcare and Logistics.

Prof Noor Azlan, an economist, also suggested the Economics and Management Faculty to contribute its expertise in logistics.

He said increased collaboration between UKM and ICRC would benefit both parties and would also be a good learning experience for other faculties and research centres to collaborate noting that UKM is ready for cross-disciplinary services involving experts from many areas. He hoped that the ICRC would consider the offer.

He said this when opening the seventh Southeast and East Asian Training Session on International Humanitarian Law jointly organised by UKM’s Law Faculty and the ICRC, here this evening. The six day programame ends on July 20.

Present at the opening and dinner were ICRC Regional Delegation Head, Tobias Epprecht and its outgoing Regional Legal Advisor, Richard DesGagne.

He also sought the ICRC’s good offices to introduce UKM to partners from other countries, especially universities and research institutes involved in International Humanitarian Law.

This could open the door for UKM to send its students and academic staff on exchange programmes allowing for credit transfers for students and fellowships for academicians.

The current programme is the third to be held in UKM following the signing of a Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) between them in 2010.

Participants from countries in the region including China, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Philippines and Malaysia are taking part.