24 INAUGURATION of the new headquarters ICLARM The World ish Center inaugurated its new headquarters in Batu Muang, Penang, Malaysia on 13 August 2001. The new headquarters has been made possible by the generous donation of the site by the Government of Malaysia. The move of the headquarters from Manila (Philippines) to Penang was accomplished with funds donated by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the Government of Japan, the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research, the Government of Canada and various other governments and foundations around the globe. Valuable support also came from Malaysias Ministry of Agriculture, Department of isheries, Ministry of oreign Affairs and the State of Penang. The chief guest at the inauguration was the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Y.A.B. Dato Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi. The Minister of Agriculture, Y.B. Datuk Dr. Effendi Norwawi, and the Chief Minister of Penang, Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, were among the Guests of Honor. The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the Centers presence in Malaysia and reiterated his countries commitment to use science and technology for the best man- agement of their fisheries re- sources. Given the increasing complexity of issues in this area, he expressed his confi- dence in The World ish Centers expertise and global networking to bring together scientists, regional and inter- national agencies, and commu- nities to work together to find suitable solutions. The Chief Minister of Penang noted that Penang is strategi- cally located in the heart of Asia and, with its excellent communications infrastruc- ICLARM – The World Fish Center 25 ture, frequent and reliable air connections, well-educated work force, stable and pleasant living conditions, provides an ideal environment for the Centers opera- tions. The Centers experience in integrated coastal area management is expected to be of benefit to Penang in its efforts to restore the Sungai Pinang and Penang coastal areas. The Minister of Agriculture welcomed the presence of ICLARM at a time when Malaysia is placing a great emphasis on developing the fisheries sector into a dynamic and sustainable industry. The opportunities for Malaysian scientists and fisheries personnel to dialogue on research and its dissemination, facilitated by the Center, through interactions with international scientists and other experts on current fisheries issues should result in strategic and pragmatic methods to achieve this goal. The opening of the headquarters in Penang marks a new chapter in the Centers international effort to tackle the major challenges facing the developing countries in making their fisheries more productive and better able to provide nutrition and livelihoods to the poor, while ensuring their sustainability and protecting biodiversity. The new headquarters provide the Center with its own research facilities and the opportunity for a close collaboration with the Malaysian isheries Research Institute and Universiti Sains Malaysia. This will strengthen the Center in its research role and greatly increase the opportunities for joint research, technology transfer and sharing of knowledge, expertise, research infrastructure and information. The smart partnership concept promoted by the Malaysian government will contribute to the success of this relationship and help make Penang a strategic center of excellence in fisheries research. The World ish Center is now looking ahead with renewed confidence to working with its partners (national governments, international and regional institutions and end-users of the research results) all over the world. Together they will deal with the challenges to be faced on the way to achieving its vision of contributing to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through scientific research to improve the production, management and conservation of living aquatic resources. Annual Report 2001.