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Day 1, Tuesday, 26 September
Grand Pacific Hotel

                    TIME                                                                                        AGENDA
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.          
Registration
                                                     Opening Session
                                                     Emcee: Neelesh Gounder
                                                                  Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of School
                                                                  School of Accounting Finance and Economics
                                                                  University of South Pacific (USP)
9:00 a.m. – 09:15 a.m. 
Welcome Remarks 
Professor Pal Ahluwalia
Vice-Chancellor and President, USP

Albert Park
Chief Economist and Director General
Economic Research and Development Impact Department (ERDI)
Asian Development Bank (ADB)  
9:15 a.m. – 9:25 a.m.
Introductory Remarks
Tetsushi Sonobe
Dean, Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) 
9:25 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.
Keynote Address
Professor Biman Chand Prasad
Minister, Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics, Fiji
9: 40 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
Photo session
9: 50 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Coffee break
                                                     Special Session: Economic Outlook
                                                     Moderator: Albert Park
                                                                       Asian Development Bank
10:00 a.m. – 11: 00 a.m.                   
Economic Outlook of Asia and the Pacific                                             
Albert Park
Asian Development Bank (20 min)                                                                                              

Panel Discussion (25 min)                                             
Aaron Batten
Regional Director, Pacific Subregional Office in Suva, Fiji, ADB                                   
Shiri Gounder
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics, Fiji
Neelesh Gounder
Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of School (Research and International),
School of Economics, USP                                                                                                                                          
Open discussion (15 min).       
11:00 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.        
Introduction to the Forum                                             
Sanchita Basu Das
Economist, ADB
                                                     Session 1: New Data Sources for Improved Policy Planning
                                                     Moderator: Ashish Narain
                                                                       Principal Economist, Public Sector Management and Governance Sector Office, ADB
11:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.       
Introductory Remarks
Lesieli Tufui Faletau
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Economic Fiscal Policy Division, Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Tonga
11:30 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Presentation 1. “Evaluation of Remotely Sensed Nighttime Light as Complementary Data Source
for Socioeconomic Indicators in Pacific Island Economies”

Presenter: Homer Pagkalinawan
                 Associate Economics Officer, ADB
11:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Open discussion
12:00 p.m. – 12:20 p.m.
Presentation 2. “Integrating Remote Sensing and Survey Data to Nowcast Disaster Impacts” 

Presenter: Madhavi Pundit
                 Senior Economist, ADB
12:20 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.         
Open discussion
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break
2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
Presentation 3. “Impact of Climate Change on Economic Activities in Pacific Region: Sub-national
Analysis using Night Light Data”

Presenter: Trong-Anh Trinh
                 Monash University
2:20 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Open discussion
                                                    Session 2: Tourism and Regional Cooperation
                                                    Moderator: Sanchita Basu-Das
                                                                       Asian Development Bank
2:30 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
Introductory Remarks                                            
Christopher Cocker
Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Tourism Organization
2:50 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.
Presentation 4. “Modelling Tourism Arrivals in the Pacific”

Presenters: Isoa Wainiqolo
                   Senior Economics Officer, ADB
                   Seron Shivanjali
                   International Monetary Fund (IMF)
3:10 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.             
Open discussion
3:20 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.
Presentation 5. “Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation and Integration Index Framework—
Enhancing the Measures of RCI in the Pacific”

Presenter: Rolando Avendano
                 Economist, ERCI, ADB 
3:40 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. 
Open discussion
4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wrap-up and End of Day 1
4:30 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.
Kava session 
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.            
Cocktails Reception (by invitation)