SPEECH OF DR. KAO KIM HOURN PRESIDENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBODIA AT THE SPECIAL FORUM TO LAUNCH THE Establishment of Dr Toshu Fukami Chair on Human Rights and Development AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBODIA CONFERENCE CENTER, PHNOM PENH, 23 DECEMBER 2003
Dr Toshu Fukami, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. First of all, I wish to warmly welcome all of you to this Special Forum of The University of Cambodia. It is indeed a great honor for us to have Dr. Toshu Fukami, Chancellor of The University of Cambodia and President of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture, to be present at this Special Forum this morning.
2. This is another historic day for The University of Cambodia in terms of its institutional and university development. I am pleased that Dr. Toshu Fukami has chosen today to mark another important milestone in UC development, as a leading institution of higher education in Cambodia, by making human rights as an important issue for education and training at the university level.
3. I believe that the establishment of the Toshu Fukami Chair on Human Rights and Development at The University of Cambodia, the setup of the Toshu Fukami Scholarship for the Cambodian students, and the generous contribution of Dr. Toshu Fukami to The University of Cambodia Endowment Fund are indeed very timely and significant for the development and expansion of The University of Cambodia, which will benefit both the Cambodian students and Cambodia as a whole.
4. The Chair on Human Rights and Development is named after Dr. Toshu Fukami, a very generous Japanese philanthropist who has been supporting various projects over the years, ranging from school building to hospital and to orphanage. Dr. Toshu Fukami is person of many multi-talents and skills: an educator, a philanthropist, an artist, a painter, Shinto priest, and many more. He is also the chancellor of our University, whom I have tremendous respect for.
5. The purpose of The Toshu Fukami Chair on Human Rights and Development is to promote human rights education at the university level, foster dialogue on human rights and development, promote research on human rights-related issues, and provide training program on human rights and development, as well as to reach out to the community in Cambodia.
6. In addition, Dr. Toshu Fukami has established the Toshu Fukami Scholarship at The University of Cambodia, and at the same time generously contributed to the University of Cambodia Endowment Fund to help support UC institutional development, which is vital for building quality higher education and development of human resources in Cambodia.
7. In this regard, I wish on behalf of The University of Cambodia --administration, staff, faculty and students -- to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Toshu Fukami for his commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, and for all his generous support and assistance to this special program. His contribution will undoubtedly assist The University of Cambodia to further develop, strengthen and advance into becoming a leading university in this country in the very near future.
8. Finally, I wish to invite Dr. Toshu Fukami to deliver his remarks on the establishment of the Toshu Fukami Chair on Human Rights and Development at The University of Cambodia, the setup of the Toshu Fukami Scholarship for the Cambodian students, and his contribution to The University of Cambodia Endowment.
9. Therefore, let us know warmly welcome Dr. Toshu Fukami.
Thank you very much.
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