On 24 July, Aurecon celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Asia Pacific aid and development business. Known as IDSS, this Aurecon company has a long and successful history of providing development and capacity building services across the Asia Pacific region. Over the last 25 years, IDSS has positioned itself in the market as a provider with a different approach to projects – whether these were procured by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank or the Australian Government. IDSS does more than manage contracts. The IDSS philosophy can be summed up as ‘the means are just as important as the ends’, with the company focussing on the way that communities are engaged in the process and making sure people play a genuine role in their own development.
The celebration was held at Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt Hotel and included speeches by His Excellency the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, the Hon. Bob McMullan, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance,  Paul Hardy, Global Chief Executive Officer, Aurecon and Nathan Rabe, General Manager, IDSS.
Other guests included the Hon. Steve Bracks, adviser to the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Xanana Gusmao, former staff and friends of IDSS, representatives of international donors and non government organisations, members of various government agencies, as well as clients and commercial partners. In his wide-ranging speech, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta enlightened and entertained guests with his observations on life as the President of Timor Leste, international relations, the challenges for emerging nations and how aid and development can be targeted to deliver better results at a community level.
Senator Bob McMullan detailed the challenges for Australia in the international aid and development field and touched on some examples of successful and challenging projects in our region. In addition, Senator McMullan discussed the need for future review and analysis of the country’s policy to deliver aid to regions such as Africa. With Africa a critical region in need of complex international aid and development solutions, Paul Hardy presented his vision for the company and the future of projects, both in the Asia Pacific and in Africa. “To be a serious and influential participant in the international aid and development business, companies must be in Africa,” Mr Hardy said. “The creation of Aurecon through our recent merger with two African companies provides an exciting platform for us to do just that.” “By joining forces with our African colleagues, IDSS can truly claim to now operate globally,” Mr Rabe added. “Looking to the future, Aurecon’s international development business is uniquely positioned to “take a fresh look at old issues” and deliver better outcomes, no matter where projects may be required.” Media contact: John Hardcastle Ph: +61 3 8683 1166 Email: hardcastlej@ap.aurecongroup.com www.aurecongroup.com www.idss.com.au   Click here to download a copy the IDSS slide presentation Click here to download the IDSS 25th anniversary brochure Click here to download the IDSS capability statement