Many of us may wish for short cuts or more direct routes to the top, but David Oberhuber prefers the long and winding road he’s travelling on to witness the beauty of a more sustainable world.
“We’re not trying to give donations to change something, but we are working together in finding mechanisms for a better world”
Working to support sustainable development since the start of his professional life 18 years ago, the Austrian native has travelled extensively across Europe and Central Asia, and on each stop he focuses on approaches adapted according to local needs.
“It is clear that we don’t have a direct way to that goal, but sort of mountainous ways. I don’t believe in one solution and this makes it interesting,” he told Asia Focus recently in Bangkok. Sustainable development in any case is a moving target because the broader goals are always being influenced by specific dynamic goals.
The world functions based on very short-term interests and this is one of many challenges he encounters constantly, he says. Different interests have to be taken into account, especially when there are cooperative efforts involving different bureaucratic systems with different political interests.
“The different ways the world functions make it interesting. We have to find our way to the right direction,” he says, but he is firm on the outcome he wants to see: “There is no compromise on the goal. We need a society where all people are able to participate, where there is a sort of social balance and where there is environmental sustainability.”
Mr Oberhuber joined Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH immediately after university life. The aim of the German federal enterprise was consistent with his lifetime ambition: to support and promote international cooperation for sustainable development.
“I’m interested in seeing the world change through positive developments that are economically viable, meaning that everyone is gaining income,” he explains. “We’re not trying to give donations to change something, but we are working together in finding mechanisms for a better world.”
Born and raised in a valley near a suburban town in Austria, Mr Oberhuber spent most of his childhood time hiking and doing other outdoor activities with his three siblings. As he grew up, he was certain that there were larger achievements he wished to pursue beyond his small home country.
The power of relationships and the economic mechanism of change have become his particular areas of fascination. He wants to understand how institutions shape countries and how they are changing the way societies live together.
To broaden his perspective, he attended various universities in Austria, Germany and Russia to study political science, although, he did not quite enjoy the way he was taught.
“I’m happy that I’m not in school anymore. Classes at that time were very much top-down: listening to the teacher, but not working together. I prefer life after school,” he admits with a laugh.
His career allowed him to move to Bangkok as a country director six years ago. Prior to that, he had spent one year in Hungary and another year in Europe and Central Asia including Kazakhstan, where he met his wife, to whom he has been married for 12 years.
Having to move around often, he admits, changes one’s life to an extent but he likes the diversity he encounters along the way. “Without it, your life would be boring.”
He prefers travelling to different countries to work over sightseeing or visiting monuments. “It’s a totally different way to see a country; for example, travelling somewhere and have meetings with ministries. It’s interesting to see how public administration communicates in other countries,” he says.
ASEAN PERSPECTIVE
Being actively involved with the expansion of the European Union (EU), Mr Oberhuber thinks that it is not too early for Southeast Asian countries to be integrated, but citizens in the countries should to be aware that this is not something they can achieve all at once; it is something they have to develop.
“The AEC (Asean Economic Community) is a process and it is clear that within the next year, the common market will not be fully fleshed out, but it is important to set deadlines that all countries can work on,” he told Asia Focus.
At first glance, he says, people might think of the EU process and Asean integration as identical, but there is a clear difference in the two. With the EU, it was much simpler because there were clear goals, deadlines and regulatory frameworks, while with Asean integration, the countries are still working on the framework of what they want.
The lesson for Asean, in his view, is that countries should be prepared for openness to integrate regionally rather than thinking from the perspective of their own individual national economies.
“Asean countries need to open up by pulling down quite a number of barriers so that other countries can come in,” he says, admitting that this frustrates him sometimes. “People have to understand that we cannot live alone. It’s a fact and we have to react to this fact.”
Part of the integration process is to hand over some national powers to the supranational entity of the union. “In Asean, it is very clear that national states do not want to hand over such competence,” he said.
He cites the example of Slovakia, a small country that has become one of the five richest regions in the EU within 15 years because it agreed to open up to the regional market.
Another lesson learned for Asean, is that countries should increase the share of intra-regional trade in order to benefit more, he adds.
Currently, intra-regional trade and trade with China account for 37% of total Southeast Asian trade activity, up from 26% in 2000. But there is still enormous growth potential if one looks at the example of the EU, where 70% of all trade is intra-regional.
While he might have strong views on certain issues, Mr Oberhuber is not one to impose them on others, preferring a consultative approach, say colleagues in his Bangkok office.
“David is an open-minded person who is ready to explore new ideas from his colleagues. He is very interested in diverse cultures, people and places,” says Jarukan Rassiri, the local GIZ programme manager. “He’s a modern-leader type who leads you by letting you think and work independently, while he gives only a general overview and direction.”
GIZ junior expert Warisa Sungkaprom defines her boss as “a very kind and understanding man that you would seek out for advice”.
“He’s also a very easy-going person who always cares about the people around him,” added GIZ project coordinator Jiraluck Inwong, “He’s not only the ideal head for his family, but all of us can always rely on him.”
Away from the office, Mr Oberhuber spends his leisure time reading (anything but poetry), watching movies or escaping city life to quiet beaches with his wife and children.
The typical scenery of Thailand captivates this family. “We like the climate, it’s very warm. The landscape is very flat and all of a sudden you see left-over rocks in very plain areas and a lot of green on the rocks.”
As a husband, a father of four boys and a boss for several Thais, Mr Oberhuber doesn’t have a grand ambition or plan for life. “I will stay here for some time, but I don’t know yet where I will go next,” he muses. “This is also part of the interest in life, not knowing where you will go.
“The world will change a lot in the next 20 years and we will then have to see. Without a plan, you will be more open to making decisions.”