UIU hosts inaugural ceremony of int'l conference on sustainable development

The inaugural ceremony of the 8th UIU-International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) was held at United International University.

The conference is organised annually by the Institute of Development Studies and Sustainability of the university, says a press release.

The event took place on Saturday (April 11) at the UIU campus in Dhaka.

Neeltje Kielen, delegated representative for water affairs at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, attended as chief guest.

Khairul Islam, regional director of WaterAid South Asia, and Shreya Chakraborty, country focal point of the International Water Management Institute in Bangladesh, were present as guests of honour.

Prof. Dr. Mashfiqus Salehin from the Institute of Water and Flood Management at BUET spoke at the inaugural session.

The programme was presided over by Prof. Dr. Md. Abul Kashem Mia, vice chancellor of UIU.

Prof. Dr. Hamidul Huq, director of the Institute of Development Studies and Sustainability and convener of the conference, delivered the welcome address.

The conference aims to provide a platform for research and discussion on sustainable development issues.

Around 550 research papers were submitted, of which 365 were selected for presentation.

Participants include researchers from countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

Neeltje Kielen said joint efforts are needed to address climate change and achieve sustainable development goals.

Organisers said the conference is expected to contribute to research and policy discussions on sustainable development.