The 6th Annual Conference on Sustainable Development, which took place from October 28–30, 2023, was successfully held by the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD). Reputable experts addressed important topics like climate change, green skills, loss and damage, renewable energy, blue growth, equity, mental health, resilience, and sustainable education throughout the three-day conference with the theme “Unpacking Sustainability, Resilience, and Equity.” Interactive techniques like storytelling, sketching, and roundtable discussions were used to engage both online and offline participants. Prof. Dr. Samiya Selim, Director, CSD, ULAB, was in charge of organizing the first session, which took place on October 28, 2023. Prominent attendees included Dr. Kazi, a special guest of the occasion, and Professor Kaiser MD. Hamidul Haq, the dean of the ULAB School of Arts and Humanities.
The chief guest is Engr. Mohammad Hossain, Director General, Power Cell, Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources; Corinne Henchoz Pignani, Deputy Head of Mission, Swiss Embassy; and Prof. Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Dean, Faculty of Science, Stamford University Bangladesh. After the inauguration, Ms. Farah Kabir, Country Director, of ActionAid Bangladesh, hosted a panel discussion titled “Advancing the Discussion on Financing Loss and Damage” at the ULAB main campus.
The special guest for the simultaneous session “Energy, Innovation, and Industry: A Shift Towards Renewable from Conventional Energy” was Ms. Waseqa Ayesha Khan, MP. The session titled “Nexus Between Poverty, Climate Change, Health, and Mental Health” concluded on the first day.
The “V2V Session: Transitions and pathways in small-scale fisheries vulnerability to viability” session got the conference’s second day underway at the Raintree Hotel in Gulshan. Scholars from the V2V Global Partnership in Asia gave presentations of their comprehensive case studies that were country-specific and included research from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand.
A panel discussion titled “Anecdotes of Resilience: Facing Floods with Nature by Our Side” kicked off the last day. It covered the connections between flood dangers, the resulting human misery, and society’s never-ending search for ways to combat flooding. The important questions surrounding education’s (at all levels) role in mainstreaming sustainability in society through education were also covered in a side session titled “Sustainability in Education: Empowering Future Change-makers.”
The next event was called “Identifying the Opportunities: A Symposium on Cultivating Green Skills for a Sustainable Future,” where important stakeholders collaborated to co-design and co-develop cutting-edge, practice-based, and contextualized training materials, curricula and guides for green skills and climate adaptation.
The day’s fourth session, “Blue Growth and Blue Justice” sparked a transdisciplinary discussion centered on how to assist Bangladesh’s revolutionary transition to sustainable ocean harvesting and preservation. The fifth workshop, “Frame by Frame: SDGs in Focus,” gave ULAB students a chance to employ visual storytelling as a means of directing their enthusiasm and creativity toward a worthwhile cause.
Dharitri Kumar Sarker, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change, chaired the final session, which featured a panel discussion aimed at critically evaluating the present ecosystem-based agriculture methods concerning livelihoods, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity preservation.