DHAKA: A four-day “Gobeshona International Annual Conference for Research on Climate Change in Bangladesh” kicked off Sunday (January 8) at the Auditorium of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) in city’s Bashundhara area.

Organized by the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at IUB and supported by USAID, the Conference will be implemented from January 8-11.

Almost 200 national and international participants including representatives from the government of Bangladesh are taking part through six plenary and fourteen parallel sessions on various climate change issues and topics over the next three days, said a press release.

In his welcome speech, Prof. M Omar Rahman, the Vice Chancellor of IUB, thanked ICCCAD and Gobeshona for their relentless efforts to promote research and create a culture of research, and urged the young people to endeavor with the progress.

Dr. Saleemul Huq, Director of ICCCAD, put the opening remark where he pointed out how Gobeshona and ICCCAD worked persistently for last one year to materialize the decisions taken in 2016 in the 2nd Gobeshona Annual Conference as well as the commitments made through “Paris Agreement”.

The Keynote was presented by Dr. Gregg B Walker, Professor of Communication, Oregon State University, USA where he shared his idea on the importance on connecting campus and community to address the long-term effect of climate change.

Universities are the best places to conduct researches on these issues, Prof. Walker emphasized.

Special Guest of the session Nathan Sage, Director, Economic Growth Office, USAID highlighted on the importance of this Conference since Bangladesh is one of the vulnerable countries to be affected by the negative impacts of climate change.

Defining climate change as an unprecedented cause of migration, Special Guest Sarat Dash, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Dhaka showed the link between migration and climate change and said how migration rate will be accelerated for the effect of climate change.

Dr. Atiq Rahman, Executive Director, Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies (BACS) chaired the program and through his concluding remarks, stated that collaborative efforts and involvement of young researchers are imperative to handle potential catastrophes of global climate.

Prof. Milan Pagon, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Designate), IUB, a large number of researchers from different international and national institutions, faculties and senior officers of IUB, students, development activists from different national and international NGOs were present in the inaugural ceremony.

BDST: 1722 HRS, JAN 08, 2017
BD/SMS