CPD confce on 50 years of Bangladesh begins today

A four-day international conference is set to start today to reflect Bangladesh's 50-year journey in economy, politics, society and culture since gaining independence in 1971.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) is organising the event, to be held virtually, where local and international scholars alongside researchers in various fields will share their findings and perspectives on Bangladesh's growth.

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The event, styled "Fifty Years of Bangladesh: Retrospect and Prospect", is being co-sponsored by the South Asia Programme of Cornell University, an Ivy League university based in Ithaca, New York.

"What we see today is that discussions regarding Bangladesh's progress becomes economic development centric but we have seen changes in politics, society and culture after it began its journey," said Prof Rounaq Jahan, a distinguished fellow of the CPD, at a media briefing held yesterday.

"Through the conference, we will highlight Bangladesh's achievement as well as deficits in order to correct them," she said.

"We want to look back on 50 years of Bangladesh and look forward to next 50 years," Jahan added.

Some 20 papers related to Bangladesh's economy, politics, poverty and inequality, social transitions, culture, contemporary art, and architecture will be presented at the conference.

Around 18 experts and intellectuals from across the world are set to join the event, the CPD said.

The independent think-tank believes the golden jubilee is an occasion not only for celebration but also for retrospection.

The story of Bangladesh's progress is generally being told from quantitative and economic perspectives, which do not adequately capture the depth of the changes that have taken place in peoples' lives.

Hence, qualitative dimensions of development needs to be explored, it added.

The CPD also informed that the conference will begin with a keynote by CPD Chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan followed by a session on "State, Society, Politics."

The second day will include sessions on "Bangladesh's Economic Transformation" and "Towards a Just Society". The third day will include sessions on "Social Transitions" and "Culture".

The fourth and last day will have sessions titled "Costs and Challenges of Development" and "Bangladesh in a Changing World Order".

M Syeduzzaman, a former finance minister; Prof Mustafizur Rahman, a distinguished fellow of the CPD; Fahmida Khatun, executive director; and Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director, were present at the briefing.