IUB observes ‘Greta Green Global Day’

The Independent University, Bangladesh has held a daylong event titled ‘Greta Green Global Day’ to highlight issues pertaining to the environment and development on its campus in the capital's Bashundhara residential area.

The event was organised by the Global Studies and Governance (GSG) Program of the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (SLASS) at IUB.

The GSG arranged different programmes, including a students’ speech competition, a round-table on the Bay of Bengal, and a cultural show.

In the speech competition, the contestants put the spotlight on environmental degradation in the country and

urged the government to address the issue seriously and with immediacy to save the planet from degradation.

Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Charlotta Schlyter attened the event as a special guest for the speech contest.

A number of leading personalities took part in the roundtable discussion on the Bay of Bengal.

Sidsel Bleken, ambassador of Norway, A S A Awal, former ambassador and assistant chief of Naval Staff;

Shahedul Anam, associate editor of The Daily Star, SM Salauddin, executive chairman of BEPZA, Dr Fahmida Khatun, executive director of CPD, Prof Rashed Uz Zaman, chairman of Dhaka University's International Relations Department, Tariq Karim, a former ambassador, Prof Shahab Enam Khan of Jahangirnagar University's International Relations Department, Kazi Emdadul Haq, director general of BIMRAD, M Emdadul Haque, advisor (2030 Water Resources Group), Obaidul Haque, assistant professor of international relations at Dhaka University, and Dr Mostaq Ahmed, MD of Green Housing and Energy Ltd, were among the speakers on the panel.

They discussed and explained how history and geography makes the Bay of Bengal crucial to the world at present.

The session was chaired by Dr ANM Shibly Noman Khan, head of IUB's Department of Human Resources Management.

The closing ceremony of the event took place in the evening. German Ambassador Peter Fahrenholtz was present as the chief guest and distributed prizes among the winners of the speech contest.

Abdul Hai Sarker, chairman of ESTCDT, and Rashed Ahmed Chowdhury, former chairman of IUB's Board of

Trustees, and the trustees of IUB were also present on the occasion.

Towhid Samad, the chairman of Chittagong Independent University's Board of Trustees, Prof Milan Pagon, IUB's acting vice chancellor, and Prof Imtiaz A Hussain, acting dean of SLASS also spoke at the event.

The daylong programmes followed by a cultural show were attended by the students, members of the

faculty and administration of the university along with the distinguished guests.