Dec 9 - Dec 11
Time Not Specified
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The Sustainable Development Policy Institute’s (SDPI) Seventeenth Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) was held from 9 to 11 December 2014 at the Best Western Hotel, Islamabad, Pakistan. The overarching theme of the SDC was ‘Pathways to Sustainable Development’. This year’s SDC looked at the leadership change in China, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, India, and Afghanistan that could hold the key in shaping the pathways to sustainable development in this region. The region needs political and executive leadership that has a commitment to strategize for peace and human security and raise tangible safeguards for the political economy of the region while engaging with the primary stakeholders, i.e. the people. In this backdrop, issues of climate change, migration, sustainable and inclusive economic growth; sharing of energy resources across the region; environmental challenges; food security; human rights; women in the peace process; regional connectivity; and, many others were deliberated on. The conference aimed to identify the role of different stakeholders, especially the governments, civil society and private sector that may engage differently to define new pathways to sustainable development. In this SDC, in the 28 panels and 3 plenary sessions, 194 panellists from 18 countries participated as speakers, special commentators, chairpersons and guests of honour. It was the highest number of panellists as compared to the previous years. The 18 countries that the panellists represented included Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, UK, and the USA.