Islamabad:President Dr Arif Alvi has said the world cannot achieve the goal of sustainable development without women empowerment and global peace amidst dehumanising of society through perpetuated conflicts around the globe.
Dr Alvi was addressing the inaugural plenary of the 3-day 26th Sustainable Development Conference on “Light at the end of the tunnel: hope in times of despair” organised here by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI.
The President expressed his commitment towards the matter of sustainable development as an issue of great significance. He said human history reflects a primitive account of violence that was made at the hands of demonising humanity and trampling of human norms. However, amidst prevailing crisis and turbulence, it was the human intellect that gave him hope.
He said the current era of this world order was carved by the 20th Century as there were more conflicts recorded in that part of the world where human thinking was evolving. He went on to say that the human footprint on the globe was important as it was on the path of conflict and may incur devastating impacts on the life of people.
The President categorically indicated the potential risks of Artificial Intelligence that was projected to surpass human mind in the coming decades and its access to individuals in a democratic way a more damaging arm than the weapons of mass destruction.
Human intellect’s development is faster than his habitats and I find hope in human intellect but not passion as the former has the potential to deliver, he said adding that he pinned hope in evolution of world order with participation of the people while using human intellect. He concluded that without human values, no world order could attain its shape.
Dr Masoud Al-Marri, Director of Food Security Department, Ministry of Municipality, Qatar, said the 26th SDC is very important amid challenges the world is faced with as it underscores the attention needed to global trials. He added that trade, technology and local resources were important for the SDGs.
In his opening remarks, SDPI Executive Director, informed the audience that the delegates from some 19 countries would present their policy proposals at the forum whereas experts from Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, UK, US, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, etc. would be sharing their outputs during different sessions of the conference. He said that despite all the crises, a ray of hope still persists depending on the civil society, bureaucracy, private sector and the activists working for the betterment of the system.
Elucidating the SDC theme, he said it was decided keeping in view the fact that some 70 countries around the world would witnesses elections in their states in 2024, the unfortunate tragedies in Palestine particularly Gaza indicate that through coercion the issue of two-state solution could not be suppressed, the community response to the Gaza massacre globally is a ray of hope, the general summit of the UN in 2024 will be reshaping the governance of the global financial institutions and the Artificial Intelligence as another ray of hope to bring something optimistic.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Human Rights and Women Empowerment, Mushaal Hussein Mullick said the SDC serves as a beacon of collaboration where diverse minds will unite to work out strategies for sustainable development in the future. She added that sustainable development and women rights are intertwined and both can’t be achieved sans empowering women who comprise half of the world population.
