A two-day international business conference titled ‘Asia Pacific Business Forum’ (APBF) begins here on Wednesday with special focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The theme of the forum is Regional Integration to Achieve Sustainable Development as envisaged by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. The International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh (ICC,B) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) will jointly host the event. APBF is a multi-stakeholder forum held annually with the mission to provide the best platform for regional public-private dialogue on the role and needs of business in achieving inclusive, resilient and sustainable development. Besides international speakers and experts, there are more than 400 delegates from home and abroad registered for this conference being held at Dhaka for the first time.
It is being attended by members from the Asia and Pacific countries from the governments, civil society and the business. President Md Abdul Hamid is scheduled to inaugurate the APBF 2017, organizers said.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Commerce Minister of Nepal Romi Gauchan Thakali, Sri Lankan Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, Secretary General of UNCTAD Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Dr Shamshad Akhtar, Vice-President (Operations), Asian Development Bank (ADB) Wencai Zhang, Group Chairman, Fung Group Dr Victor K Fung, ICC,B President Mahbubur Rahman and its Vice President and Chairman Transcom Group Latifur Rahman will speak.
On Thursday, there will be one plenary and six business sessions. The plenary session will be on Linking Business with the Sustainable Development Goals: What Can We Do? The closing session will be moderated by distinguished fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Debapriya Bhattacharya.
