SDPI Press Releases

Eighth Sustainable Development Conference 2005

The Eighth Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) will host a number of reputed national and international scholars, academicians, researchers and activists, both from the civil society and the government. The speakers will cover SDC’s six major themes, which include women and gender issues, livelihoods, WTO and governance, health, peace and people’s rights, and child labor.

The Eighth SDC will cater to a range of scholars from myriad disciplines and fields with an expertise in sustainable development issues. Renowned scholars from different South Asian, Central Asian and Western universities will take part in the Conference. The list of highly prestigious educational institutes include the likes of Delhi School of Economics, Georgetown University, Washington DC, London School of Economics, Moscow Medical Academy, The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of Nottingham, University of Zurich, Quaid-e-Azam University, University of Karachi, and University of Balochistan besides other reputed universities of Pakistan, South Asia and Europe. Experts from organizations such as Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Center for Trade & Development, International Labor Organization, and South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment will be presenting their research papers on different themes of the Conference.

Some of the noted national and international scholars that are expected to participate in the SDC include Dr. Tariq Rehman, Dr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed, Dr. William van Schendel, Dr. Mubarak Ali, Dr. Rita Pandey, Andrey K. Demin, Mitta Dutta, Ansar Ahmed Ullah, Radhika Chopra, Kim Weidenberg, Khawar Mumtaz, and Dr. Shreekant Gupta.

This year’s SDC also features a panel on cinematic depiction of people’s rights entitled ‘History through the Lens’. Under this sub-theme, we have invited globally renowned documentary and filmmakers of South Asian origin to present and discuss their movies. Among the exciting offering, Sabiha Sumar’s ‘Khamosh Pani’ (Silent Waters) will be screened and discussed in the Conference.

In view of the recent earthquake tragedy, some additional panels are being organized. One is being organized on Earthquake, Injuries/Disabilities and Rehabilitation. Another is being organized on Disaster Management. The Disaster Management panel would look into the earthquake disaster in Pakistan from governance, geological, livelihood and environmental perspectives. A number of speakers and delegates from governmental and non-governmental organisations are expected to participate.

‘Khamosh Pani’ to be Screened at SDPI’s Sustainable Development Conference

The acclaimed film, Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters), directed by Sabiha Sumar, will be shown in Pakistan in December at the Eighth Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

The SDC, a well-established SDPI event since 1995, brings together researchers, policy-makers, academicians, artists, and opinion-makers in Islamabad to discuss sustainable development issues. The three-day SDC begins on December 7.

Khamosh Pani, based on actual events of the 1947 partition, will be shown during the session on “History Through the Lens-Cinematic Depiction of People’s Rights.” Sabiha Sumar, an independent filmmaker, studied filmmaking and Political Science at Sarah Lawrence College, New York, from 1980 to 1983. The film looks at the rise of fundamentalism in the background of the 1947 partition and how these events affected women, especially the sad plight of those abandoned during the partition. Born in 1961 in Karachi, Sabiha Sumar has used her documentaries to critique society and sensitise people about women’s lives.

The film revolves around Ayesha (Kirron Kher), a seemingly well-adjusted middle-aged woman whose life centres on her son, Saleem, a gentle, dreamy 18-year-old, in love with Zubeida. They live in the village of Charkhi, in Pakistani Punjab. Ayesha’s husband is dead and she manages a living from his pension and by giving Quran lessons to young girls. The story begins in 1979, in a Pakistan under President General Ziaul Haq’s martial law.

Disaster Management Moot in December
November 02, 2005

The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) would hold discussions on disaster management at the Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) to be held from 7th to 9th December.

The October 8 earthquake has killed more than 55,000 people and injured nearly 78,000 leaving millions homeless and changing and destroying their livelihood patterns forever. Though massive relief activities are being carried out by governmental, non-governmental and international agencies, organizations and individuals, the earthquake has also made us ponder over a number of issues related to disaster management.

The panels being organized for the conference include one on Earthquake, Injuries Disabilities and Rehabilitation and Disaster Management. The panel on Earthquake, Injuries Disabilities and Rehabilitation will examine the medical trauma of the quake victims and how they can be rehabilitated.

SDPI’s Eighth Sustainable Development Conference 2005
November 30, 2005

The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) held a curtain raising press conference to announce its Eighth Sustainable Development Conference (SDC), commencing from 7th to 9th December 2005 at the Hotel Best Western, Islamabad. Dr. Saba Gul Khattak, SDPI’s Executive Director, addressed the press conference and briefed the press about the forthcoming international Conference and gave an overview of the preceding seven conferences in the series.

The Eighth Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) will host a number of reputed national and international scholars, academicians, researchers and activists, both from the civil society and the government. The speakers will cover SDC’s six major themes: women and gender issues, livelihoods, WTO and governance, health, peace and people’s rights, and child labor. An anthology of last year’s Seventh SDC titled ‘Sustainable Development and Governance in the Age of Extremes’, containing 42 research papers jointly published by the SDPI and Sama Editorial and Publishing Services, will also be launched and presented at the forthcoming Conference.

In view of the recent earthquake tragedy, panels on Earthquake, Injuries/Disabilities and Rehabilitation and Disaster Management are also being organized at the Conference. The Disaster Management panel will look into the earthquake disaster in Pakistan from governance, geological, livelihood and environmental perspectives. A number of speakers and delegates from governmental and non-governmental organizations are expected to speak on the topic.

Dr. Saba Gul Khattak told the press: “The success of the previous conferences lie in the impact they have had at various levels—from civil society and private sector to public sector and policy-makers.” Policy dialogues, she said, proved fruitful where speakers from Pakistan were able to share their ideas with counterparts from South Asia and other regions of the world. As such it attracts leading intellectuals and policy-makers to come together.

The Eighth SDC, she said, would examine the multiple facets of sustainable development in the contexts of South Asia. “The speakers will discuss how problems and issues in South Asia can be dealt effectively at various levels based on prior experience of successful policy interventions. The Conference seeks to bring together from South Asia and other regions of the world theorists, researchers, activists, policy makers, and academicians to debate the issues of sustainable development in the contexts of South Asia,” explained Dr. Khattak.

Some of the noted national and international scholars that are expected to participate in the SDC include Dr. Tariq Rehman, Dr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed, Dr. William van Schendel, Dr. Mubarak Ali, Dr. Rita Pandey, Andrey K. Demin, Mita Dutta, Ansar Ahmed Ullah, Radhika Chopra, Kim Weidenberg, Khawar Mumtaz, and Dr. Shreekant Gupta.

The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) acknowledges the financial support of the following institutions for the Eighth Sustainable Development Conference:

Department for International Development (DFID)
Delegation of the European Commission to Pakistan (EU Delegation)
Heinrich Boll Foundation (HBF)
Action Aid Pakistan (AAP)
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES)
Gender Equality Project (GEP) managed by the British Council and funded by the DFID
South Asia Watch on Trade and Environment (SAWTEE)
PAK/03/013 UN Trade Initiatives from Human Development Perspective (TIHP)