FIO Delegation Invited to A High-level International Conference in Bangladesh and Made Keynote Reports

From July 2 to 4, FIO delegation attended the International Conference entitled “Ocean Prosperity: Catalyzing Blue Economy in Bangladesh” hosted by the Bangladesh Planning Commission and visited the University of Dhaka.

The Conference is a high-level meeting jointly hosted by the Bangladesh Planning Commission and the Asian Development Bank. The speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, the Minister of the Ministry of Planning, the Minister of the Ministry of Education, the Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Ministry of Industries attended the Conference and delivered keynote speeches. The Conference explored the most significant challenges and concerns regarding Bangladesh’s blue economy and dived into key topics of interest to the government and various stakeholders, such as sustainable blue production (fisheries, aquaculture, etc.), conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems and blue infrastructure. Researcher LI Li, Director of the Department of International Cooperation of FIO, and Researcher DAI Dejun, Deputy Director of the Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling of FIO, were invited to make keynote reports on marine heavy metal pollution and the tropical ocean forecast and early warning model in the parallel sessions entitled “Marine Health and Pollution” respectively, introducing the latest progress of FIO’s scientific research in the related fields, and conducted in-depth discussions with the leaders and experts. The Minister of Industries of Bangladesh and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka attended the parallel session and delivered speeches.  

After the Conference, FIO delegation visited the University of Dhaka, the largest and most prestigious public university in Bangladesh. FIO and the University of Dhaka have been carrying out exchanges and cooperation in scientific research such as basic research in marine science and marine environment forecasting since 2016, and have provided training for young scholars from Bangladesh in fields such as ocean modeling and forecasting for many times, relying on the UNESCO/IOC Regional Center for Training and Research on Ocean Dynamics and Climate (ODC Center). On August 7, 2022, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in marine science and technology was signed between FIO and the University of Dhaka in the presence of the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. During this visit, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka (whose Chancellor is the President of Bangladesh), the Assistant Vice Chancellor, and the Head of the Department of Oceanography met with FIO delegation and exchanged views on marine forecasting and early warning, shoreline survey, exchange of staff visits, and capacity building. Both sides agreed to organize an online workshop for experts to have further in-depth communication on the next step of cooperation.

Situated in the northern part of the Bay of Bangla, Bangladesh is an important country alongside the Belt and Road, and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC), but it is influenced by the Asian monsoon climate and suffers from frequent ocean disasters. It stands as FIO’s essential partner in the Indian Ocean Rim region and a vital country for China’s marine science and technology cooperation in the East Indian Ocean. This visit is of positive significance for consolidating the scientific research achievements, further deepening and expanding the marine science and technology cooperation between FIO and Bangladesh, and contributing to enhancing the capacity of China and Bangladesh in marine disaster prevention, mitigation and response to climate change.

 

Parallel session

Onsite meeting