A four-day development conference begins in Dhaka today under the theme "Equality, Opportunity, Freedom, and Dignity for Equitable and Sustainable Development."

The Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) organised the event to serve as a platform to disseminate research conducted by national and international scholars and engage broader communities on contemporary development issues and debates.

Titled as the Annual BIDS Conference on Development (ABCD) 2024, the event will run until December 10 at the Lakeshore Hotel in the capital.

Planning and Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud inaugurated the conference.

The conference will feature 30 research papers, two keynote addresses, and 12 public lectures by experts from Bangladesh and abroad. 

Topics include economic and social reform agendas, poverty, equality, agriculture, food security, living conditions, inflation, urbanisation, education, health, energy, the environment, public debt, child marriage, credit, and food system transformation.