The 1st International Conference on Diversity and Social Inclusion: A Way Forward for Institutional Reforms (DSI 2020) organized by the Women Institute of Learning and Leadership (WILL) in collaboration with the University of Management and Technology (UMT) and the Association of Management Development Institution in Pakistan (AMDIP) concluded on Tuesday, January 28, 2020.
Addressing the gathering, Memoona Zareen, Secretary AMDIP said beauty lies in accepting diversity, as it plays a key role in socio-economic development of the country. Briefing about the conference proceedings, she added that more than 62 papers were presented for submission, but only 39 papers were accepted for presentation at the conference. Students from leading universities of the country, including UCP, LUMS, IBA Sukkar, and NUST, along with international scholars hailing from the USA, Netherlands and Russia presented their papers in seven different research tracks at the conference proceedings. She also stated that 4-panel discussions on various themes, including breaking barriers on the path to uncommon ground, making sense of the Kashmir conflict, harnessing cultural relativism, and uncovering gendered roles in a spirit of Islam were arranged for the students and research scholars.
In her concluding remarks, Maryam Nur Murad, Chairperson WILL Pakistan said Islam emphasizes upon diversity which can be defined as man’s struggle for goodness without any form of gender superiority and racial discrimination. She added that Quran and Sunnah announce gender equality and rejects any kind of discrimination whatsoever. She said the idea behind the initiation of this conference was to focus on diversity and social inclusion through rationalization and dialogue. Talking about WILL, she said the project intends to make things happen by administering programs to empower entrepreneurs, resulting in an educated and inclusive milieu which can further lead to community development. At the end of the conference, Maryam Nur Murad and Dr Naushaba Hasan, Conference Chair distributed souvenirs among the dignitaries.
