PRESIDENT  to Keynote at University of Guyana-Caribbean Urban Forum’s  10th International Conference  from June 16th to 18th;  Sixty-eight presentations; Hundreds of International Scholars to attend

President Dr Ifraan Ali, himself with a Phd in Urban Planning, will keynote at The University of Guyana-Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF) 10th Urban forum which is to be held virtually from June 16th to 18th, 2021. 

This major annual regional urban planning networking event will bring together hundreds of urban planners, environmental experts, municipal managers, community developers, policymakers, academics, and allied professionals, who will address  critical urban  issues impacting the Region.

It is being held under the theme; ‘Urbanisation: Processes, Policies, and Emerging Challenges’ and is designed to address specific policy issues within the Caribbean’s urban sector. It will not only support the collaborative efforts of planners in the Caribbean and wider Americas Region, but across the globe.

Co-hosts of the CUF include; the Caribbean Network for Urban and Land Management (CNULM) based at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago; the Central Housing and Planning Authority; The European Union, and other national, regional, and international organisations. 

The opening ceremony will be chaired by Dr. Temitope Oyedotun, Dean of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Guyana, and key features of this session include the keynote address by His Excellency President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and remarks by Prof. Paloma Mohamed Martin, Vice-Chancellor XI, University of Guyana.

Other speakers include; Ms Eleanor Mohammed, President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners, Dr Emanuel Cummings, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Engagement), University of Guyana and Chairman of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Dr Asad Mohammed, Co-Chair of the CUF and Director of Caribbean Network of Urban and Land Management, Mr. William Ashby, Portfolio Manager, Economic Infrastructure Division, Caribbean Development Bank, and Ms Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, President of the Caribbean Planners Association.

It is noteworthy to recall that it was President Ali who delivered the keynote address at the very first Caribbean Urban Forum session held in Georgetown, Guyana in April 2011 in his ministerial capacity as Minister of Housing and Water. The President    therefore has played a key part in CUF from the very start. 

To register for the opening ceremony please click: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iATX3G0WSZOXQlO2PxsDNA

Following the opening ceremony, the CUF sessions will largely be focused on technical presentations by experts in the field of urban planning and allied professions, along with several panel discussion sessions on various issues under the broad thematic area of ‘Urbanisation: Processes, Policies, and Emerging Challenges.’ 

The focus of the conference is to confront the issue of urbanisation in the Caribbean context with a view to critically examine the range of policy responses to this  phenomenon. The dialogue starts with the recognition that the Caribbean is one of the fastest urbanising regions in the world.  

Participants are invited from the Caribbean, the Guyanese and Caribbean Diaspora communities, faculty members and students of the University of Guyana and other universities in the Caribbean region. The CUF also includes participants from other institutions/agencies such as UN-Habitat, the Caribbean Development Bank, and   UN-ECLAC.  

As hosts of this conference,  the University of Guyana is providing free Registration to interested persons. Please register by clicking on the following link:

 https://caribbeanurbanforum.uog.edu.gy/registration.

Groups, institutions, and individuals are encouraged to participate. The opportunity for engagement will be provided for persons working on projects and or who have ideas which they believe could be usefully applied for community and national  development. 

The Conference is also open to members of the international community who are engaged in the teaching or practice of urban planning.

The Caribbean Urban Forum builds on the principle of collaboration both at the regional and international levels. In this regard, regional agencies such as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and CARICOM are usual CUF supporters. At the international level, usual support from organisations such as the European Union and UN-Habitat is also worthy of mention. 

More details about the conference can be found on the conference website at: https://caribbeanurbanforum.uog.edu.gy/.

Contact us: 

Conference Contacts: cuf@uog.edu.gy

submissions.cuf@uog.edu.gy

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UG IN BRIEF

The University of Guyana is the 58th year state University of Guyana. It offers 136 programmes in over 60 disciplines online and face-to-face in 8 campuses across Guyana. With a student population of now 10,000, UG has provided education, learning and research for over 50,000 alumni. The mission of the University is to discover, generate, disseminate and apply knowledge of the highest standard for the service of the community, the nation and of all mankind within an atmosphere of academic freedom that allows for free and critical inquiry. UG’s forward thinking

Blueprint 2040 is currently setting the course for the University’s future design and institutional response to the changing needs of Guyana.

Contact:     

Ms. Krest Cummings

Public Relations Officer

592-623-5104
Department of Events Conferences and Communications (DECC)