Peacebuilding Program Seminars

Interview with Ambassador Tariq Karim, leading Bangladeshi intellectual and advocate of regional cooperation

On the growing importance of the Bay of Bengal and the role of Bangladesh and Japan

Organized by: Sasakawa Peace Foundation
 

In August, the Bangladeshi Prime Minister resigned and fled the country after weeks of students protests, and now the international community is interested in whether the interim government, led by Mohammad Yunus, can lead the transition to a democratic system of governance in the country.

Upon this background, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation will invite Ambassador Tariq Karim, a leading Bangladeshi diplomat with a wealth of experience and knowledge in diplomatic negotiations as well as a strong advocate of regional cooperation in South Asia, to discuss the growing importance of the Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh's increasingly critical role from a long-term perspective. The Bay of Bengal, located in the heart of the Indo-Pacific region, is becoming increasingly important geopolitically, and Bangladesh, at the tip of the Bay of Bengal, has a special role as a mediator or connector of cooperation between South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as the major powers of these regions.

Amidst uncertainties such as the domestic situation in Bangladesh and Myanmar, we will hear from leading diplomat and intellectual Ambassador Tariq Karim about the implications of this situation for Japan's interest in the Indian Ocean region and what role Japan can play.

We look forward to your participation in this invaluable opportunity. 

Registration

If you would like to participate, please apply from this page by 10:00 on Wednesday, October 2.

*Please note that this is an in-person seminar. It will not be streamed online.

*After applying, you will receive a temporary registration confirmation email, so please click the registration completion URL in the email to complete your registration. Due to the large number of inquiries due to incomplete registration, we ask that you proceed with the registration procedure to the end.

*If you do not receive the temporary registration confirmation email, the email from spfpr@spf.or.jp may be in your spam folder.

*Personal information received from everyone at the time of application will be used to guide you to seminars, lectures, etc. sponsored or supported by our foundation.
    Contact
    Peacebuilding Program, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
    E-mail: peacebuilding@spf.or.jp
    Tel: +81-3-5157-5181

    For media inquiries:
    E-mail: spfpr@spf.or.jp
    Tel: +81-3-5157-5395

    Description

    17:00-17:05 JST Opening Remarks
    Mr. Itsu Adachi (Executive Director, Sasakawa Peace Foundation)
    17:05-17:25 JST Lecture
    Ambassador Tariq Karim
    17:25-18:00 JST Interview of Amb. Tariq Karim by Dr. Emadul Islam (Senior Research Fellow, Ocean Policy Research Institute (Division of Ocean Vision and Action), Sasakawa Peace Foundation)
    18:00-18:30 JST Q&A session
    18:30 JST Closing
    *The event program is subject to change.

    Speakers

    Ambassador (Retd) Tariq A Karim
    speaker

    Ambassador (Retd) Tariq A Karim

    Director, Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies, Independent University of Bangladesh

    Profile

    Ambassador Tariq Karim is currently Director of the Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies at the Independent University, Bangladesh. and concurrently Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. Between 2014- 2020, he was an Advisory Consultant for South Asia Regional Integration & Engagement to the World Bank as well Strategic Adviser to its South Asia Water Initiative from 2014 to 2020. Ambassador Karim is a member of the Advisory Board of the National Bureau of Asian Research of Seattle and Washington DC, United States (US). He is also an Honorary Adviser Emeritus to Cosmos Foundation, Bangladesh. Earlier, he was a Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation of New Delhi, India, from 2014 to 2017.
    As a career diplomat, who joined the Foreign Service of erstwhile Pakistan in 1967 and moving to Bangladesh post-Independence in 1971, Ambassador Karim has served extensively at home and abroad. After opting for early retirement in 1998, he was recalled twice to serve the nation, notably, as Ambassador to the US (2001-2002) and as Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to India (2009-14) when he enjoyed the personal rank and status of a Minister of State of Bangladesh. His other senior assignments abroad were Ambassador to Iran with concurrent accreditation to Lebanon (1991-95); High Commissioner to South Africa, with concurrent accreditation to four African states; Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi (1984-88) and Deputy Chief of Mission in Beijing (1988-91).

    Mr. Itsu Adachi
    SPEAKER

    Mr. Itsu Adachi

    The Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Executive Director

    Profile

    Mr. Itsu Adachi is an Executive Director at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF). He joined SPF in June 2020 to oversee departments and its projects related to conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Asia, labour migration, social integration, Japan-China relations, promoting understanding of the Middle East and Islam, and advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment by supporting development of ecosystems for impact investing and inclusive entrepreneurship.
    Prior to joining SPF, he spent 35 years leading international cooperation programs in developing countries at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). His portfolio covered a wide range of official development assistance projects in Southeast Asia, including post-conflict peace building and reconstruction projects in Cambodia as Chief Representative of JICA, Cambodia office. He also led cross-sectoral initiatives leveraging technological innovation and digital transformation in development projects. Mr. Adachi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Sofia University, Japan.

    Dr. Emadul Islam
    speaker

    Dr. Emadul Islam

    Senior Research Fellow, Ocean Policy Research Institute (Division of Ocean Vision and Action), Sasakawa Peace Foundation

    Profile

    Dr. Emadul Islam is a senior research fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute (Division of Ocean Vision and Action) at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan. He is also an advisor of Dr Momtaz Begum Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. Prior to this he was an adjunct scholar for the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), Washington DC, USA. Dr. Islam served as a development expert and researcher in three different organizations, including Transparency International Bangladesh; BRAC; and the Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies at Independent University, Bangladesh for research and evaluation. He was conferred a PhD in Community Development under the Yayasan Khazanah scholarship from the University of Malaya, Malaysia in 2021. Dr. Islam was awarded the Fulbright Visiting Scholarship in 2022-23 for pursuing Post-Doctoral research at Northeastern University, Boston, USA.

    Ms. Maho Nakayama
    MODERATOR

    Ms. Maho Nakayama

    Director and Senior Program Officer, Peacebuilding Program, Sasakawa Peace Foundation

    Profile

    Joined The Japan Foundation in 1996, gained experience in designing and managing programs for intellectual/arts exchange, and promoting Japanese studies abroad, with regional focus on Southeast and South Asia. From 2001-2005 served as an Assistant Director of the Japan Foundation Jakarta Cultural Center, and from 2007-2008 as an assistant to the President. Joined the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in 2008, and designed Foundation’s program for peace building and conflict resolution in Southern Thailand. After serving as Director of the Asia Peace Initiatives Department, she has served as Director of the Peacebuilding Program since 2022.

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