World Association for Sustainable Development (WASD)

20th Anniversary (2003-2023)

RE-CONNECTING HUMAN CAPITAL WITH THE DISCOURSE OF DIGITAL

TRANSFORMATION TO ACHIEVE THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOALS
13-15 NOVEMBER 2023 ETC.VENUES COUNTY HALL - LONDON - UK

21st Annual Sustainability International Conference

SUSTAINABILITY PIONEER AWARDS AND MEDALS CEREMONY
Official Launch: Sustainable Development Goals Universities Initiative
www.sdgsuniversities.org

14th Diaspora International Conference

BEST OF DIASPORA AWARDS AND MEDALS CEREMONY
Official Launch: SDGs Who'sWho Initiative
www.sdgswhoswho.org

Pre-Conference Workshop (9-11 November 2023)

MASTERING PUBLIC POLICY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
www.wasd.org.uk/listing/mpp-sdgs

Post-Conference Workshop (16-18 November 2023)

ADVANCED HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP
www.wasd.org.uk/listing/advanced-healthcare-leadership

Keynote Speaker
H. E. Ambassador Dr. Hend Al Muftah
The Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations, Switzerland
OVERVIEW
The conference aims to highlight the theoretical and practical aspects of the role of
human capital in the new digital era towards achieving the United Nations' 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). Human capital (knowledge, abilities and skills) is considered as a stimulus
to the innovation process for economic growth and development.

The conference also aims to provide participants with a better understanding of

future graduates and how Digital Transformation (DT) can contribute and enhance
competitiveness for graduates. Job creation, economic diversification and the act
of inventing new products and services are increasingly seen as vital for the future
development of the country. Policy-makers seek to ensure that national economies
benefit from the digital revolution by building capacity for the creation of new ideas,
technologies, organisational know-how and innovation.

Digital Transformation is a key driver of knowledge creation and economic growth. It

empowers individuals, groups and organisations to find solutions to social and
economic challenges. In this conference, participants will learn about the
importance of DT in the transformation of human capital towards achieving the UN
Agenda 2030 and its 17 SDGs.

Similar to all previous Annual Conferences organised by WASD, this conference will
bring together academics, universities and research institutions from across the
world to collaborate and reconnect with the discourse of SD.

Participants
The conference brings together researchers, policy-makers, educators, consultants
and employers from around the world to exchange knowledge and experience and
discuss recent developments and current challenges in both theory and practice.
 PROGRAMME: DAY 1
Monday 13 November 2023 (08:30-20:30)

Venue: etc.venues County Hall

Arrival Energiser Breakfast 08:30 - 09:00
Registration and Networking 09:00 - 09:30

SESSION 01 09:30 - 11:00

1 Welcome and Official Opening

Prof. Allam Ahmed, Founding President WASD, UK

Knowledge in service of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:

2 optimising the contribution of the United Nations system
Dr Petru Dumitriu, DiploFoundation, Switzerland

Reconnecting African universities with the global sustainability

3 agenda
Prof. Bakri Saeed, Association of African Universities, Ghana

World Universities Association on Community Development

4 (WUACD): Indonesia initiative for SDGs global empowerment
Dr Niko Hidayat and Dr Mega Puteri, WUACD University of Airlangga, Indonesia

Mid-Morning Refresher (Tea/Coffee) and Networking 11:00 - 11:30

SESSION 02 11:30 - 13:00

Sustainable AI for a sustainable future: governance for rapidly

developing AI
1
Prof. Beverlee B. Anderson, Dr Aaron T. McDonald and Dr Catalin
Ratiu, California State University, San Marcos, USA

Genders and equality for sustainability

2
Prof. Sohier Elneil, University College London, UK
 PROGRAMME: DAY 1
The continuum of driving the UN Sustainable Development Goals
3 through digital leadership and purpose-led talent acquisition
Miryem Salah, Jack Clarke and Alex Carter, Vodafone, UK

Sport 4 Development & Peace improving lives of young people and

4 communities through the SDGs
Prof. Geoff Thompson, Youth Factor, UK

Lunch Break and Networking 13:00 - 14:00

SESSION 03 14:00 - 16:00

Keynote Speech
H. E. Ambassador Dr Hend Al Muftah
1
Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Office at
Geneva and other International Organizations, Switzerland

Official Launch of SDGs Universities and SDGs Who'sWho Initiatives

2
Prof. Allam Ahmed, Founding President WASD, UK

Presentation of Sustainability Pioneers Awards, Medals and

3
Acknowledgements of Teams
Janet Snow, International Coordinator WASD, UK

Dinner and Networking 18:30 - 20:30

 PROGRAMME: DAY 2
Tuesday 14 November 2023 (09:30-20:30)
Venue: Online

SESSION 04
05 09:30
09:30 -- 11:00
11:00

The relevance of Artificial Intelligence in mitigating socioeconomic

impacts of Covid-19 and future epidemics
Santhi Ramanathan, Multimedia University, Malaysia; Shirley Gee
1 Hoon Tang and Madihah Mohd Afzal, Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia, Malaysia; Pin Jern Ker, Prajindra Sankar Krishnan, Chai
Phing Chen, Sieh Kiong Tiong and Mei Wyin Yaw, Universiti Tenaga
Nasional, Malaysia

Role of 3D printing in sustainable housing

2 Yara Abu Jbarah, Mohamed Shalabi, Ziad Ahmed, Abdulaziz Alshaikh
and Prof. Salwa Beheiry, American University of Sharjah, UAE

How digital planning stimulate spatial justice

3
Khalafalla Omer, Salford University, UK

Mid-Morning Refresher (Tea/Coffee) 11:00 - 11:15

SESSION 05 11:15 - 12:00

Gender equality in science, technology and higher education in

Latin American
1
Prof. Gloria Bonder, UNESCO Regional Chair for Women, Science and
Technology in Latin America, Argentina

Digital skills for digital economy

2
Samia Melhem, World Bank, USA

Lunch Break and Networking 13:00 - 14:00

Sightseeing/Free Time 14:00 - 18:00
Dinner and Networking 18:30 - 20:30
 PROGRAMME: DAY 3
Wednesday 15 November 2023 (08:30-16:30)

Venue: etc.venues County Hall

Arrival Energiser Breakfast 08:30 - 09:00
Registration and Networking 09:00 - 09:30

SESSION 06 09:30 - 11:00

Deploying human and social capital to control global

1 transformation towards sustainable development
Dr Roland Bardy, BardyConsult, Germany

Sustainable housing and the role of regulatory authority: a case of

2 Dhaka, Bangladesh
Mohammad Samsul Hoque, Government of Bangladesh, Bangladesh

Automation technologies in construction safety management: a

systematic review
3
Yara Elenany, Seifeldin Abbas, Mark Moheb, Imrad Ali and Prof.
Salwa Beheiry, American University of Sharjah, UAE

Mid-Morning Refresher (Tea/Coffee) and Networking 11:00 - 11:30

SESSION 07 11:30 - 13:00

Entrepreneurship in the era of digital transformation

1
Dr Arshad Mahmood, European Sustainable Research Outreach, Germany

Impact of open innovation on individual resilience: exploring

higher education students' perceptions and experiences
2
Dr Samah Chemli Horchani and Prof. Mahmoud Zouaoui, Tunis
El-Manar University, Tunisia
 PROGRAMME: DAY 3
Indonesia Health and the Environment
3
Dr Niko Hidayat and Dr Mega Puteri, WUACD University of Airlangga, Indonesia

Lunch Break and Networking 13:00 - 14:00

SESSION 08 14:00 - 16:00

Keynote Speech:
1

Official Launch of Diaspora Who'sWho Initiatives

2
Prof. Allam Ahmed, Founding President WASD, UK

Presentation of Best of Diaspora Awards, Medals and Acknowledgements

3 of Teams
Janet Snow, International Coordinator WASD, UK

Concluding Remarks
4
Prof. Allam Ahmed, Founding President WASD, UK

Mid-Afternoon Refresher (Tea/Coffee) and Networking 16:00 - 16:30

 PARTICIPANTS

H. E. Dr Hend Al Muftah H. E. Bader Alawadi Prof. Beverlee Anderson

Qatar Kuwait USA

Dr Petru Dumitriu Prof. Sohier Elneil Dr Niko Hidayat

Romania UK Indonesia

Samia Melhem Prof. Geoff Thompson Dr Samah Horchani

USA UK Tunisia

Dr Roland Bardy Miryem Salah Prof. Bakri Saeed

Germany UK UK
 PARTICIPANTS

Alex Carter Dr Catalin Ratiu Dr Mega Puteri

UK USA Indonesia

Dr Ihab Tewfik Prof. Salwa Beheiry Dr Arshad Mahmood

UK UAE Germany

Lena Alam Jack Clarke Prof. Gloria Bonder

UK UK Argentina

Sheikh Babikir Ahmed Babikir Yara Elenany Mohammad Hoque

UK UAE Bangladesh
 PARTICIPANTS

Dr Samar Ahmed Rudi Page Sahar Zeinelabdin

UK UK UK

Prof. Dejan Zupan Janet Snow Dr Mohamed Kabbar

Slovenia UK Belgium

Dr Sara Beleil Dr Abdelwahab Elshaarani Dr Hanan Al Mheiri

UK UK UAE

Prof. Allam Ahmed Dr Sara Taha Sunny Lambe

UK UK UK
 PARTICIPANTS

Dr Randa Diab-Bahman Prof. Abdelkader Djeflat Olivia Aluko

Kuwait France UK

Prof. John Adams Sahar Kunna Dr Mohamed Hassan-Sayed

UK Egypt UK

Dr Rawad Hammad Dr Adil Dafalla Seifeldin Abbas

UK UK UAE

Khalafalla Omer Mohamed Shalabi Prof. Ronald McQuaid

UK UAE UK
More details and registration
For more details about the conference please visit:
https://wasd.org.uk/listing/human-capital-digital-transformation-sdgs/
and to register/enquire about this conference, please contact us:
admin@wasd.org.uk.