1st BEF confce begins in city

The first conference of the Bangladesh Economists’ Forum (BEF) begins today (Saturday) in the capital, to identify major challenges and potential of the country’s long-term economic development.
BEF is a recently floated platform of the country’s professional economists.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith will inaugurate the conference
 where some other ministers will chair different sessions.
The Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), the Policy Research Institute (PRI) and the Bangladesh Bank (BB) are jointly organising the conference to be held at Radisson Hotel in Dhaka.
The theme of the conference is ‘Vision 2013: A Framework for Economic Policy Making and Strategy Formulation in Pluralistic Democracy.’
The two-day conference will also discuss a series of issues relating to growth strategies, macro and financial policies, fiscal policy and capital markets, trade, aid and infrastructure, poverty reduction strategies and policies, human development strategies and policies, sustainable development and public policy-making and institutions, some organizers said.
Distinguished scholars, academics, civil society representatives, political and policy leaders and private sector representatives as well as members of the diplomatic community are expected to participate in the conference.
Distinguished and keynote lectures will be delivered by Professor Michael Lipton of the United Kingdom, an old friend of Bangladesh, Professor Rehman Sobhan, Chairman, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Chairman, BRAC and Dr. Azizur Rahman Khan, Professor, University of California at Riverside.