Yunus Centre's Social Business Day 2017 cancelled
Dhaka: The Social Business Day 2017, scheduled to be held on July 28-29 in Savar, has been canceled 'due to unavoidable circumstances'.
"With a heavy heart, we inform you that we are cancelling the 7th international conference organised on 28-29 July 2017 on the occasion of Social Business Day," reads the cancellation message sent by Yunus Centre Executive Director Lamiya Morshed on Thursday.
Police, however, said the organisers informed them about security arrangements at the 11th hour for which it could not be made possible.
"It's an international event where foreign delegates were supposed to attend. There's an issue of ensuring security for them, but the organisers didn't tell us anything about the event security measures beforehand," Superintendent of Police (SP) of Dhaka district Shah Mizan Shafiur Rahman told UNB.
He said he came to know about the event when the organisers visited his office to invite him to attend the event as SP, Dhaka on July 19.
The SP wanted to know whether the organisers had communicated with the relevant law enforcement agencies or the Home and Foreign Ministries.
"They replied that they'll let me know later. But, they didn't follow it up with me," SP Shafiur said adding that he requested the organiser to shift the date of the event on security ground.
On July 20, the SP informed the matter to the Police Headquarters which also remained in the dark about the event.
SP Shafiur also informed the organisers that police needs to be informed 10-15 days prior to such event to ensure required security for the participants and foreign delegates.
The conference was scheduled to be inaugurated at 9am at Samajik Convention Centre in Zirabo, Savar.
The guests and participants invited and registered for the Opening Ceremony and also to participate in the conference have been requested to cancel their plans to attend the conference.
"We humbly apologise to the guests and participants, local and from around the world, who have spent their time and money to take part in this conference," reads the message.
About 200 international participants have already arrived here to participate in this conference, including Thomas Gass, the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, the Yunus Centre message reads.
Gass was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the conference. He is the focal person to implement the Sustainable Development Goals undertaken by the United Nations.
Roughly 2000 people, among them about 400 foreigners, from 50 countries have registered to participate in the conference.
"However, some of the programmes of the conference will be cast live via facebook page of Yunus Centre. The online session will start at 10:30am on Friday. Speakers of various sessions will go live through the facebook page," the message reads.
The Yunus Centre said they are deeply indebted and grateful to those who have helped them organise this conference.