University of Gävle hosts international conference on social development

"It is an honor for University of Gävle to host a conference of this magnitude. It rotates between continents every other year, and this year, it's Europe's, and our University's turn," says Sven Trygged, professor of social work.

The main theme of the conference is "Social Development in Times of Crisis - Challenges and Responses." The three-day event will have different sub-themes for each day: the first day focuses on "Planet in Crisis," the second day on "Health and Wellbeing," and the final day on "Peace and Stability."

“If we take the war in Ukraine as an example, most people discuss how to win the war rather than how to create peace and what that peace would look like. How to create a stable peace in conflict -ridden regions will be one of several issues that will be targeted during these three days,” Sven Trygged says.

The conference is organised by the "International Consortium for Social Development" (ICSD), an organisation which University of Gävle belongs to.

Prominent researchers from niversity of Gävle participating in the conference include Sven Trygged, Fereshteh Ahmadi (a sociology professor), and Komal Singh Rambaree (an associate professor in social work).

Notable international researchers attending the conference in Gävle include:

• Leila Patel, professor of social work at the University of Johannesburg, known for her significant role in developing South Africa's welfare policy after apartheid. She will discuss the global development of social protection and welfare in low- and middle-income countries.
• George Palattiyil, the research leader for social work at the University of Edinburgh, with research interests in refugees, human rights, individuals affected by HIV/AIDS, and the social dimensions of refugee health in various countries.
• Ashok Swain, the head of the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, who has worked as a consultant on environmental and development issues for various UN organisations and governments.
• Marianne Takle, a researcher at Oslo Metropolitan University, whose work focuses on migration, solidarity, and integration at European, national, and local levels.

For more information about the conference, the program, and how to register, you can visit the conference's website. Employees or students interested in participating digitally, please contact event@hig.se.

More information about the conference, the programme, and how to register. (Under the Committees tab, please find more information about those involved in organizing the conference).