JODIE DEAN and AUDREY COURTY
Griffith University will take centre stage promoting a dialogue between the Brisbane community and global leaders this week, hosting a pre-G20 conference Strengthening Global Growth.
The two-day conference launched at Brisbane City Hall this morning will feature an impressive list of international experts discussing a range of issues linked with globalisation, and will culminate in a keynote speech by Turkish Prime Minister Dr Ahmet Davutoglu.
The conference program, part of a series of G20 related events organised by Griffith University, will touch on a broad range of topics including tourism, religion, economic growth and the environment.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor said the university felt it was important the public be involved in the G20 event.
He said as a university which prides itself on developing and maintaining both strong international and community ties, it was natural for Griffith to take the lead and host the Strengthening Global Growth conference as a way of ensuring the public could participate in the G20 dialogue.
“What we thought was very important was that we had a responsibility to engage with the community so the community had an informed basis to be part of the discussion, to think about what’s happening here, and to understand and to have their opportunity to be part of what is the biggest event that’s going to be in this city for a long time,” he said.
Griffith University is also co-hosting the Women in Leadership conference on November 16 and 17.