Hon. Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Member of ICIFE Eminent International Advisory Board who is also President of International Association of Universities & Chairman of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) was one of the key role players at the 10th Global Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) Conference on Education with the theme ‘Engaging with Local Communities for the Sustainable Development Goals’ hosted by Universitas Gadjah Mada in smart partnership with United Nations University on 23-25 November 2016 in Jogyakarta.
For RCEs championing sustainability for the betterment of others is a full-time passion. The word ‘sustainability’ is a buzzword currently used by governments, corporations, universities, youth, NGOs and celebrities. But what exactly does sustainability encompass?
To be sustainable is more than going green. It involves eradicating poverty, improving the education system, building resilient and innovative infrastructures, and a whole lot more. In summary, developing sustainability is about improving society’s quality of life, thus enabling a country to function more efficiently. Many want to see Malaysia reach its fullest potentials.
At the front line of Malaysia’s sustainability development is Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak. He has an extensive and impressive portfolio that includes working in the sustainability corner office where he is in charge as Vice Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) for more than a decade to enhance environmental campus across multiple sectors. Furthermore, he is a part of multiple other sustainability committees at strategic and education levels in the country. He actively attends and speaks at national and international conferences and forums because as such avenues allow him to network & exchanges ideas with decision makers and implementors.
We were indeed fortunate that on 24th November evening Tan Sri Dzulkifli and Puan Sri could skip their evening commitments at the 10th Global RCE Conference to grace the official launch of ICIFE Jogya Chapter and network with members from various universities. We are proud that a respected IF scholar, Prof Dr. Muhammad Akhyar Adnan accepted to lead our Jogya Chapter.