The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) organized the 3rd International Virtual Conference on 10th and 11th of March, 2023 on the theme “The Changing Dynamics of Human Security”.

The conference was organized in collaboration with Misr University for Science and Technology, Egypt as our Academic Partners; Global Communication Research and Association (GCRA), and Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI).

The conference was inaugurated in the presence of esteemed guests – Our Chief Guest was Ms Dhamayanthi, Our Guest of Honour, Professor Mira Desai from SNDT University and Ms Daivata Patil from WICCI, Our Keynote speaker Dr Diosnel Centurion, President GCRA and Director UNIDA southern branch; our Academic collaborators for the conference, Prof Amani Omar and Dr Ahmed El-Saman from Misr University of Science and Technology, Egypt and DGMC Principal Dr. Amee Vora.

The conference started with a welcome address by Dr Amee Vora, followed by a few words by Dr Amani Omar, Vice Dean and Professor of Mass Media and Communication Technology, MUST University, Egypt and Dr Ahmed Hassan El-Saman, an Associate Professor of Political Communication at the Department of Journalism in MUST University, Egypt. Our Guest of Honour Dr Mira K Desai and Ms Daivata Patil followed suite by addressing the importance of the theme of the conference and its relevance to the current scenario and the generations to come, followed by Chief Guest Ms Damayanthi, who spoke with focus on the subtle power play in man-woman relationships in a family and dynamics of gender and human security. The Keynote Speaker of the conference was Dr. Diosnel Centurion, President of GCRA, who highlighted the need for human security in his address. He emphasized that human security is a crucial issue in the current global scenario, and there is a need to address the challenges faced by individuals to ensure their safety and well-being.

Day 1 of the conference saw 3 sessions by individual speakers on varied fields affecting Human security. The sessions started with Adv. Shreyas Shetty speaking on the theme of Fundamental Rights and Human Security. This was followed by an interview based discussion session with Padmashri Bhawana Soomaya, a film critic with 40 years of experience. This discussion highlighted the role that media plays in the pursuit of human security and also influencing minds. Mr. Ritesh Bhatia was the speaker for the last session of the day,  that discussed at great length the issues of Cyber Security and Human Security and how one can ensure safety in cyber space.

Day 2 of the conference was a packed day with 2 individual sessions and 2 panel discussion on topics of great concern. Speaker for the first session was Mrs. Bhagyashree Kulkarni, HOD, Department of Forensic Psychology from Institute of Forensic Science, Mumbai. Her session focused on understanding criminal minds through forensic science and it’s essence in human security followed by the Second session for the day by Dr. A.P. Jayaraman, chairman National Centre for Science Communicators and President, STEAM and the trustee of the Indian Development Foundation. His session was on Human security and nuclear science and whether science and technology are peril or perk?

The panel discussions were the main highlight of the day. The first panel discussion was on the issue of climate change, sustainability, and human security, chaired by eminent academicians and environmental journalists, Ms Sharada Balasubramanium, Dr Unmesh Patnaik, Dr Swati Kwatra and Ms Komal Daal. Ms. Daal moderated this session. The second panel discussion touched upon the issue of Social Exclusion and human security and highlighted the aspects of caste, class, gender, race and colour impacting the livelihoods of people. This panel was moderated by Prof. Daivata Patil and on the panel was eminent journalist Geeta Seshu, Lawyer Regina Paulose, Author and entrepreneur Shweta Barge and Transgender advocate Mx. Maya Awasthy.

The two days of the conference also saw a range of paper presentations by academicians and

research scholars. These presentations were held in the parallel sessions of the conference.

The Valedictorian of the virtual conference was Dr. Alex Okoroji, from WICCI, a Nigerian actress, writer, television personality, Radio host, speaker, author, mentor and podcaster and her story was a tale of inspiration for everyone.

The participants left with a new understanding of human security. All participants were given e-certificates.