Seminar on Evidence Based Prevention for Youth
To observe International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2026, “Seminar on Evidence Based Prevention for Youth” will be held on 21 June 2026 at 10:00 am (Bangladesh Time) at the Prof. Dr. M. H. Khan Auditorium, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Tejgaon, Dhaka. The event is organized by Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) with the support of Dhaka Ahsania Mission and ISSUP Bangladesh Chapter.
The seminar will be chaired by Professor Dr. Md. Ashraful Haque, Vice Chancellor, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology. He obtained his Masters and Ph.D. degree with an academic excellence securing his position in Dean’s award list in 1993 and 1996 respectively. In his academic career, he supervised number of Masters and several Ph.D. students. He also worked as the external member of number of Ph.D. Examination Boards at BUET, RUET and KUET. He has published more than 100 research papers including 41 International Journal papers and 59 Conference Proceedings.
Professor Dr. A Z M Zahid Hossain, MP, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Social Welfare will present in the seminar as honorable Chief Guest. He is a prominent Member of the National Standing Committee of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He also served as the general secretary of Bangladesh Medical Association and Doctors Association of Bangladesh.
The program will begin with registration at 10:00 am, followed by a welcome address by Prof. Dr. Md. Shariful Islam, Advisor of Student Welfare, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology.
The keynote paper will be presented by Mr. Iqbal Masud, Director, Health Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission and General Secretary, ISSUP Bangladesh Chapter. He is working more than two decades on drug addiction prevention and treatment program. He is a Global Master Trainer for Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) and Child Intervention for Living Drug-Free (CHILD) Curriculum of Colombo Plan. He is contributing for professionalizing substance use treatment practitioners through trainings and credentialing program in Bangladesh.
Speech will be delivered by the honorable special guests-
Professor Dr. Sharmin Reza Chowdhury, Treasurer & Pro Vice-Chancellor (In-charge), Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology. Throughout his tenure at AUST, he has demonstrated remarkable leadership by taking on numerous administrative responsibilities. These roles include serving as the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, Director of Planning and Development, Chairman of the Admission Committee, and Advisor of Students' Welfare. Additionally, he holds the position of syndicate member at AUST.
Dr. MA Mohit Kamal, Chairman of the ISSUP Bangladesh Chapter, a distinguished psychiatrist and psychotherapist with extensive national and international experience in mental health care.
Mr. Md. Hasan Maruf, Director General, Department of Narcotics Control, Ministry of Home. He is providing strategic guidance and decisions to various departments, including the Intelligence and Operations branches of Department of Narcotics Control. Previously, has served in the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Local Government Division, Economic Relations Division and Cabinet Division, Economic Relations Division, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board. After serving as Additional Secretary in the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education, he joined the Ministry of Home Affairs as Director General of Department of Narcotics Control.
Professor. Dr. Golam Rahman, President, Dhaka Ahsania Mission is a distinguished Bangladeshi academic, institutional leader, and communication expert. He is the Chairman of Board of Trustee, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST). He served as the Chief of Information Commission of Bangladesh. He previously served as the Vice-Chancellor of Khulna University, Bangladesh.
Youth Speakers-
The youth speeches will be delivered by Mr. Shaikh Arif Ahamed, Organizing Secretary, AUST Debating Club. And
Dr Mulka Nisic, Faith and Youth Project Coordinator, International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP), where she leads global activities under the Faith and Youth Workplan aimed at strengthening the workforce in delivering community and faith-based responses to substance use as well as supporting youth engagement, professional capacity building of early career professionals, and cross-regional and global knowledge exchange.
The seminar will also include the formal handover the youth demands by the youth leaded by Ms. Marjana Muntaha, Chair of the Youth Standing Committee, ISSUP Bangladesh Chapter and Coordinator of Ahsania Mission YOUTH Forum for Health and Wellbeing to the honorable Chief Guest and Special Guests.
After the inauguration part, there will be two sessions on evidence based prevention for youth for the youth participants and the sessions will be conducted by Mr. Iqbal Masud and Prof. Dr. MA Mohit Kamal.
The program will be moderated by Ms. Rakhi Ganguly, Senior Psychologist, Health Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission. She is a dedicated psychologist and addiction professional with over two decades of experience in the field of substance use treatment and mental health care. With a strong academic foundation and extensive practical experience, she has been actively working in drug addiction treatment for the past 22 years, along with 11 years of specialized experience in family counselling.