With the objective of peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future the United Nations has been implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2015 involving its 191 member countries and 22 international organizations. SDGs are the continuation UN‘s earlier programs, PRSP, and MDGs. There are debates regarding the role of the UN in achieving its fundamental objectives particularly related to international peace and security, friendly and cooperative relations among the nations in solving economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems, human rights and freedom for all, and so on. However, the SDGs expose the reality that at present our planet and its inhabitants are at stake and they are going through a difficult time when wars, discrimination, and exploitation engulf peace and prosperity alarmingly. The planet is divided into different compartmentalized nation-states with varied characteristics, and some have conflicting relationships among them. Conflict constantly generates wars on the planet, wars are diametrically opposite to peace, and threat to prosperity too. The intra and inter-people relationships throughout the world and also in the different human societies are not congenial for peace and property.

On the above backdrop, the 9th International Integrative Research Conference on Governance in Society, Business and Environment (INSEARCH) has been organized with the main theme “People-Planet Relationship for Peace and Prosperity” on February 23-24, 2024, at BARD, Cumilla, Bangladesh. The Conference is jointly organized by Netinsearch International (Network for Integrative Research), Department of Public Administration of Stamford University Bangladesh, Asian Conference on Population and Development (ACPD), China and GAIN International (Governance and Administration Innovative Network), Australia, EquJust, Tampere University, Finland and hosted by the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD).

The conference covered three keynote sessions that included ‘People, Planet and Sustainability’, ‘Community Based Research’, and ‘Sustainable Development and Community Level Intervention’. The keynote speakers were:

• Dr. Anja Heikkinen, Professor, Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere University, Finland
• Dr. Xiaochun Qiao, Professor, Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
• Professor Dr. Sharif N As-Saber, Department of Management College of Economics and Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
• Dr. Golam M. Mathbor Professor and Program Director, Doctor of Social Work (DSW), School of Social Work, Monmouth University, USA
• Professor Dr. Aka Firowz Ahmad, Academic Adviser & Chairman (Acting), Department of Public Administration, Stamford University Bangladesh, Chairman, Netinsearch International- Network for Integrative Research &Convener, INSEARCH Conference.
• Professor Dr. Md. Younus Mia, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Stamford University Bangladesh
• Dr. Niaz Ahmed Khan, Pro Vice Chancellor, Independent University Bangladesh (IUB) and Professor, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Dr. Mohammad Mainul Islam, Professor, Department of Population Sciences, University of Dhaka.

In this conference, 12 students from the Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) participated and presented five research papers under the supervision of Assistant Professor Md. Robiul Islam. The title of the papers is:

1. Measuring the Efficacy of the Vulnerable Group Development Program in Bangladesh: How Far Have We Achieved Service Process Simplification?
2. Socio-Economic Status of Informal Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh: An Agenda Toward Sustainability.
3. Evaluating People’s Satisfaction on E-Passport Service in Bangladesh: Potentials and Challenges.
4. Assessing Accessibility to Public Health Service among the Hijra Community in Bangladesh: A Study on Rangpur District.
5. Access to Primary Education of the Plain Land Ethnic Community Children in Bangladesh: A Case Study on Ranisankail Upazila.