The inaugural function of the congress will be held at Hotel Sheraton, said the officials of the host ICDDRB at a press briefing at its seminar room in Mohakhali yesterday.

Prof Muhammad Yunus, managing director of Grameen Bank, will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural ceremony where Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain will be the chief guest and Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, head of Urology Department of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, as special guest.

The theme of the congress is "Combating Malnutrition and Intestinal Diseases in Children: Are We Doing Enough?"

Speaking at the press briefing, Dr David A Sack, executive director of ICDDRB, said about 500 delegates including 100 scientists are expected to join the congress.

He said Bangladesh has achieved a very good success in last two decades reducing the child mortality rate in diarrhoeal diseases using therapy and vaccines.

Once five million children used to die of diarrhoea each year, which has now reduced to two million.

Dr Duncan Steele of WHO, Prof Edmund Anthony Nelson, current president of CAPGAN congress, and Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, head of nutrition programme of ICDDRB, also spoke at the briefing.

Dr Tahmeed said the congress will hold 27 scientific sessions, six plenary sessions and more than 100 lectures on common childhood problems particularly on diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS and natural disasters.

The sessions will be held at different halls and seminar rooms of ICDDRB.

Dr Ishtiaque A Zaman, head of external relations and institutional development of ICDDRB, conducted the briefing.