Sustainable Development Communications Discussed on a Multidisciplinary Academic Platform at the KTMU Faculty of Communication
At the Faculty of Communication of Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University (KTMU), on March 26, 2026, the International Student Scientific and Practical Conference titled “Sustainable Development Communications: Green Economy and Social Responsibility” was held. The event became a significant academic platform at both regional and international levels.
The conference was organized in cooperation with Jusup Balasagyn Kyrgyz National University within the framework of the “Jooğazın” festival. The academic program focused on issues related to the green economy, media, advertising, journalism, and social responsibility. The conference, held for the third consecutive year at the Faculty of Communication of KTMU as part of the “Jooğazın” festival, has established itself as a stable international academic platform for students.
During the conference, participants discussed contemporary developments in communication sciences, environmental crises, media representations, corporate responsibility, digital communication, and green branding. The event brought together 72 students from Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, providing extensive opportunities for experience sharing and academic interaction.
A Multilayered Approach from Communication Sciences to a Sustainable Future
At the conference, sustainability was evaluated not only within the limited framework of environmental policies or economic development models, but as a multilayered communication process directly related to meaning-making, public opinion formation, media discourse, corporate legitimacy, and social trust.
The event, held in four parallel sessions within the Faculty of Communication of KTMU, enabled young researchers to discuss current issues such as the climate crisis, environmental responsibility, social justice, media ethics, advertising strategies, and digital public sphere from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Strategic Communication, ESG, and Corporate Responsibility Discussions
The first session of the conference was held under the title “Strategic PR and Corporate Social Responsibility in Sustainable Development.” The studies presented in the session revealed that sustainability, for institutions, is not merely an ethical discourse but has become a field at the center of reputation management, the building social trust, and strategic communication processes.
While the effectiveness of ESG communications, green financing practices, corporate social responsibility projects, and crisis communication processes were discussed in detail, the impact of media on responsible consumption and representations of sustainability in the banking sector were also examined.
In addition, current issues such as the impact of deepfake technologies on information security, the role of artificial intelligence applications in corporate processes, and the place of local language in corporate communication strategies added critical depth to the session. The session demonstrated that sustainability in the corporate world needs to be redefined not as an image, but on the basis of ethics, transparency, and accountability.
Advertising and Branding in the Age of Green Economy
In the second session titled “Advertising and Branding in the Context of the Green Economy,” the effects of advertising and brand communication on ecological sensitivity, consumer culture, and public perception were examined.
Topics such as greenwashing practices, green branding strategies, the responsibility of social media content creators, and the dissemination of ecological content came to the forefront. Evaluations on the impact of packaging design on consumer behavior and the reproduction of environmental messages through advertising language provided a framework that questions the position of sustainability discourse within market dynamics.
The Sustainability Agenda in Media and Journalism
The third session was held under the title “Media and Journalism in Sustainable Development: Ecology, Society, and Responsibility.” The session comprehensively addressed how sustainability issues are represented in the media and the public role of journalism in this process.
Topics such as the representation of climate change in the media, the construction of the environmental agenda on digital platforms, sustainable development journalism, ecological rhetoric, and the discussion of social issues through podcast content were examined.
In addition, the media visibility of environmentally focused civil society organizations, online participation tools, and the circulation of the Sustainable Development Goals through media were among the prominent topics of the session. In this respect, media was evaluated as a field that produces public awareness and environmental consciousness.
The Image of Greater Altai in Central Asian Media and Regional Meaning Worlds
The fourth session of the conference, titled “The Image of Greater Altai in the Media of Central Asian Countries,” provided a cultural and regional perspective to sustainable development communications.
In the presentations, representations of the Greater Altai geography in the media of different countries were comparatively analyzed, while the role of new media in the production of symbolic capital and the impact of digital platforms on the information ecosystem were discussed. The role of Telegram channels in information circulation, media representations of environmental issues, the social role of women journalists, and the communication dimension of volunteer activities were also among the topics discussed.
This session demonstrated that discussions on sustainability are shaped not only by environmental and economic dimensions but also through cultural narratives, collective memory, and media representations.
An Academic Interaction Platform for Young Researchers
The conference strengthened academic interaction at the regional level by bringing together students from different universities. Participants from Osh State University, Ala-Too International University, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, and L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, among others, presented various aspects of sustainability-oriented communication studies.
Regional Academic Network and the “Jooğazın” Festival
The event was held within the framework of the “Jooğazın” National Advertising and PR Festival, which has been organized since 2017. The festival aims to train qualified human resources in the fields of advertising, public relations, marketing, and journalism; encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience among participants; and strengthens interaction between students and the business world.
Scientific and Institutional Continuity
This conference clearly demonstrates the Faculty of Communication of Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University’s stable position in international academic events and its contribution to the advancement of scientific research.
The comprehensive consideration of topics such as sustainable development, media ethics, social responsibility, and digital communication by young researchers shows that the future of the field of communication will be shaped along the lines of ethical sensitivity and social responsibility. In this respect, the conference stands out as an important platform where academic knowledge meets social responsibility.
