Agenda

Breakfast Panel: Whither European Union?

Keynote Address

By li Zhaoxing, Former Foreign Minister, China

Keynote Address and Q & A

By S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India

Plenary Session 1: Connecting a Continent: An Asian Union

Breakout Session 1

Group 1: Competing Globalisations: Managing Economic & Trade Regimes in Asia

Group 2: Asia’s Strategic Order

Keynote Address and Q & A

By Admiral Harry B. Harris. Jr, US Pacific Command, USA

Plenary Session 2

A Line in the Water: Underwriting Asian Security

Plenary Session 3

India’s Strategic Posture and possibilities for Partnership with Key liberal Democracies

This panel explored how liberal democracies perceive India’s foreign policy on key issues such terrorism, security in the Indian Ocean Region, cyber-security and internet governance, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the situation in the Middle East, and India’s regional role. The panel deliberated how India manages the contradiction of being a BRICS leader and member of SCO, while maintaining its leadership as a liberal democracy

Keynote Address and Q & A

 By Yasumasa Nagamine, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan

Launch of ORF Publications on Waters of Asia

By Jakob von Weizsäcker, Member of the European Parliament, Germany

Plenary Session 4

Waters of Asia

This panel explored the potential for a sustainable hydro-economy in a region dependent heavily on the Himalayan water system; transnational development of river basins; implications for energy corridors and international waterways; and prospects of riverside communities finding avenues for water sharing.

Dinner

Breakfast Panel

DiplomaShe: Gender, Policy and Politics 

This panel explored women in the workplace, particularly in the fields of politics, development and foreign policy. It discussed the challenges to and benefits of greater gender balance in these fields across Asia. 

Conference Registration

Keynote Address and Q & A

By Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister, Communications and Information Technology, Government of India

Plenary Session 5

Securing Digital Asia: Threats & Opportunities for a Smart Realm 

This panel explored the trends shaping cyber policy planning in the Asia-Pacific, a focal region in the creation, evolution and maturation of cyber norms; debated obstacles and opportunities that lie ahead for companies and businesses; and advanced measures to strengthen protection of critical and commercial information structures. 

Plenary Session 6

Light of Asia: The Future of Energy

This panel explored conventional energy issues—geopolitics of oil and gas; the necessity of fossil fuels—as well as ‘newer’ questions such as prospects of renewable energy in the Asian energy basket and nuclear as a baseload source. What partnerships can be developed to provide energy to the next billion.

Keynote Address

By Piyush Goyal, Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy in the Government of India 

Lunch

Plenary Session 7

South by South-West: The Threat in the Neighbourhood

This panel explored asymmetrical and sub-conventional security threats from state and non-state actors that threaten to undermine Asia’s efforts to integrate its economies and societies. It discussed possible responses by key actors in Asia and sub-regional groupings to manage and contain such toxic contemporary developments. 

Breakout Session 2

Group 1 – Asia@Africa

This session debated how Asian economies, particularly India, can build mutually beneficial and complementary partnerships with Africa for development and security, particularly in human capacity building, technology, energy, health and policy convergence in global governance institutions. 

Group 2 – Pathways: The New Development Landscape

This session deliberated the opportunities and challenges that alternative forms of development cooperation hold for the implementation of the sustainable development goals in Asia, with a particular focus on issues of inequality, energy, health and gender.

Keynote Address

By Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister, Railways, Government of India

Panel Discussion

Can SAARC Get Serious?

C. Raja Mohan, Director, Carnegie India
In conversation with: Dr. S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India
and Shyam Saran, Senior Fellow, CPR, and former Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India

Plenary Session 8

Challenges & Opportunities for Regional Cooperation on Border Management

This panel explored the need to create smart borders that, on the one hand, allow enhanced trans-border movement of peoples, goods and ideas, and on the other, minimise potential for cross-border security challenges. 

Valedictory Address

By Gen. Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.), Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, India

Closing Remarks & Vote of Thanks

By Ashok Malik, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Dinner