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Jan 14, 2020
DAY 1 - January 14, 2020
BROADCAST TIME (in IST)
SESSION DETAILS
calendar

18:00 - 19:00

Inauguration

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19:15 - 21:00

Shahjehan

Foreign Secretary’s Dinner

Inaugural Dinner Conversations (By invitation only)


Niels Annen, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Germany

Cdre. Melissa Ross, Deputy Chief, Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand

Julian Ventura Valero, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico

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19:15 - 21:00

Mumtaz

Embracing a Gig World: Paychecks, Protections, Purpose and Skills

Industrialisation in the 20th century required vast bureaucracies and centralised systems of management capable of aggregating large pools of labour. The information age is different: digital technologies allow for distributed enterprise and flexible employment opportunities. Digital platforms may certainly create new efficiencies, but also create risks for labour standards and welfare. Can nations with vast informal economies embrace the gig economy while cushioning the social and economic fallout? How can India’s experiences with schemes like Aadhaar and direct transfers inform similar social protection efforts around the world? How should states invest in a new skills and education framework for the digital age? This panel will ask how states should realign their economic social protection policies to accurately reflect the evolving relationship between capital and labour.

Speakers

Shrayana Bhattacharya, Senior Economist, Social Protection and Jobs, World Bank

Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, India

Daisy Amdany, Executive Director, CRAWN Trust, Kenya

Stavros Yiannouka, CEO, World Innovation Summit for Education, Qatar Foundation, United Kingdom

Andreas Schaal, Director of Global Relations, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Moderator

Junaid Ahmad, Country Director India, World Bank

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19:15 - 21:00

Jehangir

Thinking Heads: Reclaiming Trust in the Age of Populism

A growing wave of discontent has stalled – perhaps even reversed – globalisation, as the ordinary citizen turns her ire towards the ‘elites’ claiming to be honest interpreters of policy. Think tanks are not immune from this scrutiny but have yet to reflect on their role in an era where the truth is flexible and trust in experts is waning. Are think tanks merely victims of a passing political phenomenon, or guilty of defending a status quo that has disadvantaged local communities? This panel will introspect on the responsibilities of the ideas industry in a more polarised, mistrustful and inward-looking world.

Speakers

Vuk Jeremic, President, Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Serbia

Ondrej Ditrych, Director, Institute of International Relations, Czech Republic

Sławomir De˛ bski, Director, The Polish Institute of International Affairs, Poland

Neelam Deo, Director, Gateway House, India

Daniela Schwarzer, Director, German Council on Foreign Relations, Germany

Moderator

Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Center for Policy Research, India

calendar

19:15 - 21:00

Roshanara

Right to Breathe: The Battle for Clean Air (Dinner with the Lawmakers)

In cities around the world, air pollution has reached a crisis point. As a ‘wicked’ public policy challenge, with complex drivers, addressing it requires an all-of-the-government approach. What are the international best practices that may inform government policy? What is the role of local businesses, communities and municipalities? How can financial and consumption markets be made stakeholders in this battle? What regulatory nudges can incentivise environmentally friendly state policies?

Keynote Address: N.K. Singh, Chairman, Finance Commission, India

Speakers

Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, India

Julie Becker, Deputy CEO, LuxSE and Founder, Luxembourg Green Exchange, Luxembourg

Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister, New Zealand & Member of the WLA-Club de Madrid

Tshering Tobgay, Former Prime Minister, Bhutan

Moderator

Jayant Sinha, Chairperson, Standing Committee on Finance and Member of Parliament, India

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21:30 - 22:30

Mumtaz

Conversations over Kahwa - Unstable Regimes: Fake News, New Media and Our Political Futures

Misinformation and influence operations have adversely implicated the stability of democratic regimes. Now that more actors are capable of manipulating behaviour and sentiment in the digital public sphere, states have struggled to contain the growing crisis of fake news. Will state responses to fake news inevitably lead to new censorship regimes? How, if at all, should media organisations demonstrate their credibility? Which actors are best placed to respond to this challenge? Will states be compelled to exercise more sovereign control over data and information flows?

Speakers

Rachel Rizzo, Adjunct Fellow, Center for a New American Security, United States

Alexander Klimburg, Director, Cyber Policy and Resilience Program & Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, Austria

Chitra Subramaniam, Editorial Adviser, Republic TV, India

Natasha Jog, Election Integrity Lead (India, South Asia), Facebook, India

Tobias Feakin, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia

Moderator

Robin Niblett, Director, Chatham House, United Kingdom

calendar

21:30 - 22:30

Roshanara

Conversations over Kahwa - A Rock and a Hard Place: New Rules for India and the EU in a Multipolar World

With China and the US loudly proposing zero-sum models for globalisation, is it time for the EU, India and others to reject these binaries? Can India and the EU partner effectively at multilateral institutions to preserve a rules-based order? Can they script normative propositions for new geographies and domains such as trade and security in the Indo-Pacific or responsible state behaviour in cyberspace? This panel will ask whether both actors can shed old hesitancies to embrace a partnership capable of serving the needs of the 21st century.

Speakers

Tara Varma, Director of the Paris office, European Council on Foreign Relations, France

Solomon Passy, President, The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria

Alica Kizeková, Senior Researcher, Institute of International Relations, Czech Republic

Chunhao Lou, Deputy Director, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, China

Ummu Salma Bava, Professor and Jean Monnet Chair, Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

Moderator

Francoise Nicolas, Director, Center for Asian Studies, Institut Français des Relations Internationales, France

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21:30 - 22:30

Rani Bagh Roundtables

Conversations over Kahwa - Author’s Corner: India, Then and Now (I)

Speakers

Vikram Sampath, Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past

Pallavi Raghavan, Animosity at Bay: An Alternative History of the India-Pakistan Relationship, 1947-1952

Kabir Taneja, The ISIS Peril: The World’s Most Feared Terror Group and its Shadow on South Asia

Moderator

Harsh V. Pant, Director, Studies & Head, Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation, India

Jan 15, 2020
DAY 2 - January 15, 2020
BROADCAST TIME (in IST)
SESSION DETAILS
calendar

09:00 - 10:00

Durbar

Hacking Democracy: Defending Pluralism in the Digital Age

Influence operations are undermining democratic processes in plural societies. Such operations often take place at the intersection of social, economic and security domains, requiring a comprehensive response across these multiple arenas. Can international norms to dissuade information operations evolve? What is the role of individuals and large enterprises? How should states respond to influence operations? Are kinetic responses inevitable?

Speakers

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Former Prime Minister, Denmark; Founder, Alliance of Democracies

Marietje Schaake, President, Cyberpeace Institute, Netherlands

Jane Holl Lute, President and CEO, SICPA, United States

Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Amos Gilead, Executive Director, Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya, Israel

Stephen Harper, Former Prime Minister, Canada

Moderator

Ashok Malik, Policy Advisor, Ministry of External Affairs, India

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10:00 - 10:30

Durbar

In Conversation

Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russia 
with Sunjoy Joshi, Chairman, Observer Research Foundation, India

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10:30 - 10:50

Durbar

In Conversation - The India Way: Preparing for a Century of Growth and Contest

S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India
with Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India

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11:30 - 12:30

Durbar

Competing Nationalisms, Universal Norms: Street Power in 21st Century Diplomacy

Identity, inequality and the consequent rise of nationalism have drastically altered global politics. Diplomacy—once abstracted from the agitations of the masses—is now often shaped by it. From Washington DC to Hong Kong, the “will of the people” may differ dramatically, but its repercussions are being felt in capitals around the world. How will street power implicate efforts to build consensus? Will relationships between states and within them be held hostage to hashtag mobilisations? Can the universalisation of political norms continue, or must the mood of the street always prevail?

Speakers

Seyed Kazem Sajjadpour, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iran 

Jane Holl Lute, President and CEO, SICPA, United States

Werner Fasslabend, President, Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy; Former Minister of Defence, Austria 

John Lee, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Australia 

Edgars Rinkeˉ vicˇ s, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Latvia

Moderator

Indrani Bagchi, Diplomatic Editor, The Times of India, India

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12:30 - 13:00

Durbar

In Conversation

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iran
with Sunjoy Joshi, Chairman, Observer Research Foundation, India

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13:00 - 14:30

Shahjehan

New Arc of Cooperation in Rising Rimland: from Vladivostok to Chennai

Lunch Conversations (By invitation only)


The future of global growth is being written where Eurasia meets the Indo-Pacific. For sustained growth, this area will need stability. Yet this era is also marked by a shift away from containment and stable alliances to one marked by issue-based convergences. How can powers with a common interest in growth and stability find ways to work together? Which will be the spaces of contestation, and which of cooperation? How can these rimlands be further integrated to their mutual benefit? 

Speakers

Vladimir Norov, Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Uzbekistan

Manish Tewari, Member of Parliament, India

Chenchen Chen, Deputy Director of Research, Institute of China’s Economic Reform and Development, Renmin University, China

Vance Serchuk, Executive Director, KKR Global Institute, United States

Sergey Afontsev, Deputy Director of Research and Head of Economic Theory Department, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russia

Moderator

Timofei Bordachev, Academic Supervisor, Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia

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13:00 - 14:30

Mumtaz

Cracks on the Roof of the World: Growth, Stability and Assault Rifles in the Heart of Asia

Lunch Conversations (By invitation only)


Central Asia is the location, once again, of a Great Game between great powers. How will this region be implicated by Beijing’s geo-economic statecraft and its efforts to integrate its far west? Will the US’ continuing attempts to exit Afghanistan provide an additional source of uncertainty? Can Russia, the traditional security provider in the region, balance its historical interests and contemporary developments? What alternatives must the world provide to Central Asian countries seeking markets and investment on their own terms?

Speakers

Vladimir Norov, Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Uzbekistan

Manish Tewari, Member of Parliament, India

Chenchen Chen, Deputy Director of Research, Institute of China’s Economic Reform and Development, Renmin University, China

Vance Serchuk, Executive Director, KKR Global Institute, United States

Sergey Afontsev, Deputy Director of Research and Head of Economic Theory Department, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russia

Moderator

Timofei Bordachev, Academic Supervisor, Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia

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13:00 - 14:30

Jehangir

Deepening Delivery: How Healthcare is Changing the Politics of Development

Lunch Conversations (By invitation only)


Over the past decade, the world has made significant progress towards 
achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through improved political and policy commitments, led by countries like China and India. While many transitioning health systems try to leapfrog binding constraints by leveraging technology, issues like access to quality medicines remain challenges for large populations. Can healthcare in the emerging world shift away from a high-margin, low-volume business model to a low-margin, high-volume model? Can technological, financial and social disruptions accelerate this shift? Are new alliances of unlikely partners emerging? With global political attention and commitments toward health increasing manifold, how is the now mainstreamed narrative of UHC acting as a catalyst of change?

Speakers

Chinny Ogunro, Director of Health Research, Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa, Nigeria

Sandhya Venkateswaran, Deputy Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, India

Sridhar Venkatapuram, Associate Professor, King’s Global Health Institute, King’s College London, United Kingdom

Winnie Munene, Head, Integrated Healthcare Services, Merck KGaA, Kenya

Swee Kheng Khor, Senior Fellow, Health Systems and Policies, University of Malaya, Malaysia

Moderator

Anjali Nayyar, Executive Vice President, Global Health Strategies, India

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13:00 - 14:30

Roshanara

Regime Meltdown: New Powers and the Arms Control Failure

Lunch Conversations (By invitation only)


The architecture of peace and security was primarily constructed by the great powers of the 20th century. In a world characterised by multipolarity and unilateralism, many of these arrangements are crumbling, if they have not already fallen apart. Will the norms that underpinned earlier arms control regimes continue to shape state behaviour, or should the world prepare for an era of escalatory military developments? Do existing international institutions possess the political will or capacity to facilitate new negotiations about these arrangements? How will the interests of new powers from Asia and Africa affect future regimes? This panel will interrogate the root causes for the failure of extant arms control agreements and discuss possible scenarios for the future of these regimes

Speakers

S. Paul Kapur, Policy Planning Staff, State Department and Professor, Naval Postgraduate School, United States

Dingli Shen, Professor, Fudan University, China 

Sang Hyun Lee, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Security Strategy Studies, Sejong Institute, Republic of Korea 

Manpreet Sethi, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies, India

Rory Medcalf, Head, National Security College of the Australian National University, Australia 

Moderator

Rachel Rizzo, Adjunct Fellow, Center for a New American Security, United States

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13:00 - 14:30

Rani Bagh

Lunch with the Lawmakers - Content Sub-Continent: Catalysing the Creative Economy

While new industries are rapidly emerging from India, in sectors ranging from artificial intelligence, cloud computing and visual effects and digital entertainment, India’s policy and regulatory architecture retains many of the rules first developed in the early 2000s. Who are the new economic actors and what is their impact on the market and society? What is the role of creative industries in fuelling this new economy? What are the priority areas for governance reforms and how can they serve India’s development needs? 

Baijayant Panda, National Vice President and Spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party, India

Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, India

Vincent Tarzia, Speaker, South Australian House of Assembly, Australia

Marina Kaljurand, Member of European Parliament, Estonia

Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament, India

Roopa Ganguly, Member of Parliament, India

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14:30 - 14:50

Durbar

Keynote Address

Hamdullah Mohib, National Security Adviser, Afghanistan

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14:50 - 15:50

Durbar

Greenbacks for Green Tech: Paying for Innovation so that Innovation Pays

The battle against climate change is at an inflection point. The failure of the latest CoP and related efforts indicate that the world is struggling to respond to climate change. The onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution presents a tremendous opportunity for states to discover a new relationship between their economic and environmental policies. How will these pathways to growth be financed? 
Is global finance making the right choices at a crucial time for the fight against climate change – and for global growth? How can the emerging world transform its development model, and what can the global community do to assist the green transformation?

Speakers

Han Seung-soo, Former Prime Minister, Republic of Korea; Member of the WLA-Club de Madrid 

Moutushi Sengupta, Director, India Office, MacArthur Foundation, India

Robert Scharfe, CEO, Luxembourg Stock Exchange, Luxembourg

Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California, United States

Claire Perry O’Neill, President, COP26, United Kingdom

Moderator

Jayant Sinha, Chairperson, Standing Committee on Finance and Member of Parliament, India

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15:50 - 16:10

Durbar

Ministerial Address

Grace Naledi Pandor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, South Africa

 

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16:10 - 14:30

Break
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16:30 - 16:50

Durbar

Ministerial Address

Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maldives

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16:50 - 17:10

Durbar

Ministerial Address

Abdulaziz Khafizovich Kamilov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Uzbekistan

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17:10 - 18:10

#SheLeads in the Alpha Century: The New Narratives of Transformations and Change

Often ignored in discussions about strongman politics is how women are steadily cementing their place in the halls of power. How are women leaders affecting political outcomes around the world? How have countries and cities benefited from women leadership? How can corporate practices strengthen efforts at promoting women leadership? This panel will discuss how women leaders are scripting stories of change around the world. 

Speakers

Smriti Irani, Minister of Women & Child Development, Minister of Textiles, India

Esther Brimmer, Executive Director & CEO, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, United States

Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California, United States

Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister, New Zealand; Member, WLA-Club de Madrid Patricia Scotland, Secretary General, Commonwealth Secretariat 

Moderator

Joanna Roper, Special Envoy for Gender Equality, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom

 

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18:10 - 18:30

Break
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18:30 - 19:15

Durbar

Conversation - Geopolitics and God: Identity and Religion in the Digital Age

For centuries, religious institutions have mediated our individual and social relations with God. Will digital technologies breathe new life into this relationship, or will they fragment identities beyond the ability of religious ideologies to mobilise them? Will techno religions and silicon prophets exacerbate religious divides and old civilisational conflicts? How are traditional beliefs and customs adapting to the politics and society of the digital age? This panel will explore how new technologies are altering our oldest beliefs about life, the universe, and everything.

Speakers

Swapan Dasgupta, Member of Parliament, India

Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman, Hedayah; Chairman, World Council for Muslim Communities, United Arab Emirates 

Venerable Banagala Upatissa Thero, Chairman of Mahabodhi Society, Sri Lanka

Moderator

Marya Shakil, Political Editor and Senior Anchor, CNN-News18, India

calendar

19:15 - 20:15

Durbar

Fluid Fleets: Navigating Tides of Revision in the Indo-Pacific

Is the “Indo-Pacific” an organic expression of connectivity, a community of nations, or a strategic construct? The answers to these questions will define national security postures in the region over the next decade. As things stand now, the Indo-Pacific is caught between two conflicting realities: as a region for geopolitical competition and one where Asia’s development futures will be decided. This panel will respond to the big questions about the Indo-Pacific: Who defines it? Who will bear the costs of this strategic orientation? What purpose does it serve? And how will it be managed?

Speakers

Adm. Karambir Singh, Chief of Naval Staff, India 

Gen. Koji Yamazaki, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Japan 

Vice Adm. David Johnston, Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Australia

Gen. Luc de Rancourt, Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy, Ministry of Armed Forces, France

Adm. Tony Radakin, Chief of Naval Staff, United Kingdom

Moderator

Yalda Hakim, Journalist, BBC World News, Australia

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20:15 - 21:45

Nizwan

Ministerial Dinner (By invitation only)

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20:15 - 21:45

Shahjehan

A New Eastern Trade Route: Integrating the Bay of Bengal

Long divided by artificial regional constructs, the communities and markets of South and South East Asia are organically tying the region together. Dynamic economies in the region centring on Bengal are driving this trend. Can this region provide solutions for emerging disruptions such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution and climate change? How can the region be a hub for the process of Asian integration? Can communities in the Bay of Bengal script the new norms and frameworks for the Indo-Pacific? What are the implications and interests for the Programme rest of the world in a rising Bay of Bengal?

Speakers

Stephen Smith, Professor of Law, University of Western Australia; Former Defence & Foreign Affairs Minister, Australia 

Anuradha Herath, Director (Media and International Relations), Prime Minister’s Office, Sri Lanka

Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India

Erin Watson-Lynn, Senior Fellow, Perth USAsia Centre, Australia

Dino Patti Djalal, Former Ambassador of Indonesia to the United States, Indonesia

Moderator

Richard Verma, Vice Chairman and Partner, The Asia Group, United States

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20:15 - 21:45

Mumtaz

Scorched Earth: Communities, Conflicts and Migrants

Despite the well-established causal connection between climate change and migration, global and regional responses to climate refugees have been slow to evolve. Part of the reason is political: the global mood has turned hostile to immigration. Technical challenges persist as well. Can the world develop an international legal framework to address climate change as a driver of migration? Is there an evolving consensus on how to define environmental refugees? This panel will explore how best to accelerate policy solutions that respond to this new global challenge. 

Speakers

Kanchan Gupta, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Iztock Mirošicˇ , Ambassador, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Slovenia

Renata Lok-Dessallien, UN Resident Coordinator in India

Christine Cipolla, Regional Director for Asia Pacific, Operations, International Committee of the Red Cross, Switzerland 

Madina Mwagale Guloba, Senior Research Fellow, Economic Policy Research Centre, Uganda

Moderator

Asle Toje, Member, Norwegian Nobel Committee, Norway

calendar

20:15 - 20:45

Jehangir

De-securitising Development: Reclaiming the Blueprint for the Future

Approaches to development that privilege the role of security agencies will invariably marginalise local communities and civil society, who remain the most interested actors in the outcomes of development policies. Does the securitisation of the climate change and development agenda incentivise conflict between nations, given that national security policies are unilateral, and not cooperative, by design? This panel will ask how communities can mobilise to arrest this trend and reclaim agency over this debate.

Speakers

Rachel Glennerster, Chief Economist, Department for International Development, United Kingdom

Anil Sooklal, Deputy Director-General (Asia and Middle East), Department of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa

Renato Flores, Director, International Intelligence Unit, Foudaçao Getulio Vargas, Brazil

Oluwatosin Durotoye, COO, FilmoRealty, Nigeria

Orzala Nemat, Director, Afghanistan Research & Evaluation Unit, Afghanistan

Moderator

Mohan Kumar, Chairperson, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India 

calendar

20:15 - 21:45

Roshanara

Politics and Economics of Contest in the 21st Century (By invitation only)

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22:15 - 23:15

Mumtaz

Conversation over Kahwa - The Bias Bug: Responding to Automated Patriarchy

Digital technologies were once celebrated for their potential to emancipate women from perverse gender norms. Not only does this promise remain unfulfilled, tools like social media and AI are increasingly amplifying bias against women. And with STEM industries largely dominated by men, it is unclear how far corporate ethics have attempted to arrest this trend. Do solutions lie in fairer data sets, equal representation, corporate practices, and rules and legislations? Or will more radical political responses emerge from the new social and political churn that the 4IR will accelerate? This panel will ask whether the 4IR will create opportunity for a more 
just society, or whether it will entrench old inequities.


Speakers

Silvana Lopez, CEO, The Blockchain Challenge, Colombia

Aditi Kumar, Executive Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, United States

Anna Roy, Senior Advisor, NITI Aayog, India

Ana Maria Paraschiv, CEO, Ubuntu World, Romania

Paula Kift, Civil Liberties Engineer, Palantir Technologies, Germany

Moderator

Mariam Maz Hakim, Presenter, Virgin Radio, Dubai

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22:15 - 23:15

Roshanara

Conversation over Kahwa - iRadical: Countering Online Hate and Violence

Viral and incendiary content is increasingly tearing at the social fabric of communities, especially those with pre-existing social faultlines. The battle for mind space and ideas is increasingly intensifying in the virtual world, with adverse spillovers into our political systems. Recent efforts, such as the Christchurch call, demonstrate that countering violent extremism is now a global agenda. How can states, business and communities respond to this challenge? Are there emerging national consensuses on the privacy-security debate? And how will states’ different views on online security impact communities and companies going forward?

Speakers

Saad Mohseni, CEO, Moby Group, Australia

Benedetta Berti, Head of Policy Planning, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Italy

Elizabeth Laruni, Global Gender Adviser, International Alert, United Kingdom

Gulshan Rai, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation; Former National Cyber Security Coordinator, India

Marietje Schaake, President, Cyberpeace Institute, Netherlands

Moderator

Lea Kaspar, Executive Director, Global Partners Digital, Croatia

calendar

22:15 - 11:15

Rani Bagh

Conversation over Kahwa - Author’s Corner: India, Then and Now (II)

Speakers

Anit Mukherjee, The Absent Dialogue: Politicians, Bureaucrats, and the Military in India.

Tanvi Madan, Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations During the Cold War.

Arun Mohan Sukumar, Midnight’s Machines: A Political History of Technology of India.

Moderator

Ritika Passi, Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Jan 16, 2020
DAY 3 - January 16, 2020
BROADCAST TIME (in IST)
SESSION DETAILS
calendar

09:30 - 10:30

Durbar

Poachers as Gamekeepers: Can Terror Incubators Counter Terror?

The struggle against terrorism has dual frontlines: both weak or militarised states, and platforms and online communities that have been weaponised by recruiters and purveyors of radicalisation. What tools does the global community have to punish behaviour from states that have traditionally viewed “non-state actors” as a tool rather than a threat – or in which significant and entrenched interests have sympathy for officially disavowed terror organisations’ goals? And can a global response to terror ignore the online spaces that serve as incubators of terror? This panel will seek out-of-the box solutions for the fight against terror, both online and off.

Speakers

Gen. Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff, India

Stephen Harper, Former Prime Minister, Canada

Saad Mohseni, CEO, Moby Group, Australia

Gareth Bayley, Special Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, United Kingdom

Erin Saltman, Head of Counter Terrorism Policy (Europe, Middle East & Africa), Facebook, United States

Moderator

Yalda Hakim, Journalist, BBC World News, Australia

calendar

10:30 - 10:50

Durbar

Ministerial Address

Urmas Reinsalu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Estonia

 

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10:50 - 11:10

Break
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11:10 - 11:30

Durbar

Ministerial Address

Jeppe Kofod, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Denmark

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11:30 - 12:30

Durbar

Between Atlantic and Pacific: The Future of Europe

A crisis of identity has gripped the EU’s foreign policy. The continent is caught between its Atlantic moorings and its growing equity in Asia. As the EU invests more resources and energy in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific, will it find that its interests in these regions do not fully converge with those of its principal partner, the US? Will the EU engage with China and Russia to secure its political future? 
Will such new priorities strain its partnership with the US and can a stronger relationship with India provide the EU more room to manoeuvre? This panel will ask whether there exists a European consensus on these issues and will explore how to continent is responding to shifts in the global balance of power.

Speakers

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hungary

Theresa Fallon, Founder and Director, Center for Russia Europe Asia Studies, Ireland

Marina Kaljurand, Member of European Parliament, Estonia

Gen. Claudio Graziano, Chairman, European Union Military Committee

Hans-Thomas Paulsen, Member of the Executive Board, Körber-Stiftung, Germany

Moderator

Ali Aslan, Anchor, Germany

calendar

12:30 - 13:00

Durbar

In Conversation

Hamid Karzai, Former President, Afghanistan with Robin Niblett, Director, Chatham House, United Kingdom

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13:00 - 14:30

Shahjehan

Junction India: Towards a West Indian Ocean Community for Growth

Lunch Conversations (By invitation only)


Home to one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the eastern Indian Ocean has so far been relegated in popular imagination to just this: a transit route. This panel will explore pathways for deeper integration between the states that inhabit these waters. Do states share a common vision for managing sea lanes? What common infrastructure investment and technology interests do states in the region share? Is there a consensus around the region’s security architecture? This panel will ask whether states that operate in the Arabian Sea, the East Indian Ocean and East Africa possess the appetite for integration and explore the region’s potential as a new hub for development and growth.

Speakers

Navdeep Suri, Director, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, Observer Research Foundation, India

Ahmad Al Sayed, Minister of State and Chairman of Qatar Free Zone Authority, Qatar

Lt. Gen. Dominique Rakotozafy, Former Minister of Defense, Madagascar 

Ebtesam Al Ketbi, President, Emirates Policy Center, United Arab Emirates

Kwame Owino, CEO, Institute of Economic Affairs, Kenya 

Moderator

Dhruva Jaishankar, Director, US Initiative, Observer Research Foundation, India

calendar

13:00 - 05:30

Mumtaz

The Art of the Plan: Deciphering Key Trends @ 20

Lunch Conversations (By invitation only)


This panel will ask the custodians of policy planning to investigate the key trends that will shape the world order in the coming decade. What cleavages and anxieties continue to define foreign policy planning? Which coalitions and partnerships are best suited to respond to 21st century challenges? What emerging domains and sectors will emerge as strategic priorities for states? 

Speakers

Nagma M. Mallick, Additional Secretary, Policy Planning and Research Division, Ministry of External Affairs, India

Peter Berkowitz, Director, State Department Policy Planning Staff, United States

Manuel Lafont-Rapnouil, Director, Center for Analysis, Planning and Strategy,  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France

David Král, Director of Policy Planning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic

Hans Christian Hagman, Chief Analyst and Senior Adviser to the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sweden

Moderator

Daniel Twining, President, International Republican Institute, United States

calendar

13:00 - 14:30

Jehangir

Ministerial Interaction with Young Fellows

Grace Naledi Pandor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, South Africa
Urmas Reinsalu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
In conversation with Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, India

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13:00 - 14:30

Roshanara

Digital Binaries: 5G and the New Tech Wars

Emerging technologies are fast becoming the principal source of friction in the international system, with a digital cold war seemingly inevitable. 5G communications technologies are perhaps the first victim of this rising tide of techno-nationalism. With ‘decoupling’ best describing global technology systems, will states be forced to choose between incompatible propositions? How will this implicate development pathways for emerging economies? This panel will investigate the geopolitical implications of emerging technologies and offer potential future scenarios for the global digital economy.

Speakers

Shiv Sahai, Additional Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat, India

Elina Noor, Associate Professor, Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Malaysia

Lesley Margaret Seebeck, CEO, Cyber Institute, Australian National University, Australia

Chris Painter, President, GFCE Foundation Board, United States 

Gilles Babinet, Vice President, CNNum & Digital Advisor for France, France 

Moderator

François Godement, Senior Adviser for Asia, Institut Montaigne, France

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13:00 - 14:30

Rani Bagh

Author’s Corner: Leaders and Leadership

Speakers

Karthik Nachiappan, Does India Negotiate?

Rachel Salzman, Russia, BRICS, and the Disruption of Global Order

Carl Bildt, The Age of the New Disorder

Moderator

David Malone, Rector - United Nations University, Canada

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14:30 - 15:30

Durbar

Just like US: Exclusive Trade in the Trump Age

With the processes of globalisation under scrutiny around the world, the appetite for multilateral trade has waned considerably. And with its principal architect—the US—determined to repudiate long-held economic consensuses, the future is uncertain. Will exclusive economics continue to define national policy in this decade? Will flows of technology be the first casualty of today’s economic 
nationalism? Do other states possess the appetite or economic means to fill this gap? Can emerging economies incubate new arrangements? 

Speakers

Wang Wen, Executive Dean, Chongyang Institute of Financial Studies, Renmin University, China 

Jeffrey Philip Bialos, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, United States

Veda Poon, Director, International Finance, HM Treasury, United Kingdom

Amrita Narlikar, President, German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Germany

Amy Searight, Senior Adviser and Director, Southeast Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, United States

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15:30 - 15:55

Durbar

Ministerial Address

Palamagamba Kabudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Co-operation, Tanzania

 

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15:30 - 15:50

Break
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16:10 - 17:10

Durbar

Digital Crossroads: New Norms for a New Society

Digital technologies operate at great velocities with little concern for borders—and national and international systems have struggled to address rule-setting, market forces, and conflict resolution. The schism between real and virtual has undermined trust in digital technologies and fuelled domestic polarisation and zero-sum international behaviour. Can the norms of the analog age be adapted to digital societies? What institutional changes can ease this transformation? This panel will ask what norms and architectures public, civic, and private leaders can coalesce around to maintain the stability, safety and security of our increasingly 
interconnected world.

Speakers

Sandeep Malhotra, Executive Vice-President (Products and Innovation), MasterCard, Singapore

Marina Kaljurand, Member of European Parliament, Estonia

Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister, Sweden; Co-Chair, European Council on Foreign Relations 

Chris Painter, President, GFCE Foundation Board, United States Henri Verdier, Ambassador for Digital Affairs, France

Moderator

Latha Reddy, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation; Co-Chair, Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace, India

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17:10 - 17:30

Durbar

Ministerial Address

Tomáš Petrˇ ícˇ ek, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic

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17:30 - 18:30

Plural Waters: Strengthening Democracy in the Indo-Pacific

The common interests that bound the transatlantic community underpinned the international liberal order. With the global balance of power fast shifting to Asia, the Indo-Pacific will define the architecture of the 21st century. Do leaders in the region share an overarching and common vision for the region and its role in the world? Or will old divides and fault lines limit the Indo-Pacific’s’ potential? Are pluralism and democratic arrangements an essential feature of this region? How can states and communities in the region collaborate to script and defend democratic norms for the region in this century?

Speakers

Baijayant Panda, National Vice President and Spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party, India

Faris Maumoon, Executive Council Member, Maldives Reform Movement, Maldives

Cdre. Melissa Ross, Deputy Chief, Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand

Peter Berkowitz, Director, State Department Policy Planning Staff, United States

Mona Dave, Senior Program Officer, Asia, National Endowment for Democracy, United States

Moderator

Melissa Conley Tyler, Director of Diplomacy, Asialink, University of Melbourne, Australia

 

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18:30 - 18:50

Break
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18:50 - 19:10

Valedictory Address

Josep Borrell, Vice-President, European Commission, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

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19:10 - 19:55

Durbar

Showstopper - Coalitions and Consensus: In Defense of Values that Matter

As the century turns 20, what values are under threat in a world increasingly defined by diverging interests? Can states coalesce around shared values – and what values are worth defending? Can states with dissimilar political regimes come to a consensus around value frameworks? Which coalitions and partnerships can support this process? This panel will ask if states can transcend today’s polarised political moment to defend the values that matter. 

Speakers

Vijay Gokhale, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India 

Jukka Juusti, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Finland

Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia

Matthew Pottinger, Deputy National Security Adviser, U.S. National Security Council, United States

Moderator

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India

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19:55 - 22:00

Vote of Thanks

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20:00 - 21:30

Shahjehan

Coded to Kill: Proxy Wars and Autonomous Systems

The implications of autonomous weapons on strategic postures and humanitarian law is uncertain. With international institutions unable to arrive at a consensus on these issues, it is almost certain that LAWS will be deployed before regimes are incubated to manage them. Which regions will first see the deployment of LAWS? How are states are integrating these systems into their weapons arsenals? How can the creation of international rules be accelerated?

Speakers

Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head, Security and Technology Programme, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research

Lindsey Sheppard, Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, United States

Vivek Lall, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Lockheed Martin, United States

William J. Parker III, President and CEO, EastWest Institute, United States 

Lt. Gen. Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Coordinator, India 

Moderator

Kaja Ciglic, Senior Director, Digital Diplomacy, Microsoft, Slovenia

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20:00 - 21:30

Mumtaz

E-mobility and the City: Innovation on The Move

The e-mobility revolution is being accelerated by three interrelated trends: the onset of the 4IR and falling costs of production; political action against climate change; and shifting attitudes to urbanisation and car ownership. Burdensome investment rules, inefficient infrastructure for power distribution, and high consumer costs continue to hinder EV adoption. How can states, businesses and city leaders overcome these barriers? How can these stakeholders facilitate flows of innovation, finance and governance solutions between each other?

Keynote Address: Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, India

Speakers

Siddarthan Balasubramania, Senior Advisor, Strategy, ClimateWorks Foundation, India

Catherine Bremner, Director, International Climate & Energy, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, HM Government, United Kingdom

Palash Roy Chowdhury, Chairman, ESmart, India

Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric, India

Arnab Kumar, Programme Director, Frontier Technologies, NITI Aayog, India

Moderator

Shamika Ravi, Director of Research, Brookings India

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20:00 - 21:30

Jehangir

Special Interaction with Young Fellows

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20:00 - 21:30

Roshanara

Connecting Waters: Sustainable Infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific

Countries in the emerging world require trillions of dollars in infrastructure investment to meet the needs of their rapidly maturing economies. A host of ‘mega-infrastructure’ initiatives have been launched in recent years to respond to these initiatives. However, bad standards for governance and finance have often placed recipient economies under crippling debt. How can states with shared 
interests in a free and open global economy create infrastructure investment standards that serve the interests of emerging economies? What role must environmental and political concerns play in the norms underpinning the emerging world’s big infrastructure build-out? How must global finance deal with its failure to address the infrastructure gap in the emerging world?

Speakers

Lynn Kuok, Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Singapore

Kurihara Toshihiko, Chief Representative in New Delhi, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Japan 

Annie Norfolk Beadle, Policy Analyst, South and Southeast Asia Regional Programme, OECD, United Kingdom 

Ila Patnaik, Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, India

Rafiq Dossani, Director, RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, United States

Moderator

Claire Alembik, Investment Specialist, Asian Development Bank, Private Sector Operations Department, Thailand Office

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22:00 - 23:55

Durbar

Young Fellows @ 10 – Communities Forever

Cocktails, Conversations and Celebrations