Agenda

Breakfast

Shahjehan

Beyond Strategic Ambiguity: Rethinking Deterrence in the Taiwan Strait

Tensions over Taiwan may be the evolving world order’s most decisive test. The increasingly ad-hoc use of American power and its scepticism toward long-standing commitments, combined with the Chinese Communist Party’s vehement restatement of its desire for ‘reunification’, has exacerbated regional tensions.  Strategic ambiguity over Taiwan’s defence has long been the core of Washington’s official position; but it is clear that the burden of shaping deterrence and crisis response will no longer be borne by the US alone. This raises urgent questions about how other major global actors perceive their stakes and responsibilities. Japan has adopted a notably firm posture, bolstered by a new defence pact with the Philippines. But how might Australia and South Korea calibrate their choices? And how would Europe respond in the event of a confrontation? The panel will also examine the fallout for private actors whose supply chains depend on Taiwanese semiconductors, and whether economic indispensability can function as a strategic deterrent. 

• Has the recent surge of big-power territorial revanchism essentially legitimised the coercive integration of Taiwan? 
• If a Taiwan crisis erupts under current conditions, what meaningful response is the rest of the world likely to muster beyond diplomatic condemnation?  
• What can be realistically expected from major Indo-Pacific powers such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines in the event of a Taiwan blockade? How would Europe respond? 
• In a world of fractured geopolitics, does Taiwan’s centrality to global semiconductor supply chains deter escalation? Can the private sector – which still relies on Taiwan for most of its advanced chips – be expected to pressure governments towards maintaining stability and prioritising dialogue?

Speakers 

Bonnie Glick, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defence of Democracies, United States of America   

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, Observer Research Foundation, United States of America  

Helena Legarda, Head of Program Foreign Relations, Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies, Germany  

I-Chung Lai, Senior Advisor, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, Taiwan  

Jonas Parello‑Plesner, Director of the Alliance of Democracies, Denmark 

Moderator

Smita Prakash, Editor in Chief, ANI, India  

Mumtaz

BRICS by BRICS: Building the Other World

BRICS now represents nearly half the world’s population and over 40 percent of global GDP. Its expanded membership is reshaping global energy and infrastructure dynamics. From Rio to New Delhi, the BRICS’ energy cooperation roadmap confronts the dual reality of soaring demand for energy access and the urgent need for just, inclusive transitions amidst internal contradictions in financing, technology access, and policy harmonisation. The panel will interrogate how BRICS can transform these challenges into opportunities for coordinated investment, supply chain integration, and regional leadership, positioning itself critical for the Global South’s energy future. 

• How can BRICS leverage its expanded membership to create a truly inclusive and resilient energy future? What new models of regional cooperation can BRICS pioneer to accelerate clean energy transitions across diverse economies? 
• How can new infrastructure projects balance rapid development with environmental sustainability and social equity? What role should BRICS play in shaping global energy governance and standards, particularly in the face of rising trade barriers? 
• How can BRICS foster supply chain linkages across its members to maximise the benefits of comparative advantages in emerging technologies?  
• What lessons can BRICS draw from its own experiences to guide other emerging economies in navigating the complexities of energy development? 

Scene-Setter 

Shambhu Hakki, Sous Sherpa BRICS, Ministry of External Affairs, India 

Speakers:

Aisha Rasyidila Kusumasomantri, Co-Director for Partnership and External Engagement as well as Head of Government Task Force, ISI Indonesia, Indonesia 

Tan Ya, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Department of Energy and Low Carbon Economics, School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China

Seif El Khawanky, Country Director, Center for International Private Enterprise, Egypt 

Victoria Panova, Head, BRICS Expert Council; Vice Rector, HSE University; Russian W20 Sherpa, Russia  

Moderator

Harsh V Pant, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Roshanara

The End of Alliances: The New Deterrence of the Tech Age (Deputy NSA Breakfast)

Traditional alliances are being redefined in an era of technological disruption and strategic uncertainty. As great power competition intensifies, the foundation of deterrence is shifting: Military blocs are being increasingly complemented by supply-chain, investment, and tech-sharing partnerships. Pax Silica is one response; the Global AI Governance Action Plan another; the Digital Silk Road a third. Through their efforts to secure critical technologies, control key nodes in digital and physical supply chains, and foster innovation ecosystems, countries are seeking additional non-military ways to build leverage, project power and ensure national security. For many states, strategic autonomy in this landscape means navigating competing tech blocs, ensuring access to critical technologies, and building indigenous capabilities.  

• ⁠In a world where traditional alliances are strained and constantly reshaped, can tech partnerships and supply-chain resilience serve as the newest form of deterrence?  
• ⁠Can these new models of deterrence provide the same security and structural solidity of the alliances and military deterrence of the past? What vulnerabilities might these new models create?  
• ⁠How are states using their innovation ecosystems and digital infrastructure to project power, restore sovereignty, and ensure their national security?  
• What will be the organising principles behind these new deterrent coalitions? What role will trust, co-development, regulatory compatibility, and values play? 

Jehangir

Tariffs, Territory, and Technology: Rethinking Foreign Policy

Transition

Ministerial Remarks

Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, India

Durbar

New Middle East Mosaic

In conversation with

Saeed Khatibzadeh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Institute for Political and International Studies, Iran

Sunjoy Joshi, Chairman, Observer Research Foundation, India

Shahjehan

Intelligence Bias: Equity, Inclusion, and Growth in the Age of AI

AI is expected to change societies. But the technology, as we know it, is a microcosm of society, its imperfections included. We hope for the best from new technologies, but history tells us that innovation is not equal to inclusion. A new tool is wielded first by the hands of the powerful and can replicate and intensify existing power dynamics. AI – driven by big states and big tech – may well repeat history in this respect. Marginalised communities could benefit last – it might intensify the qualitative gender gap in the implementation of digital technologies — more women are digitally literate today, but digital literacy generates less value to women. This panel will review whether and how AI can foster trust and inclusion in modern society. It will explore concrete ways in which, instead of reinforcing biases, stereotypes, and segregation, AI can work towards reducing them. 

• If AI is more capital-intensive than most recent technological advances, how can we ensure that its benefits do not flow entirely to the places, people, and institutions that have the most to spend?  
• Regulation to ensure inclusion can often follow the implementation of a technology. How can we ensure that it will not be the case for AI – and that such action will not stifle innovation, but merely direct it towards inclusion?  
• What would be the political consequences, within countries and between nations, of unleashing a swift-moving technology that could also sharpen existing divides?  
• How can we end gender divides in who uses a technology like AI first and who benefits most from it? How will women thrive in the AI age? 

Speakers

Smriti Irani, Former Minister of Women and Child Development, India 

Marie Véronique Leu-Govind, Junior Minister of Arts and Culture, Mauritius

Meredith Walker, Chief Economist and Investor/Government Relations Lead, Cyber Future Foundation, United States of America 

Rajesh Gupta, Dean, School of Computing, Information and Data Science, University of California San Diego, United States of America 

Tshering Cigay Dorji, Former Chief Executive Officer, Thimphu TechPark, Bhutan 

Moderator

Paula Cipierre, Global Head of Privacy, HCL Tech, Germany 

Mumtaz

IE Student Challenge - Jury Presentation 1

Durbar

Author’s Corner: The Geometry of Power

This author's corner will engage with the proposition and vision illustrated in President Alexander Stubb's latest book 'The Triangle of Power.'  As geopolitics is increasingly viewed through a hemispheric lens, this discussion will chart today's global landscape--examining how new power configurations will either anchor global stability or accelerate disruption. This session will assess how contemporary geopolitics is catalysing new partnerships, alliances of convenience, and inadvertent coalitions that respond to thematic and temporal developments. This discussion will specifically explore the rise of the South, and how the East and the West are shaping and being shaped by its ascent.   

Speakers

Alexander Stubb, President, Finland   

Wiebke Winter, Member, Bremen State Parliament, Germany  

Vali Nasr, Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, United States of America  

S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India  

Moderator

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Shahjehan

Labour in Motion: Mobility in the Technopolar Age

The global workforce is being transformed by two conflicting forces: States’ desire to take back control, and the borderless diffusion of technology. As demographic changes tighten labour markets and innovation accelerates, the mismatch between the skills that are available and those that are needed has emerged as a major constraint on productivity and competitiveness. The contradiction is stark: Even as states compete and securitise supply chains, innovation is increasingly geography-agnostic. Capital, code, and ideas move fast; people and skills do not. This session will examine how immigration systems, credentialing regimes, and workforce policies can deal with a world where talent is a critical input and where AI is reshaping job roles faster than education systems can adapt. It will examine how countries, firms, and institutions can move from incremental reskilling to systemic workforce transformation; what smarter mobility pathways, mutual recognition frameworks, and public-private talent compacts could look like; and how to build trust-based systems that balance openness with resilience. Getting our labour policies wrong means missed waves of technological adoption, slower growth, and declining national technological power. 

• Are immigration systems still fit-for-purpose in an era where skills shortages are the binding constraint on growth?  
• What kinds of partnerships between governments, industry, and education providers are capable of delivering skilling at speed and scale in an AI-driven labour market?   
• If skills can now be deployed digitally across borders, will physical mobility still be relevant in determining who accesses opportunity?  
• How are remote work, distributed teams, and cross-border contracting reshaping the meaning of “mobility” itself? 

Scene Setter

Matias Marttinen, Minister of Employment, Finland  

Speakers

Alexander Schallenberg, Former Federal Chancellor, Austria  

František Ruzicka, Deputy Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  

Sanjeev Krishan, Chairperson, PwC, India  

Radhicka Kapoor, Senior Employment Specialist, International Labour Organisation  

Zubin Karkaria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global  

Moderator

Carolin Albrecht, Managing Director, Berlin Global Dialogue, Germany 

Durbar

Africa Rising: Pathways, Partnerships, and Priorities

While much of the world is consumed by conflict and fragmentation, the African continent remains the clearest source of long-term optimism — not just for those who live there, but for prosperity in the rest of the world as well. Its promise lies in scale and timing: The youngest population on earth, vast mineral wealth, and the chance to attempt structural transformation in the hyper-tech age. The continent is also central to the Atlantic–Indo-Pacific system, and its coming rise would, in many ways, be a return to older realities: from Mediterranean trade networks that shaped modern capitalism to East African states that pioneered cross-oceanic commerce. However, most African countries still sit at the edges of global value chains, exporting raw materials and importing finished goods, capital, and technology. The African Union’s induction into the G20 and AfCFTA’s push for frictionless trade are meaningful steps, but familiar hurdles remain: The resource curse, firms that struggle to scale, and competitive politics that can turn violent. This panel will ask whether African nations can build durable developmental models in a fragmenting world with fewer certainties.  

• Will the region's states amass global influence by building world-class economies, or will greater geopolitical weight come first and accelerate economic transformation? 
• How can the youth bulge we see in many countries of the continent be harnessed to build dynamic economies? What investments in human capital will make this possible? 
• What are the various ways in which African nations are setting out to ensure that domestic resources translate into manufacturing and technology capacity rather than just raw material exports? 
• Which new partnerships—whether with India, the Gulf, or emerging regional powers—can offer genuine co-development instead of repackaged extraction? What models of investment in infrastructure show promise for inclusive growth in the region, and how can they be scaled up? 

Scene Setter: 

Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary [ER], Ministry of External Affairs, India 

Speakers 

Olivier J. P. Nduhungirehe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Rwanda 

Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Kenya 

Gwendoline Abunaw, Managing Director, Ecobank Cameroon, Cameroon

Karim El Aynaoui, President, Policy Center for the New South, Morocco 

Moderator

Sunaina Kumar, Director, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, Observer Research Foundation, India

Mumtaz

Recipes for Resilience: Food Security and Geopolitics

Amid war, climactic events, and enforced famines, food security can no longer be viewed as merely an agricultural challenge; it is at the forefront of geopolitical vulnerability.  From grain blockades and shipping disruptions to climate shocks hitting rice and wheat yields, supply lines are fracturing under multiple pressures. Developing nations dependent on imports face soaring prices and shortages, while exporters wield this dependence as leverage in great-power contests. This panel will seek to rethink the notion of resilience in this context. This could mean diversifying sources, fortifying stockpiles, and integrating food systems into national security strategies. Amid trade wars, sanctions, and international conflict, the basics of food sovereignty are already a top priority for policymakers. 

• How can vulnerable, import-dependent nations diversify food supply lines without falling into new dependencies?  
• What mix of domestic production boosts, regional trade blocs, and strategic reserves offers the most reliable buffer against geopolitical shocks? 
• How can agricultural innovation and sustainable fuels contribute to self-reliant and diversified systems, while ensuring farmers remain economically secure? Can biotechnology help boost productivity and nutrition while managing rising input costs? 
• As the costs of fertilisers and pesticides rise – both economically and ecologically – how can countries prioritise long-term soil health and sustainability over short-term fixes? 

Speakers

Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan, President of Executive Council, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs for Saskatchewan, Canada  

Brook Cunningham, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Asia Pacific, Corteva Agriscience  

David Laborde, Director, Agrifood Economics and Policy Division, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations  

Mudit Kapoor, Associate Professor of Economics, Indian Statistical Institute, India   

Sara Roversi, Founder and President of the Future Food Institute, Italy  

Moderator

Caroline Delgado, Programme Director, Food, Peace and Security, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Sweden  

Durbar

Spotlight Address

Periaswamy Kumaran, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, India

Durbar

Forgers of Peace: Ordnance Factories for the Liberal Order

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has exposed a startling paradox. Russia, a US$2 trillion economy, has outpaced NATO, with a combined GDP of US$50 trillion, in sustaining its war of attrition. Despite heavy sanctions, Moscow has expanded its artillery and missile production, achieving an effective stalemate and even continuing defence exports to select partners. Conversely, the Western defence industrial base has revealed deep structural atrophy. It is plagued by fragile supply chains, workforce shortages, and lack of scale in manufacturing basic ammunition. This panel will examine how the arsenal of the liberal order can be restocked and whether nations with ecosystems capable of providing scale and frugality might be called upon to fill the vacuum. 

• Can the West overcome strategic hesitations and integrate new partners, such as India, into core defence supply chains? 
• Will the West be keen to facilitate deep technology transfers and share crucial IP to enable manufacturing of advanced systems, or will its partners remain relegated to low-tech munitions manufacturing? 
• How can nations maintain their autonomy and sovereignty amid geopolitical stresses, while simultaneously developing an export-focused arms industry? 
• Do countries in Europe and Asia have the political will to put the necessary funding behind a massive growth in the defence industrial base? What role does private industry play in this vision?  

Scene Setter

Mara Motherway, Vice President, Lockheed Martin, United States of America  

Speakers:

Durbar

Spotlight

Lunch Conversations

Shahjehan

Essential Bilateral: Why India and Russia Matter to Each Other and the World

Lunch Conversations (Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

The India-Russia bilateral is undergoing a structural evolution, seeking to expand its breadth and build a resilient partnership that encompasses energy security, connectivity, and technological collaboration. The growing depth of the relationship is signified by the operationalisation of the Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor, increased cooperation in the Arctic region, mutual deployment of ground stations for navigation systems and collaboration in space. India, the bridge nation, anchors Russia to a global order on which it has otherwise turned its back.  This partnership helps stabilise BRICS and steer its agenda toward diversified global growth instead of geopolitical posturing. The panel will discuss the cornerstones of the emergent Indo-Russian partnership and its importance for world stability. 

• Beyond defence, what high-value supply chains does Moscow need to support its strategic autonomy that India might be able to activate? 
• As both nations commit to long-term decarbonisation, what joint roadmap can be created to transition their fossil-fuel partnership into a green energy alliance? 
• With the Global South often priced out of cutting-edge innovation, how can New Delhi and Moscow structure their technology partnerships to ensure their affordable transfer and localisation in other developing countries? 
• Can India’s growing manufacturing economy and hunger for industrial commodities provide Russia a path to diversify away from any possible dependence on China? 

Speakers

D B Venkatesh Verma, Former Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation, India   

Pankaj Saran, Convenor, NatStrat, India   

Feodor Voitolovsky, Director, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia   

Ivan Timofeev, Director-General, Russian International Affairs Council, Russia  

Tatiana Kukhareva, Journalist, Russia   

Moderator

Shruti Pandalai, Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), India

Mumtaz

From Resources to Renaissance? Latin America's Strategic Rise

(By Invite Only)

Three shifts have thrust Latin America to the centre of global geoeconomic and geostrategic debate. Washington has revived its hemispheric instincts under a renewed Monroe-style doctrine, aiming to draw the region closer into its orbit. China, meanwhile, has become the principal trading partner for most countries, its demand patterns shaping growth across the continent. And as the AI race accelerates, Latin America’s deep reserves of critical minerals place it squarely in the supply chains of semiconductors and data centres. These crosscurrents create a rare blend of pressure and possibility. The decades ahead will hinge on managing strategic rivalry while capturing more value at home through smarter industrial policy, deeper regional integration, and stronger Indo-Pacific ties. Minerals and market access are only the starting point. With sustained investment in education, from stronger schools to world-class universities and technical institutes, alongside engineering and digital skills, Latin America can build a workforce ready for an AI-driven economy. Can a concentrated human capital push coupled with pragmatic geostrategic strategy lift the region decisively up the value chain? 

Roshanara

Strategies and Storytelling: Statecraft in an Unscripted Age

[Heads of Policy Planning and Ministries Spokespersons] (Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

As uncertainty deepens across the international system, the craft of national strategy has rarely been more exacting. For much of the post–Cold War era, policymakers operated within a relatively stable operating environment, a functioning multilateral system, mobile capital flows, secure sea lanes, and geopolitical crises that, while consequential, were largely ringfenced. By the third decade of the 21st century, many of these enabling conditions have eroded, developments that may well prove to be canaries in the coalmine for deeper structural shifts still to come. 

This session will open with a series of speed talks by senior statespersons who have stewarded national security and foreign policy frameworks at the highest levels of government. Reflecting on their time in office, they will examine how the landscape has transformed, and how the grammar of statecraft itself must evolve. These reflections will be followed by interventions from serving heads of foreign policy planning, alongside senior practitioners from key ministries. Drawing on their institutional vantage points, they will consider how governments are reassessing priorities in a more volatile operating environment, and how governance frameworks are being adapted to meet new challenges and opportunities.  

Speed Talks:

Marise Payne, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Former Minister of Defence, Australia   

Stefan Löfven, Former Prime Minister, Sweden; Member, Club de Madrid  

Moderator

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, Observer Research Foundation America, United States of America

Jehangir

Autopsy in the Big Apple: Revisiting Three Decades of Multilateralism

(Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

The foundational purpose of the United Nations was to act as a check on unilateral military action. Yet this purpose began to fray three decades ago, at the dawn of the unipolar era. From the US intervention in the Balkans onwards, the UN has been sidelined as a dispute prevention and resolution mechanism. The Security Council is at the heart of this erosion; its five members’ procedural allegiance to multilateralism is often eroded by a reliance on unilateral military action, economic coercion, and ad-hoc coalitions of convenience. The result is not merely an ineffective UN system, but one that has lost credibility as a dispute resolver. From West Asia toHow can the countries of the continent convert recent gains in global representation into tangible influence over international economic and development agendas, especially at a time when the global order is in a state of flux? Eastern Europe, exceptionalism and double standards have hollowed out the principles of sovereignty and collective security. This panel will examine how multilateralism was abandoned from the top, whether it can be restored, and what kind of rules-based order, if any, can be rebuilt.    

• Can regional integration efforts such as the African Continental Free Trade Area deliver strategic autonomy, or will external power dynamics continue to shape growth pathways? 

Speakers: 

Durbar

In Conversation

Nandan Nilekani, Co-Founder and Chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited, India 

Moderator

Rudra Chaudhuri, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Durbar

Essential Bilateral: Will India and Europe Redefine Autonomy Together?

India and Europe have significantly strengthened their ties over the past decade. New Delhi has signed economic partnerships with the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and the United Kingdom, and both geographies have used their bilateral relationship as a source of geopolitical stability and economic dynamism at a moment when the global order is otherwise being challenged by protectionism and revisionism. Nevertheless, key constraints remain in both their individual capacity and as partners. Brussels has emerged as an empire of global norms and regulation but lacks competitive technological and defence capacity. India continues to emphasise its normative idea of power but lags in world-beating tech and indigenous defence manufacturing capacity. Can a meaningful partnership help each geography overcome these deficiencies? Or, as both search for ways to secure their strategic autonomy and geoeconomic resilience, might their chosen tactics pull them in different directions? This panel will consider the future of this relationship and evaluate whether it has the potential to ascend from statements of hope into tangible outcomes – not just for Europe and India, but for the world.  

• Why did Europe and Asia have to work through North America to understand each other strategically for so long? How can we ensure that the political and strategic map corresponds to the reality that we are neighbours, and that our military vision and practice are better aligned?  
• India and Europe have invested political capital into their relationship, but is it a reactive, feel-good relationship, or will it really change how the world works?    
• Can Europe genuinely emerge as a new pole in global politics, and if so, what must change – and how does the relationship with India factor into this ambition?    
• What are the convergences between India and Europe on tech regulation, climate action, and defence collaboration? In a world being pulled in one way by US big tech and the other by China’s state-led investments, can India and Europe together define an inclusive third way for tech policy?  

Scene Setter

Sibi George, Secretary, West, Ministry of External Affairs, India  

Speakers

Clara Volintiru, Secretary of State for Interinstitutional Relations, Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania  

Benjamin Haddad, French Minister Delegate for Europe, France

Carolin Albrecht, Managing Director, Berlin Global Dialogue, Germany

Subhrakant Panda, Managing Director of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Limited, India  

Ummu Salma Bava, Professor of European Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India   

Moderator

Kevin Baron, President, Elevation Global Strategies, United States of America  

Mumtaz

IE Student Challenge – Jury Presentation II

(By Invite Only)

Roshanara

Innovation Squad: The DefTech Collective for the Liberal Order

[Invite-Only Roundtable] (Parallel Session)

Rapid advancements across a range of defence technologies are fundamentally tipping the balance between states and the underlying capabilities they aim to either deploy or deter. AI-enabled surveillance and decision systems, autonomous surface and aerial platforms, drone swarming, and undersea sensing are compressing decision-making timelines and altering deterrence, raising the risks of miscalculation. In response, like-minded actors are investing heavily in defence technology, yet innovation scales fastest through collaboration. This session asks how trust and confidence can be built to enable international partnerships between governments and across national defence sectors, and whether shared innovation ecosystems can deliver faster, more cost-effective capability development without undermining strategic autonomy. It will explore the case for a DefTech bridge between like-minded powers that can integrate ecosystems, pool capital and talent, reduce duplication, and accelerate interoperable capabilities, strengthening collective security. 

Durbar

Connecting Islands of Solutions: Connectivity, Climate and a Durable Globalisation

Island and archipelago nations are writing the rules for this new phase of globalisation. They anchor vital trade corridors and digital arteries, as well as hosting the maritime infrastructure that sustains a networked economy – making them strategic focal points. Yet this centrality sharpens their exposure. Rising seas threaten many Small Island Developing States; for others, their narrow economic bases heighten vulnerability to external shocks. Some maritime nations find that their position as strategic chokepoints and their vital natural resources cause them to be the subjects of great-power competition. Many are responding by turning their uniqueness into their strength; leveraging their mineral wealth for development, using their location to spur investment, refocusing on innovation, or looking at how smarter physical and digital connectivity can help diversify their economies. Long-term investment can strengthen resilient societies capable of absorbing climate, economic and geopolitical disruptions. A more secure phase of globalisation will require placing islands at its centre, linking them as hubs of innovation and cooperation to ensure the next chapter is more inclusive and durable. 

• How can island and archipelago economies convert their geographic and resource advantages into economic and strategic leverage? 
• What global and regional partnerships have worked effectively to raise their concerns at the level of global governance? What new partners are they seeking, and how are they preserving their strategic autonomy? 
• What investments in physical and digital connectivity are necessary for islands to move from mere transit points to hubs for innovation and value addition? 
• How can climate adaptation finance, blue economy partnerships and infrastructure investment be designed in ways that expand policy space and safeguard sovereignty, rather than tighten debt burdens or dilute local control? 

Speakers

Ian Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Malta  

Mohamed Nasheed, Former President; Secretary-General, Climate Vulnerable Forum & V20, Maldives  

Dino Patti Djalal, Founder, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, Indonesia 

Fane Kite, Chief Operating Officer, Royal Oceania Institute, Tonga 

Nikhil Ravishankar, Chief Executive Officer, Air New Zealand, New Zealand   

Moderator

Suzannah Jessep, Chief Executive, Asia New Zealand Foundation, New Zealand 

Shahjehan

Agents Without Guardrails: Securing the Next Era of AI Autonomy

(Parallel Session)

Agentic AI—autonomous, goal-directed, and increasingly embedded across sectors—is redefining the cybersecurity landscape. As governments and businesses deploy AI agents into critical systems, new vulnerabilities emerge: prompt injections, data poisoning, multi-agent collusion, goal hijacking, and cascading hallucinations that exceed the speed of human response. These dynamics highlight the need to treat trust and cyber resilience as economic infrastructure, not merely technical safeguards. These risks are amplified across the Global South, where digital public infrastructure, financial platforms, and essential services are rapidly digitising. This panel examines the cybersecurity imperatives of agentic AI, the governance gaps, and the role of industry in facilitating the global cooperation needed to both prevent systemic failures and ensure critical digital systems scale up safely. 

How can the Global North and Global South align to embed trust and safety into the cybersecurity of AI agents, without imposing uniform standards on radically different risk environments and capacities? 

How can the falling cost of AI innovation be balanced with the rising cost and complexity of securing these systems?  

What governance frameworks and institutional capabilities are required to manage risks like prompt injection, adversarial attacks, memory poisoning, and multi-agent collusion?  

How can countries build shared norms and interoperable security standards for agentic AI while preserving digital sovereignty?   

Speakers

Sanjay Bahl, Director General, CERT-In, India  

Fitriani, Senior Analyst - Hybrid Threats, Cyber, Technology and Security Program, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Australia   

Gautam Aggarwal, Division President, South Asia, Mastercard, India  

Marianna Marcucci, Chair, ALL DIGITAL, Belgium

Sabeen Malik, Vice-President of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy, Rapid7, United States of America

Moderator

William Marks, Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School, United States of America

Mumtaz

Blurred Boundaries: Migration, Mobility, and Integration

The West is being remade not just by economic competition or military threats, but by demographic and cultural anxiety. Country after country in the developed world is seeing its politics permanently altered by the after-effects of migration and mobility. Mass migration is often beyond any one nation’s control, driven by global trends in conflict, inequality, and climate change; and yet electorates still demand of their leaders that mobility must be subject to strong state-level immigration policies. These anxieties can be exacerbated when migration numbers run ahead of the state’s capacity to integrate new arrivals into existing culture; when the demographic and skill profile of migrants do not fit with the objective needs of their host nation; and when political parties use immigration as a way to rally their voting base. This panel will identify where the median lies, and how nations can have a sensible approach to immigration that preserves their cultural stability, strengthens the economy, and maintains international order. 

• As migration comes in many forms, from political asylum to high-skilled transfers, is it possible for political leaders to differentiate between these strands or will electoral dynamics eventually collapse the narrative into the competitive weaponisation of migration?  
• As countries erect bigger barriers along their borders, are they being as effective at managing their negative demographic profiles? Is migration or demographic decline a greater threat to cultural vitality and national strength? 
• Are current models of assimilation and integration fit for purpose, or are they being rendered irrelevant in the face of new media, greater mobility, and deeper cultural divides?  
• Is shared prosperity the best antidote to migratory pressures? If so, will the rising backlash against immigration see an increase in development finance and assistance? 

Speakers

Ágnes Vadai, Member of the National Assembly, Hungary  

Karan Bilimoria, Member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom  

Vinay P. Sahasrabuddhe, Former Rajya Sabha Member, India    

Clara von Nathusius, Head, Department for Press, Social Media and Online Communications, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, Germany 

Nevada Lee, Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations, United States of America  

Moderator

Rachel Rizzo, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Durbar

Spotlight

Sripriya Ranganathan, Secretary (CPV & OIA), Ministry of External Affairs, India

Durbar

Imbalance of Power: Transatlantic Drift and a Rising China

The transatlantic partnership built the institutional, economic, and political foundations that have anchored international cooperation. Over the past decade, however, that bargain has steadily eroded and now approaches an existential breaking point. The rupture is profound enough that Europe, after decades of defence restraint, has begun a deliberate shift toward defence sovereignty and strategic autonomy. This transatlantic drift coincides with a generational geopolitical moment marked by the rise of China. Core questions of maintaining a stable balance of power, cooperating on transnational challenges, and restraining conflict in the interest of global commerce risk being subordinated to an intensifying contest for primacy. This panel will examine what a G2 order anchored by the US and China might look like and how Europe – perhaps with non-European partners – could respond. 

• Will the weakening of the transatlantic bargain lead to Europe’s emergence as a strategic actor, or to its gradual marginalisation in a US–China-dominated system?  
• Can powers beyond the G2 realistically shape the rules of global order, or will they be forced to merely manage shocks in an increasingly weaponised international system?  
• What would a potential G2 world order look like for other nations, large and small? Will it be better at keeping the peace, and at ensuring cooperation on issues like growth and climate resilience?   
• How might nations strengthen their strategic autonomy through joining and balancing coalitions and regional blocs?  

Speakers 

Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister, Sweden  

Stephen Harper, Former Prime Minister, Canada   

Tomáš Petříček, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic

Bonnie Glick, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defence of Democracies, United States of America   

Carla Sands, Chair. for Foreign Policy and Distinguished Senior Fellow, Energy Policy, America First Policy Institute, United States of America  

Moderator

Palki Sharma, Journalist, India 

Transition

Dinner

Shahjehan

Broken Markets: Politics, Predators and Disruptive Economics

Dinner (Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

For decades, multinational firms, supported by dense networks of specialised manufacturers and efficient global shipping, built supply chains that were complex, predictable, and interdependent. The networks, the crown jewel of the global economy, are now under strain. The interdependence that made us prosperous is now being weaponised; trade and industrial relations between countries have become ad hoc, provisional, and unstable. Against this backdrop, major economies and their firms have begun to de-risk production networks and secure their access to critical materials and technologies. But this transition from efficiency- to security-first strategy is far from seamless. From aviation to electronics to advanced manufacturing, industries face rising uncertainty, supply shortages, higher princes, congested ports, heavier paperwork, and fragmented regulatory environments. This panel examines how governments and firms are responding to weaponised interdependence, the hedging and derisking strategies they are deploying, and its implications for their underlying business models.  

• How has the shift toward protectionist trade policy and export controls altered the structure, efficiency, and risk profile of global supply chains? 
• How can countries derisk access to critical technologies, components, and materials without triggering deeper trade fragmentation? Do emerging supply chain reconfiguration strategies enhance resilience or simply replace old dependencies with new ones? 
• How are leading global firms redesigning supply chains for resilience, and how has their approach to risk management evolved in this process? 
• Is the new wave of bilateral trade agreements, such as the India-EU FTA, an antidote to a fragmenting global trading order? 

Speakers

Michał Baranowski, (Under Secretary of State) Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Poland   

Abla Abdel Latif, Executive Director and Director of Research, The Egyptian Centre for Economic Studies, Egypt  

Brendan Nelson, President, Boeing Global, Australia 

Matthias Berninger, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Science, Sustainability and HSE, Bayer, United States of America 

Stormi-Annika Mildner, Director, Aspen Institute, Germany

Moderator

Jamil Anderlini, Regional Director, Europe, POLITICO, Belgium 

Mumtaz

Policy and Palate

(By Invite Only)

Jehangir

Back to the Future: Power, Principle and the Making of a New World

Roshanara

India Ascendent: Investment, Influence, and Imagination

(By Invite Only)

Hosted by The Estée Lauder Companies, the dinner will spotlight India’s next global chapter- defined by culture, consumption, and confidence - positioning the country as both a strategic long-term investment destination and an emerging global brand powerhouse. The conversation will examine how sectors rooted in India’s civilizational strengths, including Ayurveda and wellness, are gaining global relevance, and how thoughtful, long-term investment can help translate heritage into innovation, scale, and sustainable economic value.

Transition

Mumtaz

The Combat Frontiers: Myriad Threats, Fractured World

Conversations over Kahwa (Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

Strategic and military planners are being forced to adapt swiftly to threats that arrive from multiple domains and across multiple fronts. Security establishments must integrate their operations across land, air and sea, as well as regular, cyber, and info-space; and are facing hybrid threats that blur the distinction between peacetime and war and undermine existing assumptions about escalation and deterrence. Existing institutions and alliances are under strain, being tested by the divergence of interests and values. Even their design, created for a world of cold wars, frozen conflicts, and outright invasions, is struggling with decision cycles compressed by algorithms and complicated by grey-zone warfare. Going ahead, as the nature of threats becomes more fluid, there is a growing need to integrate civilian capabilities with traditional military architecture to deter them effectively. This panel will ask the hard questions about how legacy institutions can be revised or replaced, and what multi-domain warfare means for the future of security.  

• What are the new domains of combat that require existing institutions and alliances to adapt? How are national security establishments and alliance HQs responding?  
• How can security institutions and alliances build resilience against covert forms of influence—such as subversion, disinformation, and economic coercion—that operate below the threshold of armed conflict but still erode sovereignty and strategic autonomy? 
• What does it mean for the performance of alliances like NATO when the political ground under their feet shifts? Are their institutional designs fit for purpose?  
• How are alliances focused on a single geography – Europe, the Middle East, or the Indo-Pacific – dealing with a more interconnected world, where threats might emerge, converge or be supported from regions beyond their traditional theatres? 

Speakers 

Breakfast

Shahjehan

Contested Tides: Old Rivalries, New Threats

(Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

The world’s oceans carry most of the world’s commerce – and now, also, the anxieties of an unstable world. Traditional concerns like great-power rivalry and restrictions on the freedom of navigation are enhanced by newer threats and fresh sites of vulnerability: Undersea cables, cyber-sabotage, and autonomous swarms, among others. Most importantly, the line between economic and maritime security is increasingly blurred. Creating trade chokepoints can severely harm an adversary’s economy, for example. Existing flashpoints in the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, and the Red Sea are all capable of igniting at short notice and causing global disruption. As once-calm Atlantic waters grow tempestuous, and the Indo-Pacific strives to protect its economic dynamism, this panel will examine emerging threats to the freedom of the seas, and ask whether our doctrines, partnerships, and institutions are agile enough to adapt.  

• What are the real risks of a general conflict, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, in the next few years? How are military staff thinking about this, and how prepared are economic planners?  
• New threats like unmanned swarms and cable-cutters require new capabilities and doctrine. How are countries preparing for this, and what role do partnerships like AUKUS play? 
• If the core problem is no longer simply control or denial of the sea but the broader protection of the economic system, what does credible maritime deterrence look like? Can democracies defend the economic sea lines that underpin their vibrancy without permanently militarising every chokepoint?  
• What should states facing multiple priorities focus on: Enhancing their presence, creating new partnerships, building niche capabilities, or the resilience of their infrastructure? 

Speakers

Lieutenant-General Derek A. Macaulay, Regional Representative of the Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff, Canada  

Air Marshall Tim Jones CBE, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for Force Development, United Kingdom 

Rear Admiral J.M. (Jeanette) Morang, Special Envoy to the Chief of Defence, Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN), Netherlands 

Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh (Retd.), Director General, United Service Institution of India, India 

Brent Sadler, Senior Research Fellow, Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology, Allison Centre for National Security, Heritage Foundation, United States of America  

Moderator

Garima Mohan, Senior Fellow, Indo-Pacific Program, German Marshall Fund, Germany

Mumtaz

Pax Sinica: The Opportunist or the Adult in the Room?

(Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

Amid the rupturing of global order and the retreat of its previous guardians, the People’s Republic of China has repositioned itself as multilateralism’s most steadfast proponent – rhetorically, at least. It has argued for more open trade, championed climate action at COP, supported connective infrastructure, and demanded the return of growth and development to the global agenda. It has tried to shape a novel position for itself in the new order: A rich developing country, a beacon of stability, a champion of the emerging world, and an architect of an alternative global system. Yet others would argue Beijing’s narrative is in fact self-serving: Climate rhetoric that conceals its commitment to carbon-intensive production, territorial claims that contrast with its claims to coexistence, and economic coercion that undermines its stated respect for sovereignty. This panel will examine whether Beijing is in fact the only remaining responsible adult in the room – or whether it is just another fresh aspirant to global hegemony that is taking advantage of a dangerous moment to refashion the world in its image. 

• What would Pax Sinica look like in practice? Would it differ in substantive ways from the postwar order? 
• Is Beijing a status quo power, interested in maintaining stability and the current patterns of growth and balance of power – or is it a revisionist power, that seeks to upend existing relationships, borders, and economic networks in its favour? 
• Is China’s defence of forums like the UN, WTO, and COP a sign of genuine legitimacy, or institutions weakened from within? And is Beijing’s “responsible stewardship” narrative gaining ground in the Global South, and why? 
• Does Beijing have a political design that makes it open to criticism like challenge, as Pax Britannica and Pax America did? 

Speakers

Tony Abbott, Former Prime Minister, Australia 

Courtney Fung, Associate Professor, Security Studies School of International Studies, Macquarie University, Australia 

Hiroyuki Akita, Foreign & International Security Commentator, Nikkei, Japan 

Jarosław Ćwiek-Karpowicz, Director, PISM, Poland

Sujan Chinoy, Director General, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), India 

Moderator

Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Visiting Fellow, Martens Centre, Belgium  

Roshanara

The Silent Revolution: Women in the Workforce

(Invite Only)

Women-led collectives are quietly revolutionising rural economies worldwide, driving financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and community resilience amid global development shifts. India’s National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) stands as a global benchmark, offering scalable lessons for marginalised demographics in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. This session will discuss NRLM’s institutional design, financial inclusion pathways, and social mobilisation strategies, and how they can accelerate women’s economic mobility in both the South Asian and African contexts. 

Jehangir

Policy and Bagels [Heads of Policy Planning Breakfast]

(Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

The world is no longer organised around a single set of rules, institutions, and assumptions. Instead, several overlapping and often competing orders are emerging across regions and issue areas, making the work of strategy and statecraft more complex by the day. Rapid technological shifts, a warming planet, uncertainty over whether countries can still export their way to prosperity, shrinking development assistance, and a heightened risk of territorial conflict are forcing policymakers to rethink long-held frameworks. In this environment, crises increasingly cascade, where resolving one challenge often means stabilising several others at once. 

This panel brings together Heads of Foreign Policy Planning from significant global geographies to discuss how strategy is being made in an era of constant disruption. They will reflect on the current global moment and on how interlocking disruptions are reshaping national strategy in real time. 

Speakers

Edmond Bepi Christian Pout, Minister Plenipotentiary, Director Strategic Analyses, Forecast and Crisis Management Centre, Ministry of External Relations, Cameroon  

Muhammad Takdir, Head of the Foreign Policy Strategy Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia  

Sungwhan Lee, Director-General, Policy Planning Division, Strategy and Policy Planning Bureau, Republic of Korea

Tanya Röling, Director of Policy Planning Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands 

Moderator

Aparna Ray, Joint Secretary (Policy Planning & Research), Ministry of External Affairs, India 

Transition

Durbar

In Conversation

Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister, Government of India

Moderator

Gautam Chikermane, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Durbar

The Art of the Impossible: Finding Trillions for the Transition

The scale and direction of global financial flows determine how effectively the world will solve its problems, from development to climate – as well as how effectively we can preserve the global balance and maintain economic security. One key component, the energy transition, is accelerating – but unevenly. It is driven by shifting geopolitics, rising capital needs, and competition for clean-tech supply chains. As countries seek affordable energy while cutting emissions, the role of public finance, strategic investment, and technology partnerships has become central. With trillions required for renewables, hydrogen, grids, and storage, the world is confronting a stark question: how to finance a transition that must be fast, secure, and equitable? This panel explores how governments, development financiers, and industry can build resilient pathways to decarbonisation while balancing growth, energy security, and geopolitical risk.

• Are current investment flows sufficient to keep the global transition on track, or is the financing gap widening? What models can accelerate deployment at scale?
• How can countries secure clean-tech supply chains without deepening geopolitical competition?
• Will emerging markets be able to transition without compromising energy security, affordability, or industrial competitiveness?
• What role should public finance institutions play in derisking new technologies, catalysing private capital, and supporting cross-border partnerships?

Speakers

Jayant Sinha, Former Minister of State for Civil Aviation, India

Niels Annen, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany

Dag Huse, Principal Advisor, Norges Bank Investment Management, Norway
 
Rachel Kyte, Special Representative for Climate, Government of United Kingdom
 
Rohini Pande, Henry J. Heinz Professor of Economics; Director, Economic Growth Centre, Yale University, United States of America
 
Moderator

NK Singh, President, Institute of Economic Growth; Former Chairman, 15th Finance Commission, India

Shahjehan

Development by Design: Scripting the Next Global Growth Story

The Sustainable Development Goals imagined a transformed world by 2030. That task remains unfinished; but, already, their next iteration must confront an altered reality. Traditional development finance has receded; new assistance arrives with geostrategic caveats; and export-led growth is harder. Meanwhile, a sweeping energy transition, spanning renewables, critical minerals and storage, forces difficult trade-offs. At the same time, another transition is reshaping both the global order and the economy: The centre of gravity is shifting towards the Global South. The postwar architecture is yielding to more inclusive regional and plurilateral frameworks, with emerging and developing economies asserting greater control over their economic futures. As much of near-term global growth comes from these countries and from their dynamic private sectors, they might craft developmental models distinct from those once prescribed by the Global North. The interplay between geopolitical flux and a more self-directed Global South will define the ambition and design of the next generation of development goals. 

• As the global order undergoes its first major revision in the postwar era, how is it likely to impact the way we think about, and plan for, development? ⁠ 
• How can the emerging Global South, as a cohort of independent actors, find consensus over shared development goals that global institutions and partners can then service? What can be meaningful alternatives for traditional sources of developmental finance? 
• What can be the role of industries in determining the scope and design of the next iteration of sustainable development goals? How can their long-term investments support sustainable development, and what role do emerging and developing economies play in their projections and strategies? 
• If energy security is central to long-term growth, can there be multiple transition pathways that reflect each country’s resource base, economic structure and developmental priorities? 

Speakers

D. N. Dhungyel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Bhutan  

Ngwaru Jumanne Maghembe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanzania   

Angelo George, Chief Executive Officer, Bisleri, India  

Anna-Katherine Hornidge, Director of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and Professor for Global Sustainable Development, University of Bonn, Germany

Archna Vyas, Country Director, India Country Office, Gates Foundation  

Moderator

Chandrika Bahadur, Chief Executive Officer, The Antara Foundation, India 

Durbar

Heart of the Seas: The Future of the Indian Ocean

India’s presidency of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) arrives at a pivotal moment, with the Indian Ocean serving as the backbone of global trade, energy flows, and strategic competition. Facilitating over 80 percent% of global oil shipments and 90 percent% of India’s trade by volume, these waters are facing intensifying rivalries, climate threats, and maritime security challenges. As India steps up its regional leadership through initiatives like SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), the IORA platform offers opportunity to advance inclusive maritime governance, sustainable blue economy development, and robust regional cooperation.  

• Under India’s presidency, how can the IORA foster collective security and greater maritime domain awareness? 
• What strategies can be adopted to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability and resilience across vulnerable coastal communities? How should the IORA address the growing challenges of climate change, marine pollution, and biodiversity loss in the region? 
• What role should regional institutions play in managing strategic chokepoints and ensuring freedom of navigation? 
• Is it possible to harmonise regulatory frameworks across the IORA members to promote responsible deep-sea mining and offshore energy exploration? 

Speakers

Barry Faure, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Seychelles 

Dhananjay Ramful, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mauritius

Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism, Sri Lanka  

Marise Payne, Former Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs, Australia 

S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India 

Moderator

Palki Sharma, Journalist, India  

Durbar

Risks, Rivalries and Resilience: Crafting a New Economic Security

The global economy, long underpinned by growing interdependence and open trade, now faces a paradox: the mechanisms that are necessary for prosperity—integrated supply chains, cross-border investment, technology flows, and market access—are increasingly being used as instruments of punishment and economic coercion. Economic security and resilience are at the forefront of policymaking, driven by disruptions from trade breakdowns, energy price volatility, and restrictions on the transfer of technology. Beijing’s systemic industrial policies and its willingness to weaponise dependencies in critical sectors have accelerated this shift. China has a headstart, using state-funded capitalism and supply-chain domination to expand its global leverage; the rest of the world has only begun to develop the tools necessary to safeguard economic resilience. The EU’s anti-coercion mechanism, export controls, tariffs, and sanctions are all efforts in this direction. This panel will explore whether the emerging architecture of economic security can preserve and strengthen a stable and prosperous global order, or if the defensive quest for resilience, which mirrors rather than transcends economic coercion, ultimately undermines the open and interdependent system that is necessary to drive global advancement and prosperity.  

• Are the various perceptions of what economic resilience might mean compatible with each other? Are we seeing the weaponisation of the global economic order, or is just that economic strength is today a more prominent component of national power? 
• In an era where economic interdependence has become a double-edged sword, how can policymakers reconstruct or reinforce a resilient, rules-based global economic order without accelerating fragmentation? 
• How are private companies adapting to the constraints placed on them by security establishments? Are they willing collaborators, or do they have a different view of economic resilience?  
• What new partnerships and alliances are emerging as a consequence of the quest for economic security? Might it drive us towards a more multipolar, democratised world? 

Speakers

V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, India   

Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Board, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Japan  

Noah Barkin, Senior Advisor, Rhodium Group's China Practice, Germany  

Hayden Allan, Global Head of Corporate Affairs, SWIFT, United Kingdom  

Stormy-Annika Mildner, Director, Aspen Institute, Germany   

Moderator

Rachel Rizzo, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Lunch Conversations

Shahjehan

Pursuing Science and Technology: Diplomacy in a Multipolar World

(By Invite Only)

Historically, the global scientific community operated on the implied agreement of “borderless science”, where knowledge flowed freely to advance collective human progress. Today, that consensus is being depleted under the weight of a new geopolitical reality. As the lines between technological prowess and national security blur, the collaborative frameworks of the 20th century are being tested by the competitive dynamics of the 21st. This plenary session will examine how science and technology diplomacy must evolve in a multipolar global landscape marked by shifting power balances, rapid technological change, and diverse development pathways. 

Mumtaz

Scaling the Peaks: Unlocking the Promise of the India-US Partnership

(By Invite Only)

The world’s two largest democracies—The United States and India—are trying to build something that has never been created before: A partnership between two multi-trillion-dollar economies that respects each other's sovereignty and promotes mutual interests. To be sustainable, this relationship must build on the cold rationality of geopolitical balancing and hopes for shared growth and profit. Disagreements over trade, technology, and strategic autonomy are natural under such circumstances; but tremendous political will and strategic courage has ensured that the two sides have nevertheless reforged a workable framework for the relationship. If the two manage to overcome their differences, it would be the first instance of a great power relationship between two countries of such size and aspiration. This panel will examine the state of the Indo-US relationship today and reconcile competing visions for its future, amid New Delhi’s continuing search for autonomy and Washington’s impatience with special treatment.  

• What is DC’s assessment of India’s importance in its geo-strategic journey?
• Are the tensions of the past year purely due to the specific circumstances of this economic moment – or do they reflect the resolution of a broader contradiction ignored by previous administrations? 
• As India has become more multi-aligned, America has become more transactional. Do these two approaches to the world align? 
• As global geopolitics moves from managed collaboration to great-power rivalries, how can the US-India relationship remain a stabilising influence for the world? 

Roshanara

Closed Meeting

(By Invite Only)

Jehangir

Credit, Credibility, and Capital: Rethinking and Re-rating Risk

Lunch Conversations (Parallel Session) (By Invite Only)

Sovereign ratings continue to shape how capital flows, governments borrow, and economies signal stability. Yet many in the Global South argue prevailing rating frameworks underestimate resilience, overstate risk, and reflect structural biases. As global growth slows and sovereign debt levels rise, debates around rating methodologies, data gaps, and accountability are intensifying. This panel explores how sovereign ratings influence development trajectories, financial sovereignty, and the balance of power in global finance. 

• Are longstanding critiques of rating agencies finally forcing a fundamental rethink? Will greater scrutiny lead to fairer methodologies or deepen mistrust? 
• How can sovereign ratings evolve to reflect realities, strengths, and structural differences among economies at different levels of growth? What reforms will build credibility? 
• What safeguards can prevent sovereign ratings from being shaped, intentionally or otherwise, by geopolitical considerations or market pressures? 
• Will stakeholders in emerging economies simply stop taking legacy rating agencies and their orthodoxies seriously? Is this already happening? 

Speakers

Alexander Boehmer, Head of South Asia and Southeast Asia Division, Global Relations and Co-operation Directorate, OECD, France 

Divyata Ashiya, Trustee, Royal United Services Institute, United Kingdom

Kwame Owino, Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Economic Affairs, Kenya

Mehul Pandya, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, CareEdge Group, India 

Neelkanth Mishra, Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister; Chief Economist, Axis Bank, India 

Moderator

Monika Halan, Chairperson, Advisory Committee for Investor Protection and Education Fund, Securities and Exchange Board of India, India

Durbar

In Conversation with Chandrababu Naidu

Durbar

In-Conversation

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industries, India 

Moderator

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Durbar

When IMEC Meets the Three Seas: Building the Inter-Continental Bridge

The architecture of global connectivity is being redrawn, as states look for alternative routes to new markets. Connectivity is now shaped as a web of arteries spanning varying geographies rather than by isolated trade corridors. Against this backdrop, a convergence between the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) – though conceived independently – presents an obvious and immensely promising opportunity. The shores of the Mediterranean, for centuries the cradle of commerce, are once again crucial for transforming fragmented regional projects into a coherent intercontinental system. However, operationalising this vision demands confronting hard realities – navigating through diverse domestic political systems, contradictory national interests and cumbersome geographic roadblocks. This panel explores what a new logistics spine that traverses multiple seas requires in terms of political will, how it can evolve from conceptual synergy to reality, and what political incentives, infrastructural innovations and institutional designs will be required to make regional frameworks function as an effective multi-modal transcontinental corridor. 

• What potential can the intercontinental linkage of corridors unlock for geographies along the way? Can it provide economic dynamism, supply chain resilience and shipping efficiency across the countries involved in a fraught global economy? 
• What governance mechanism can align differing forms of financing, technical standards, and implementation timelines without creating bureaucratic paralysis? 
• How can new routes be designed to foster inclusive regional development, so that smaller economies and landlocked countries gain meaningful access to trade, investment, and connectivity? 
• What redundancy and diversification strategies should be embedded into corridor design to withstand geopolitical shocks, energy disruptions, or climate impacts without collapsing entire supply chains? 

Speakers

Sanjay Sudhir, Former Indian Ambassador to United Arab Emirates, India 

Moderator

Stefania Benaglia, EU Foreign Policy Advisor, Belgium

Shahjehan

The Era of Diffusion: From Silicon to Scale

(Parallel Session) 

The global AI race has experienced a consequential shift over the past months. Large-scale investments into data centres and chips continue, but many worry that they have reached saturation point. Meanwhile, global markets are responding with enthusiasm to companies and opportunities that turn this new AI infrastructure into concrete business models. This marks a graduation from AI’s compute-focused era into one marked by the technology’s diffusion across multiple sectors. Silicon and servers have become the new utilities, while the true measure of power is shifting to those who can turn tech advances into population-scale impact. Success in this age will be determined by the ability to weave AI into the daily lives of billions.  

• Is the era of compute-as-a-utility arriving? If so, how can nations work to ensure that physical infrastructure will serve as an effective platform for broad-based social innovation? 
• Can countries in the Global South effectively build out new businesses on top of large models trained on datasets that misrepresent non-Western contexts? What progress are we making on localisation? 
• What balance must governments discover between guarding data sovereignty and ensuring that entrepreneurial ambitions aren’t stifled? 
• Can governments support AI architectures that are comfortably part of the global AI networks? 

Speakers

Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Chief Executive Officer, India AI Mission, India 

Adam Segal, Ira A Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security and Director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program, Council on Foreign Relations, United States of America 

Laura Mahrenbach, Adjunct Professor, Technical University of Munich and Senior Researcher, University of Bonn, Germany 

Ravi Bapna, Curtis L. Carlson Chair Professor in Business Analytics and Information Systems, University of Minnesota, United States of America

Moderator

Louise Marie Hurel, Research Fellow, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), France 

Durbar

Tech Triad: Power, Autonomy, and Energy in the Data-Centre Age

Nuclear science, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems form an increasingly decisive triad shaping the future of economic and military power. AI will determine the effectiveness of next-generation capabilities, from autonomous platforms and decision support to adaptive electronic warfare. However, these advances rest on an often-overlooked foundation: Access to large quantities of clean, reliable, and continuous energy. The ability of nuclear energy to provide high-density, continuous baseload power makes it a vital candidate to fuel data centre infrastructure. This panel will assess how a more coordinated approach to the tech triad could strengthen national power while supporting inclusive participation in the AI-driven global economy. 

• How will nuclear power, AI, and autonomous weaponry together redefine national power, deterrence, and stability? 
• How has the explosive growth of data centres and AI workloads transformed energy supply from an infrastructure issue into a core strategic concern? 
• How can data centre expansion be aligned with clean energy pathways to minimise ecological stress? 
• Is nuclear energy uniquely positioned to support AI, autonomous systems, and data-centre expansion? 

Speakers 

General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, India   

General Romeo S. Brawner Jr., Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippines  

Tom Tugendhat, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom  

Divyata Ashiya, Trustee, Royal United Services Institute, United Kingdom  

Vivek Lall, Chief Executive, General Atomics Global Corporation, United States of America  

Moderator

Magdalena Skipper, Editor, Nature, United Kingdom  

Shahjehan

The European Compass: Atlantic Anchor or Pacific Pivot?

The European project was premised on the fundamental assumption that economic interdependence would make war between European nations unthinkable, and that if countries were bound together through trade and commerce, peace would follow. Similarly, the creation of NATO was designed around a US that saw the defence of Europe as inseparable from its own national interests. Both assumptions are now being called into question, both within Europe and from beyond. The continent is in search of solutions to restore its lost economic dynamism, while its once-unshakeable partnership with the US has been sorely tested over the past decade. Europe thus faces profound questions about its strategic direction and must choose whether it clings to its historic Atlantic mooring or sets sail for the economic dynamism of Asia. It must make this choice while dealing with a systemic challenge from China, which remains vital for some of its companies while also fatal for its broader economic resilience and relevance. This session brings together European statespersons, thinkers and policy architects to dissect the state of the Union, recalculate its policy toward China, and chart a new course forward. 

Durbar

Spotlight | Time for the Global South: A Long View from New Delhi

Neena Malhotra, Secretary [South], Ministry of External Affairs, India.

Durbar

Clean Energy as Statecraft: Powering Viksit Bharat 2047

The transformation of India’s energy system is a crucial step towards fulfilling its ambitions to become a developed economy over the next two decades, and an indispensable component of the global fight against climate change. Indians demand greater energy access; policymakers recognise the importance of energy security; and there is a political consensus that India must be a global leader on sustainable, practical climate action. This requires a pragmatic approach to energy, alongside a clear-eyed understanding of the structural changes and investment decisions involved. A whole-of-government approach is needed, building consensus across multiple regions and levels of the Indian state. Multiple energy sources must play a role: Renewables, alongside large-scale storage to provide round-the-clock power; nuclear energy, driven by a visionary shift in the domestic regulatory environment; and reliable access to natural gas to ease and lubricate the transition. It will require a rethink of how grid are constructed, maintained and managed – a continent-scale reconfiguration that will provide lessons for the rest of the world. 

• How can India make pragmatic choices about the choice of energy sources and partners that best serve its agenda of access, affordability, and climate action? 
• What fuel will realistically deal with the base-load needs of a still-industrialising economy – round-the-clock renewables, nuclear power, natural gas? Or will India and others need to invest in all of them? 
• What will it take to remake India’s grid, and where must we invest both financial and political capital?  
• What role do states play in this effort? Given that electricity is a subject in which both states and the Union government have a say, how can we create political momentum? What has worked elsewhere? 

Speakers

Bjorn Lomborg, President, Copenhagen Consensus Centre, Denmark  

Sunjoy Joshi, Chairman, Observer Research Foundation, India  

David Victor, Professor, Innovation and Public Policy, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego, United States of America  

Kira Vinke, Head, Centre for Climate and Foreign Policy, German Council on Foreign Relations, Germany

Nikit Abhyankar, Associate Adjunct Professor, Co-Faculty Director, India Energy and Climate Centre, Goldman School of Public Policy University of California, Berkeley, United States of America  

Moderator

Gopalika Arora, Deputy Director, Centre for Economy and Growth, Observer Research Foundation, India  

Shahjehan

In-Conversation | Beyond Orbit: The New Race in Space

(Parallel Session)

Frontiers are often the site of both mystery and contestation, and humanity’s final frontier is no different. The hope that space would be preserved as shared for all, depoliticised and uncommercialised, has inevitably given way to a very different reality. National governments feel it increasingly necessary to define space strategies; private companies, not state ventures, are in the vanguard of exploration and exploitation, turning the ineffable into the saleable; and the competition and inequality of terra firma is being replicated in the heavens. Yet even amid this new space race, the fundamental alien-ness of space remains: Where does humanity fit in a domain where hot-blooded national interests must yield to the cold imperatives of physics, and survival is even more dependent on cooperation? This intimate conversation will examine space as a strategic domain, as common property, and whether human leadership can ever match the scale of the cosmos.  

• Why is space now seen as a strategic domain? How are states and militaries creating new capabilities, and how are they challenging each other on this final frontier? 
• How can nations with advanced space capabilities cooperate in an era of strategic competition to ensure a stable, secure, and sustainable space environment for all? 
• How is space being privatised, challenging its “commons” nature, and does this now challenge the notion of the sovereign itself?  
• Can the growth of private enterprise in space paradoxically constrain its militarisation, or are these two processes intertwined? 

Speakers

General Stephen N. Whiting, Commander, U.S. Space Command, United States of America  

Moderator

Harsh V Pant, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Durbar

Convergence Before Consensus: The Inadvertent Coalitions Shaping Global Order

A world shaped by alliances has foresight, predictability, and clear zones of cooperation and contestation. Today, geopolitics has changed: action demands agility instead. Countries find themselves in accidental alignments – pulled together by structural forces, overlapping incentives, and the complex logic of multilateral platforms. Nations that eye each other uneasily over disputed borders might still collaborate on investment priorities; those that compete over technology can nevertheless work together on climate change. This panel examines the global geometry of chance, and asks whether accidental partnerships might eventually lead to stable co-operation, or instead intensify underlying contradictions.  

• Do transactional, incentive-based partnerships possess any advantages when compared to alliances of the past that were designed around shared values and treaty commitments? 
• Can nations competing on technology and security nevertheless work together to effectively reshape investment flows and accelerate climate action? How durable are such partnerships? 
• How must diplomats and diplomacy change their tone, tactics, and methods to manage the possibility that the other party might simultaneously be a strategic partner, competitor, and threat?  
• If shared values and alliance commitments lose their effectiveness as geopolitical glue, how can countries discover what leverage they possess? Can we ensure that those who do not possess sufficient leverage are nonetheless protected?  

Speakers  

Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, India  

Stephen Harper, Former Prime Minister, Canada 

Comfort Ero, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Crisis Group, United Kingdom

Leslie Vinjamuri, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, United States of America  

Philippe Varin, Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce, France

Moderator

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Closing Remarks & Vote of Thanks

Transition

Dinner

Shahjehan

Dinner

Dinner for Raisina Young Fellows and Alumni - By Invite Only

Transition

Durbar

Curtain Call | Code, Culture, Creativity: Indigenous Innovation in the Age of AI

From Indigenous communities to diverse, post-colonial cultures, societies in touch with their traditions are emerging as engines of local technological creativity-asserting ownship of their stories, languages and knowledge systems in the age of AI. Young, tech-savvy, wired into cultural contexts, and often deeply AI-aware, members of indigenous communities are building high-potential use cases, driving innovation, and creating the conditions for their solutions to become scalable. This panel explores the programmatic, policy and investment support systems that could advance indigenous innovation in the AI age. 

• How can governments help build ecosystems that support indigenous startups? 
• How can youth be empowered as creators with ownership over their tools, data, and stories? 
• How can skilling strategies integrate indigenous learners into high-tech fields? 
• What can be done to bridge the gap between creativity and capital? 

Speakers

Amanda Healy, Founder, Kirrkin Contemporary First Nations Fashion, Australia  

Sean Willy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Des Nedhe Group, Canada  

Moderator

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Raisina Afterparty

Studio 1 | In Conversation

India and Norway share a quietly deepening partnership anchored in the blue economy, the energy transition, and sustainable ocean governance. Norway's technological depth and India's scale of ambition in these areas are complementary. This session will examine how India and Norway can elevate their partnership to meet the needs of the moment. 

• What role does Norway want India to play in the High North? How can India help in stabilising the Arctic, which it views as a region that should be defined by scientific cooperation rather than political contestation?  
• Norway's sovereign wealth fund has extraordinary power in the world of institutional finance and regulation. What would it take for it to invest more in India and the Global South?  
• How do you see the trade deal between India and EFTA panning out? How does Norway plan to contribute to its ambitious investment targets?  

Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, State Secretary for Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway 

Moderator

Amrita Narlikar, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Studio 2 | The Intelligent Investor: Japan and the World

Japan is vital to economies across the world as a trading partner, an export market, and as a patient, strategic, and long-term investor. It is simultaneously balancing multiple concerns of its own: a shrinking and ageing population, a fraught regional neighbourhood, and the growing risk of economic coercion by partners and rivals alike. This conversation looks at how Japan is making informed choices in an increasingly complex world.  

• How does Japan evaluate the risks and returns of investing in different geographies today? How would you evaluate, for example, Southeast Asia as opposed to East Africa in terms of Japan’s long-term investment and economic needs? 
• What lies behind the extraordinary strength of the Indo-Japanese relationship? What keeps it going, and where do you think it still has potential? 
• What does Japan, realistically, expect from the US as an economic partner going forward? How strong is the economic case for large-scale investment into the US economy by Japanese firms? 

Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Board, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Japan

Moderator

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America, United States of America 

Studio 3 | OPEN

Studio 4 | OPEN

Studio 5 | AI for Economic Growth

AI is emerging as the next engine of economic growth, but the distribution of its dividends will depend on who can access and deploy it effectively. This session will examine how MSMEs can move from being passive consumers of AI tools to active creators of value — boosting productivity, expanding market reach, and sharpening competitiveness. The central question: can AI become a leveller for smaller firms rather than an advantage reserved for scale players? 

• What practical, high-impact AI use cases are most relevant for MSMEs today? 
• Are there solutions in existence where AI helps MSMEs deal with governments, regulations, and complex supply chains more effectively? 
• What role should large firms and policymakers play in building an AI ecosystem that includes smaller enterprises? 

Sanjeev Krishan, Chairperson, PwC India, India   

Moderator

Joshua Barnes, Journalist, Firstpost, India , Partner, Shorooq—Venture Investor, United Arab Emirates 

Lunch

Studio 7 | Defending the Commons: The EU-India Defence Partnership

India and Europe find themselves in similar conundrums. Both face pressing external security threats yet lack the domestic military industrial capacity to face them, which leaves each critically dependent on outside suppliers. In India, an ambitious defence indigenisation drive is beginning to emerge. In Europe, the question of strategic autonomy has returned to the centre of geostrategic debate. This session will discuss how the ambitious Security and Defence Partnership recently signed by India and Europe will help create a more substantive defence relationship between the two.  

• Is Europe serious about collective defence, or is this moment transitory, awaiting a friendlier administration in Washington? 
• What lessons has Europe taken from the difficulties it has faced in arming and supplying Ukraine? 
• What role do its partners outside NATO play in Europe’s long-term strategy for its defence? What would it take to build sufficient trust for India, for example, to become a key part of the defence supply chain for European states?  

M. Guillaume Ollagnier, Directorate General of International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS), France  

Mark Leonard, Director, European Council on Foreign Relations, Germany 

Moderator

Shruti Pandalai, Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), India 

Studio 8 | Maritime Museums: From Heritage to Blue Economy

Museums are often treated as maritime afterthoughts, yet they preserve seafaring traditions, local knowledge, and coastal identity. They can also shape sustainable design choices for ships, ports, and blue infrastructure in a warming world. This session asks how museums can give citizens real agency in maritime policy and make the blue economy more personal. 

• How can maritime museums preserve local traditions while shaping future sustainable design pathways? 
• What would it take for museums to offer individuals real agency to contribute to maritime policy discussions?  
• How can museums make blue oceans more personal and human, much like chefs and coastal women do for the blue economy? 

Matthias Catón, Managing Director, German Maritime Centre, Germany 

Ruth Schilling, Managing Director, German Maritime Museum, Germany  

Moderator

Anusha Kesarkar Gavankar, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Studio 1 | Genomics and the New Medical Order

Recent advances in bioengineering and genotyping are reshaping our ability to detect and understand genetic, chronic and age-related disorders at the molecular level. As these tools move from lab to clinic, they are redefining diagnostics, public health strategy, and the management of rare and inherited diseases. This session will examine how breakthroughs at the intersection of engineering and biology are translating into real-world medical impact — and what barriers still stand in the way of equitable access. 

• How are the recent bioengineering research advances fundamentally altering medical sciences and the diagnostic abilities? How has our understanding of chronic, genetic, and age-related disorders evolved over the past few years? 
• Given the emergence of genomics as a major sector of venture capital funding, are the boundaries between genuine scientific progression and ethical standards blurring? Should we be worried about developments like designer babies? 
• How far has China progressed in positioning itself as a leading bioengineering power? And what pathways can meaningfully expand access and technology transfer to the developing world, where the greatest public health burdens lie?

Kiana Aran, Associate Professor of Bioengineering and Medicine at the University of California San Diego, United States of America   

Moderator

Rudra Chaudhuri, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Studio 2 | Cybersecurity as Statecraft

In an era where cyberattacks can disrupt economies, elections, and critical infrastructure, cybersecurity is no longer a technical function but a core element of statecraft and corporate strategy. The frontlines run through private networks, yet the consequences are national and global. This conversation will explore how firms, governments, and trusted international partners can build shared deterrence, strengthen resilience, and shape norms for a more secure digital order. 

• How can we balance cybersecurity provisions that governments prefer with business’ requirements for a transparent and easy-to-use reporting system? Are current approaches minimising business risk?  
• What are the big new cyberthreats for 2026? What can companies and nations do to prepare? 
• As regulation tightens, how should companies integrate information security into innovation, growth and long-term risk strategy? 

Sabeen Malik, Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy, Rapid7, United States of America   

Paula Cipierre, Global Head of Privacy, HCL Tech, Germany   

Moderator

Arun Sukumar, Non-Resident Senior Fellow – Technology, ORF Middle East, United Arab Emirates 

Studio 3 | ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific

As the Indo-Pacific becomes the arena where global power is tested, ASEAN’s claim to centrality faces both strain and opportunity. In a more fragmented and competitive landscape, its convening power, consensus model, and web of dialogue platforms are being reassessed. This session will explore how ASEAN can sustain relevance and anchor peaceful coexistence amid intensifying rivalry. 

• Have the nations of Southeast Asia made their peace with Chinese regional dominance? Or are they still hoping that internal cohesion and external partnerships can preserve their room to manoeuvre? 
• Is ASEAN itself capable of managing its own security environment? What lessons should we draw from the recent clash between Thailand and Cambodia? 
• Is Southeast Asia’s economic future completely dependent on Chinese companies, investment, and markets? If so, what role does ASEAN play in the economic security planning of other countries more concerned about Beijing’s economic coercion? 

Aisha Rasyidila Kusumasomantri, Co-Director for Partnership and External Engagement; Head of Government Task Force, ISI Indonesia 

Gordon Flake, Founding Chief Executive Officer, Perth USAsia Center, Australia

Yanitha Meena Louis, Analyst, Foreign Policy and Security Studies, Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia 

Moderator

Sharon Stirling, Chief Operating Officer, ORF America, United States of America 

Studio 5 | In Conversation

Rwanda has consistently provided the template for a pragmatic, development-focused foreign policy. This studio session examines how Kigali links diplomacy to economic strategy. It also explores the role of Rwanda’s outward-facing partnerships amidst rapid geopolitical developments. 

• How has Rwanda used diplomacy and its external partnerships to support its development ambitions?  
• With growth averaging around 7–8% over the past decade and Kigali emerging as a regional hub for services, technology, and tourism, what lessons does Rwanda’s development model offer other fast-growing economies? 
• How can India–Rwanda cooperation deliver the fastest results in practice, from skills and digital public infrastructure to healthcare, trade, and supply chain resilience? 

Olivier J. P. Nduhungirehe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Rwanda 

Moderator

Joshua Barnes, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 6 | In Conversation

Alexander Stubb, President of Finland

Moderator

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Studio 7 | In Conversation

As the multilateral landscape undergoes a significant shift, marked by the rise of new partnerships, evolving frameworks, and rapidly changing power dynamics, the need to rethink traditional models of engagement has never been more pressing for countries on the African continent. This session will examine the changing face of multilateralism and explore how strategic partnerships can bolster transformative financing models and drive inclusive economic progress and global influence. 

• How can the countries of the continent convert recent gains in global representation into tangible influence over international economic and development agendas, especially at a time when the global order is in a state of flux? 
• What kinds of external partnerships best support African states’ long-term development ambitions without reinforcing dependency or constraining policy space?  
• Can regional integration efforts such as the African Continental Free Trade Area deliver strategic autonomy, or will external power dynamics continue to shape growth pathways?

Mehdi Jomaa, Former Prime Minister, Tunisia 

Moderator

Kabir Taneja, Executive Director, ORF Middle East, United Arab Emirates

Studio 8 | In Search of an Order: Looking Back to Look Ahead

Shashi Tharoor, Member of the Lok Sabha; Chairperson, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, India 
  
Moderator

Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, Observer Research Foundation, United States of America

Studio 9 | In Conversation

The democracies of the Indo-Pacific are facing a range of challenges – from maritime provocations to hybrid and cyber threats – while both strengthening and re-evaluating their trusted partnerships. This conversation will explore how Manila and Canberra are working to adapt their force posture and rewrite their interoperability playbook to manage grey-zone coercion while also avoiding uncontrolled escalation. 

• As Australia adapts its force posture and capability development to new circumstances and threats, how is it dealing with the sometimes contradictory need to deter both hybrid coercion and high-intensity conflict? 
• What does integrated deterrence mean in practice for a middle power operating within alliance structures? 
• How can Australia and the Philippines manage escalation risks in a maritime theatre where signalling, ambiguity and proximity intersect? 

Lt. Gen. Susan Coyle, Chief of Joint Capabilities Group, Australia 

General Romeo S. Brawner Jr, Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippines 

Moderator

Rudra Chaudhuri, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Lunch

Studio 10 | Wings of Partnership

The aviation industry is navigating a critical era; marked by surging demand and rapidly advancing technology, it has fundamentally transformed global movement and commerce. Nikhil Ravishankar’s journey to the helm of Air New Zealand is a demonstration of that fact. This session seeks to learn his perspective on the India-New Zealand relationship, the innovations reshaping aviation, and charting the broader path for the future of flight. 

• How would you describe your personal journey to New Zealand, as well as your journey to becoming CEO of Air New Zealand? 
• India and New Zealand recently concluded negotiations on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. How optimistic are you about a transformation in bilateral relations? How is Air New Zealand preparing for a potential change in dynamics? 
• More Indians are flying than ever, yet challenges like aircraft delivery delays and skilled manpower shortages prevent aviation from becoming a breakout sector. How can the sector better serve the aspirations of people in the Global South? 
• How is the sector adopting emerging technologies, like digital wallets and facial ID, while also responding to the imperatives of climate action and sustainability? 

Nikhil Ravishankar, Chief Executive Officer, Air New Zealand, New Zealand 

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Moderator

Pranjal Sharma, Economic Analyst and author; Non-resident Fellow, ORF Middle East, United Arab Emirates 

Studio 11 | Doing Business in a World of Flux

In a world of geopolitical volatility, supply chains are being redesigned, prioritising resilience over efficiency, and at a considerable cost. A constant churn of tariffs, sanctions, and regulatory barriers raise uncertainty for firms, exporters and investors alike, complicating long-term capital allocation. This session will assess how businesses can plan amid policy instability, and what sustained uncertainty ultimately means for productivity and global growth. 

• Are firms able to point now to measurable costs from supply-chain reconfiguration? Who ultimately pays for this – shareholders, consumers, or states? 
• Governments have made economic security a defining priority. But how successfully have they translated that concern into action, convincing companies to realign their investment and sourcing decisions accordingly? 
• How does tariff volatility and regulatory fragmentation affect long-term investment decisions? 

Ryan Miller, Vice President, International Member Relations & South Asia, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, United States of America 

Rick Niu, Founder & CEO of Nexus Worldwide LLC, United States of America

Moderator

Amrita Narlikar, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Studio 12 | In Conversation

Kenya intensified its economic diplomacy in 2025, signing a series of bilateral trade and investment agreements aimed at expanding markets and reducing barriers across Africa, Asia, and Europe. This studio session will explore how Kenya is deploying trade diplomacy to move from an exporter to a value-adding trade hub at the heart of Africa's growth story. 

• How is Kenya leveraging its membership in AfCFTA, COMESA, and the EAC simultaneously, and to what degree are these frameworks complementary? 
• How is Kenya managing the complex international and domestic political conversation around foreign investment? What is needed to make investment from abroad into infrastructure politically and economically sustainable?  
• What infrastructure, logistics, and regulatory investments are most critical to Kenya realising its ambition as a trade and investment hub, and which partners are you hoping will help make that a reality?  

Musalia Mudavadi, Minister of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Kenya 

Moderator

Prathik S Vinod, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 13 | Storytelling in the Age of Platforms

Digital influence today is shaped as much by creativity, narratives, and platforms as by infrastructure or technology. Global content ecosystems have emerged as powerful enablers of the creative economy, unlocking economic opportunity, amplifying diverse voices, and projecting soft power across borders. As digital ecosystems mature, sovereignty itself is being redefined: not as isolation, but as the ability to remain open and innovative while retaining agency, cultural confidence, and narrative power. This session will debate how storytelling, creator-led growth, and responsible platform governance can strengthen resilient digital economies.   

In an era where influence is carried by stories rather than institutions, how can nations convert creative expression into sustained soft power? 
What governance choices determine whether global content platforms become sources of trust and resilience, or vectors of fragmentation?  
How can global reach coexist with local identity, ensuring that scale amplifies cultural confidence rather than homogenising expression? 

Marianna Marcucci, Chair, ALL DIGITAL, Belgium 

Moderator

Jaibal Naduvath, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Studio 14 | Dawn in China: A Spring Surprise?

Over the past decade, Sino-US ties have lurched from crisis to crisis, each low seemingly deeper than the last. Yet under Trump 2.0, the two powers have thus far managed to pull back from the brink, but existing structural tensions still cap the durability of any détente. Against this backdrop, this session examines the logic and long-term implications of President Donald Trump’s forthcoming Spring visit to China.  

• Why is Trump going to China? What is in it for him, and will President Xi Jinping see the Supreme Court’s strike down of Trump’s tariffs as having fatally weakened him?
• What lessons will Beijing have taken from the first year of Trump 2.0? Has it seen a more resolute and active president than it expected, or has it concluded that Trump now considers China too big to ignore?  
• Who really has leverage in this relationship? Can the lure of the US market outweigh Beijing’s determination to control rare earths and move up the tech chain? Or does Xi hold all the cards?  

Melissa Conley Tyler, Honorary Fellow, The University of Melbourne Asia Institute, Australia  

Noah Barkin, Senior Advisor, Rhodium Group's China Practice, Germany  

Rebecca Arcesati, Lead Analyst, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Germany

Moderator

Prathik S Vinod, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 15 | The Long Cast: Does Trump Prove That One Man Matters?

Across cultures, many believe history is shaped by singular figures — from Thomas Carlyle’s 19th-century “great man” theory to George Lucas’ Anakin Skywalker — where institutions, culture, and economics yield to individual impulse. Whether admired or reviled, Donald Trump’s presidency is unilaterally reshaping the world in a style recognisably his own, driven by long-held interests and beliefs. This session will neither glorify nor condemn, but interrogate.  

• Is Donald Trump unique in recent history, or is he part of a global trend? If so, is there something in current circumstances that allows for leaders to have an outsize influence on their polities? 
• Is the Trump administration reflective of its president’s personal desires and obsessions, or is it in fact representative of a broad swathe of Americans' aspirations? If so, have they shaped and chosen Trump, or has Trump affected their beliefs? 
• Can an international system designed around liberal democracy and institutional constraints adapt to a future in which ‘great men’ impose their destinies on the world? 

Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister, Sweden  

Tony Abbott, Former Prime Minister, Australia 

Jane Holl Lute, Former United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, United States of America 

Atul Keshap, Former United States Ambassador; President, United States - India Business Council, United States of America 

Moderator

Palki Sharma, Managing Editor, Firstpost, India

Studio 16 | Unlocking Finance for Climate Adaptation

Climate adaptation is too often treated as a reactive cost: Funding is deployed in the aftermath of major disasters, rather than as a proactive investment. But in a century defined by cascading shocks, adaptation cannot be an afterthought; it must be part of a proactive strategy. Yet their value remains invisible to markets, as ecosystems do not fit clearly on balance sheets. This session will examine whether adaptation can become an investable asset class that delivers measurable ROI, mobilises climate finance, and pays societies not just to recover, but to endure. 

• How can climate finance taxonomies be designed to better channel investment into adaptation, and what lessons can be drawn from existing frameworks that have improved absorption and allocation of adaptation finance?
• As the costs of unpredictable weather grow, are there effective ways in which we can pool risk, spread insurance, and ensure speedy payouts to those affected by climate change-driven events?
• How can the private sector be incentivised to treat resilience and adaptation as something that adds and reinforces value, rather than as ESG expenditure that burnishes their reputation? 

Alisée Pornet, Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer, French Development Agency, France 

Balakrishna Pisupati, Head, United Nations Environment Programme 

Ornela Çuçi, Head Of Research Center For Medicine, Technology and Innovation, Western Balkans University, Albania

Moderator

Aparna Roy, Fellow and Lead, Climate Change and Energy, Observer Research Foundation, India

Studio 17 | OPEN

Studio 18 | A New Climate Order: Who Leads Now?

The United States’ exit from the Paris Agreement has created a leadership vacuum in global climate action at precisely the moment when it urgently needs to accelerate. Other nations and the EU must now redefine what decisive climate action looks like through practical commitments to mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. This session will explore how that vacuum can be filled—and by whom. 

• What plurilateral pathways can now drive climate finance and technology transfer forward, with the United States now formally outside the Paris Agreement? 
• How can ambitious renewable energy models from emerging economies pioneer equitable climate action at a global scale? 
• How has the role of Europe in global climate action evolved in recent years? How can their models be adapted for economies at different stages of development? 

Erik Solheim, Former Minister of Climate and the Environment, Norway

Moderator

Sunjoy Joshi, Chairman, Observer Research Foundation, India

VANTAGE

Studio 1 | OPEN

Studio 2 | Beyond Chips: Taiwan and the 2027 Question

Today, much of the world’s attention is focused on Taiwan. Not just because its semiconductor industry is essential to the functioning of most nations’ economies, but also because of what a conflict in this region could mean for global stability. This session will examine Taiwan’s strategic preparedness beyond chips — political resilience, civil defence, alliances, and deterrence — amid rising regional tensions. It will also ask what constructive and stabilising roles the rest of the world can and should play. 

• How is Taiwan strengthening whole-of-society resilience against military and grey-zone pressure? 
• What does credible deterrence look like without provoking escalation? 
• How can partners in the Indo-Pacific act to stabilise the region? Is the US irreplaceable for Taiwan over the next decade, or are there other alliances, partnerships, and groupings that might partially substitute? 

Vincent Yi-hsiang Chao, Senior Advisor, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, Taiwan 

Moderator

Cary Johnston, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 3 | In Conversation

Seychelles is a pivotal Indian Ocean state where maritime security, ocean governance, and climate resilience anchor national strategy. With a vast Exclusive Economic Zone and a location along critical sea lanes, it has become an influential advocate for the blue economy and climate diplomacy. This studio session examines Victoria’s role in shaping regional cooperation through Indian Ocean Rim Association and what it seeks from the Indian Ocean order on connectivity, sustainable fisheries, and blue economy growth. 

• How does Seychelles leverage its vast Exclusive Economic Zone to advance maritime security, ocean governance, and climate resilience? 
• What does Seychelles want IORA to deliver over the next few years? What role does Victoria visualise for itself as a major player within the IORA? 
• Given India and Seychelles’ deep collaboration across maritime domain awareness, coastal resilience, and fisheries protection, what is the next frontier for their bilateral relationship? 

Barry Faure, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Seychelles 

Moderator

Cary Johnston, Journalist, Firstpost, India

Studio 4 | In Conversation

Sri Lanka is navigating a critical transition from economic crisis to recovery, seeking to rebuild investor confidence and reimagine its development trajectory. This session will explore debt restructuring, green investment pathways, and innovative growth strategies in Sri Lanka. 

• What have been some of the major efforts by Colombo to restore stability in the Sri Lankan economy? What diversified revenue streams and debt strategies restore investor confidence for long-term economic stability? 
• How is Colombo strengthening ties with neighbours and regional partners to enhance maritime security, trade connectivity, economic integration and climate adaptation and mitigation? 
• How can Sri Lanka build climate-resilient infrastructure to safeguard coastal economies from intensifying cyclones and floods? 

Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism, Sri Lanka 

Moderator

Sunjoy Joshi, Chairman, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Studio 5 | OPEN

Studio 5 | In Conversation

As India faces a more complex and volatile security landscape, the Indian Army is recalibrating its doctrine, capabilities and organisational design for multi-domain conflict. New technologies and advancing jointness across the services are redefining readiness and deterrence. This session will consider how structural reform, human capital, and integration will shape the Army’s strategic trajectory in the years ahead. 

• How is the Indian Army evolving its strategy, doctrine, and force structure to address the changing security challenges along the borders, especially with evolving threats in multi-domain warfare? 
• What role do emerging technologies like AI, drones, cyber capabilities, and space-based surveillance play in transforming the operational effectiveness of the Indian Army? 
• With evolving recruitment models and changing aspirations among India’s youth, how is the Army adapting its outreach and training systems to attract and retain high-quality talent? 

General Upendra Dwivedi PVSM, AVSM, ADC, Chief of the Army Staff, India  

Moderator

Harsh V Pant, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Studio 6 | NHRCs in Turbulent Times

As global conflicts multiply and climate shocks become a regular feature, there is an urgent need to expand the scope and capacity for enforcing rights protection. This places greater responsibility on National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) to adapt their mandates, strengthen investigative capacity, and engage more proactively with emerging risks. This session will examine the evolving role of NHRCs – as credible and independent anchors of accountability – in a turbulent geopolitical order.  

• How can National Human Rights Commissions strengthen their investigative and monitoring capacities to respond to rights violations arising from conflict and climate-related displacement? 
• In an era of geopolitical fragmentation, how can NHRIs preserve credibility and independence while engaging more closely with governments and international mechanisms? 
• What institutional reforms or innovations are needed to ensure that National Human Rights Commissions remain effective, trusted anchors of accountability in increasingly complex domestic and global contexts? 

Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, India 

Bharat Lal, Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, National Human Right Commission, India 

Anthony Okechukwu Ojukwu, Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria  

Moderator

Harsh V Pant, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Studio 7 | Rebuilding the Shipyard State

With shipbuilding returning to the centre of US industrial strategy, this session examines what a US–India partnership could unlock for maritime capacity worldwide. It unpacks the Jones Act, Washington’s shifting ship industrial policy, and where India’s manufacturing strengths can plug into emerging supply-chain priorities. What would a practical collaboration look like, and how could it help solve maritime bottlenecks beyond just the two countries? 

• Is the Jones Act a foundation for rebuilding US maritime capacity, or a constraint that makes scaling shipbuilding harder? 
• What is Washington really trying to achieve by reviving shipbuilding as industrial policy: jobs, resilience, or maritime power? 
• What would an effective US–India shipbuilding partnership actually look like in contracts, yards, and supply chains? 

Brent Sadler, Senior Research Fellow, Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology, Allison Center for National Security, United States of America 

Moderator

Prathik S Vinod, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 8 | Hedging, Holding, or Recalibrating? Allies under Trump 2.0

A paradoxical feature of Trump 2.0 has been the limited attention paid to Asian allies alongside an irresistible impulse to impose tariffs on them. Meanwhile, the push for greater burden-sharing in Europe has in turn cast a shadow over the reliability of US collective defence commitments in the Indo-Pacific. As China deepens supply chain integration and long-term financing relationships across the region, this session will explore how America’s traditional allies in the Indo-Pacific are recalibrating their own strategies. 

• How are US allies in the Indo-Pacific adjusting to its apparent shift from being a system stabiliser toward a more transactional, sometimes extractive, hegemon? 
• Is the unpredictable approach of Trump 2.0 nudging Asian partners toward deeper engagement with China, even if it means settling with less favourable terms from Beijing? 
• Is there a growing consensus among key Indo-Pacific powers that they may need to construct a local geometry of security less dependent on the United States? 

Christopher B. Johnstone, Partner and Chair, Defence and National Security Practice, Asia Group, United States of America 

Tomoyuki Yoshida, Chief Executive Director, The Japan Institute of International Affairs, Japan  

Lisa Singh, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Australia India Institute. Former Senator from Tasmania, Australia   

Moderator

Cary Johnston, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 9 | The Long Cast: The Inevitable Triangle

The Russia–US rivalry defined much of the postwar geopolitical architecture. Since the Cold War, India’s strategic orientation has evolved to sustain significant proximity with both Moscow and Washington, even as tensions between them persist. As that earlier geopolitical cycle gives way to a more fluid order, this session will examine whether a new triangular framework among India, Russia and the United States is conceivable — and what its limits might be. 

• Under what systemic conditions do triangular relationships institutionalise into durable arrangements rather than remain transactional? 
• Can India emerge as the power that helps Moscow and Washington get over their historical baggage as we move towards a new geopolitical dawn? 
• What could be some of the meaningful areas where this triangular cooperation could be tested? 

Alexander A. Dynkin, President, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation    

James Carafano, Director, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, United States of America 

Harsh V Pant, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation, India  

Moderator

Cary Johnston, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 10 | Powering Intelligence: Nuclear Energy for the AI Era

The explosive growth of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems demands unprecedented levels of reliable, carbon-free electricity to power vast data centre networks. Nuclear energy emerges as a compelling solution to meet these immense power requirements without derailing climate commitments. The intersection of these technologies will reshape energy security, industrial competitiveness, and the geopolitical landscape in profound ways. 

• How can nations rapidly scale nuclear energy capacity to meet the surging electricity demands of AI data centres while maintaining grid stability and energy affordability for other sectors? What needs to change about regulation, finance, and international law to make this possible?  
• How can developing countries secure access to nuclear technology and fuel for AI infrastructure given existing non-proliferation restrictions? What alternative energy pathways exist if these barriers prove insurmountable? 
• How might the concentration of nuclear-powered AI infrastructure reshape global technological leadership? 

Bjorn Lomborg, President, Copenhagen Consensus Centre, Denmark  

Moderator

David Victor, Professor of innovation and public policy at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, United States of America 

Studio 11 | BRICS and the Future of Development Finance

BRICS is seeking to build a more development-centred financial architecture, focused on infrastructure, industrialisation and South–South capital flows. As traditional finance tightens and conditionalities deepen, its institutions are positioning themselves as alternative sources of long-term, policy-sensitive funding. This session will assess whether BRICS-led developmental finance can evolve into a credible pillar of a more plural global system. 

• Can BRICS development finance deliver greater scale, speed and flexibility than the alternatives? 
• Will BRICS-led developmental finance complement existing institutions, or gradually redefine the norms and priorities of global development capital? 
• How can we share information between BRICS countries about what structural reforms work to enter into global supply chains and increase economic autonomy and sovereignty? 

Alexandra Morozkina, Senior Expert at the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development, Russian Federation 

Fabiano Mielniczuk, Professor of Political Science, Focal Point of the BRICS-NU at UFRGS, Brazilian Representative at the Civil BRICS Council, Brazil 

Moderator

Prathik S Vinod, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 12 | Who Pays to Save the Planet?

For climate-vulnerable societies, the crisis is increasingly a question of fiscal survival as much as environmental risk. Adaptation costs are rising, debt space is shrinking, and access to affordable capital remains uneven — with small island and other exposed states facing the sharpest constraints. This session will examine whether the current climate finance system can deliver predictable, concessional and fair support at scale, or whether its incentives and instruments require structural reform. 

• Are we making progress in moving “from billions to trillions” on climate finance, as was promised a decade ago? Why not? 
• Climate finance overwhelmingly prioritises mitigation of emissions, rather than adaptation. How do we change this, as developing countries demand? 
• Have campaigns by small island states and vulnerable nations succeeded in raising the profile of their challenges and increasing their access to finance? 
• Mohamed Nasheed, Former President; Secretary-General, Climate Vulnerable Forum & V20, Maldives 

Shombi Sharp, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 

Mohamed Nasheed, Former President; Secretary-General, Climate Vulnerable Forum & V20, Maldives

Moderator

Anna Tunkel, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Impact LLC, United States of America  

Studio 13 | OPEN

Studio 14 | Assertion, Accommodation, and Advancement in Space

Space security is shifting from a strategic concern to a defining test of deterrence, resilience, and crisis management in orbit. This session will examine how states can assert their autonomous capabilities, accommodate collaboration, and advance responsible behaviour in an increasingly congested and contested space domain. 

• Given that some adversaries are investing in counter-space weapons, what investments in resilient architectures and which forms of allied burden-sharing are you looking at to maintain the upper hand in any potential confrontation in orbit? 
• How can collaboration be structured so partners gain interoperability and shared awareness without creating single points of failure, dependency risks, or technology-leakage concerns? 
• How can responsible behaviour be codified for space? Can they be operationalised in such a way that deterrence remains credible, and the domain stable? 

General Stephen N. Whiting, Commander, U.S. Space Command, United States of America 

Moderator

Palki Sharma, Managing Editor, Firstpost, India 

Studio 15 | Navigating the New Disorder

Even at the height of multilateralism, international law functioned more as a patchwork of normative ideals than a strict constraint on state behaviour. Today, as the Trump administration fundamentally reshapes global governance amid cascading crises and resurgent state irredentism, this session will explore how—or if—international institutions can be salvaged and rewired for a transactional era. 

• How unique is the postwar global governance architecture from a historical perspective? Was it always doomed to fail given its lack of implementation power? 
• What most clearly distinguishes a rules-based order, even an imperfect one that still sees unilateral behaviour from powerful states, with the sort of “deals”-based order that Trump has ushered in? 
• Can plurilateral institutional frameworks be a reasonable solution or they bound to turn into regional spheres of influence over time? 

Ian Johnstone, Professor of International Law, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, United States of America 

Moderator

Arun Sukumar, Non-Resident Senior Fellow – Technology, ORF Middle East, United Arab Emirates 

Studio 16 | The China Question: Navigating Power, Proximity, and Partnership

The China Question is reshaping regional security architectures, economic interdependencies, and strategic calculations across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. As global powers recalibrate strategies from decoupling to selective engagement, understanding how frontline democracies reconcile proximity, commerce, and sovereignty becomes essential for sustainable coexistence. 

• How are different regions and states frame the core challenges and opportunities in engaging with Beijing?  
• What are the differences between how Europe and Northeast Asia view their economic security concerns with respect to China?  
• As countries adopt varying China policies—from confrontation to conditional engagement—how can coordination be strengthened without demanding uniformity? Where do shared interests converge despite different regional contexts? 

Hiroyuki Akita, Foreign & International Security Commentator, Nikkei, Japan 

Ji Yeon-jung, Assistant Professor in the Department of Miliary History and Strategy, ROK Naval Academy, Republic of Korea 

Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Visiting Fellow, Martens Centre, Belgium

Moderator

Prathik S Vinod, Journalist, Firstpost, India 

Studio 17 | The Price of Carbon: Markets and Multilateralism

EU climate diplomacy grapples with post-Paris multilateral fatigue, where leadership hinges on tools like CBAM amid Global South pushback on trade distortions. Carbon markets face integrity crises from Article 6 loopholes, credit quality gaps, and market volatility. This studio session will explore diplomatic recalibrations, market safeguards, and security-resilient pathways. 

• How can the integrity of Article 6 mechanisms be strengthened to prevent loopholes and ensure credible outcomes? 
• How can trade competitiveness and environmental goals be effectively balanced, following the recently signed EU-India FTA? 
• To what extent did COP30 fall at prior hurdles on carbon markets, and what forward-looking steps could strengthen outcomes at COP31? 

Niels Annen, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany  

Louise van Schaik, Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs, Clingendael, Netherlands 

Moderator

Gopalika Arora, Deputy Director, Centre for Economy and Growth, Observer Research Foundation, India

Studio 18 | OPEN

Meeting Room 1, Bharat Mandapam

Welcome Tea/Coffee

Opening Session

Welcome Remarks

Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Chair and Co-Chair’s Addresses

Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India

Peter Gluckman, President, International Science Council; Founder and Managing Trustee, Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures, New Zealand

Marilyne Andersen, Director General, Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator, Switzerland

Vijay Chauthaiwale, In-charge, Department of Foreign Affairs, Bhartiya Janata Party, India

Master of Ceremonies

Rudra Chaudhuri, Vice-President, Observer Research Foundation, India

Speed talk 1

Jahnavi Phalkey, Founding Director, Science Gallery Bengaluru, India

Roundtable 1 | Science Diplomacy in the Era of Strategic Autonomy

This expert roundtable will explore how science diplomacy can adapt to an era in which strategic autonomy has become a central policy objective, even as scientific progress continues to rely on openness and cross-border exchange. The discussion will examine how countries can pragmatically navigate the growing friction between the pursuit of technological and knowledge sovereignty and the inherently transnational nature of science, which thrives on shared data, distributed expertise, and global research networks.

Participants will reflect on how trade-related dynamics, supply-chain considerations, export controls, and regulatory regimes increasingly shape the pathways of technological innovation, researcher mobility, and international research collaboration. The roundtable will also
consider the implications of evolving visa policies, data localisation measures, and intellectual property regimes on the flow of talent and ideas, particularly for emerging and middle-income economies seeking to strengthen domestic capabilities without retreating into isolation.

Looking ahead, the session will invite experts to deliberate on the shifts and innovations needed in the practice of science diplomacy itself. This includes rethinking cooperation models to emphasise selective openness, trusted partnerships, co-development of critical technologies, and reciprocity in knowledge exchange. The discussion will seek to outline how science diplomacy can remain an enabling force - supporting national resilience and strategic autonomy while preserving the collaborative foundations essential for advancing science-at-large.

Scene-setting Remarks

Peter Gluckman, President, International Science Council; Founder and Managing Trustee, Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures, New Zealand
Interventions:

Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India

Balakrishna Pisupati, Head, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), India

Maria Jarquin, Governing Board Member, International Science Council

Jan Marco Mueller, Team Leader Global Approach, Multilateral Dialogue and Science Diplomacy, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission

Vaughan Turekian, Executive Director, Policy and Global Affairs, U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, USA

Zakri Hamid, Former Head, UN Science Advisory Board

In the Chair

Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India

Speed talk 2 | Technology Foresight

Steen Søndergaard, NATO Chief Scientist

Roundtable 2 | Science Diplomacy and Governance of Disruptive Technologies

This expert roundtable will critically examine how science and technology diplomacy can evolve to support equitable governance and responsible adoption of disruptive technologies in a rapidly changing global landscape. As emerging technologies advance at a pace far exceeding the development of standards, regulatory frameworks, and governance norms, policymakers and institutions are increasingly required to take decisions amid high uncertainty, incomplete evidence, and limited foresight into long-term societal impacts.

The discussion will reflect on whether existing international institutions and multilateral mechanisms are sufficiently equipped to assess and guide the deployment of disruptive technologies across sectors. The experts will explore how the growing influence of large technology firms, through control over data, platforms, standards-setting processes, and global value chains, reshapes technological trajectories, often narrowing policy choices for states, and especially technologically-vulnerable economies. The roundtable will also examine the implications of deepening state-big tech firm nexus, which can accelerate innovation but may simultaneously challenge global norms, trade competitiveness, market fairness, and the interests of countries outside dominant technology blocs.

Against this backdrop, this roundtable will invite experts to articulate a renewed outlook for science diplomacy, one that goes beyond traditional cooperation frameworks to enable collective risk assessment and rebalance power asymmetries in global technology ecosystems. Emphasis will be placed on how science diplomacy can foster trust, inclusivity, and shared stewardship of disruptive/frontier technologies.

Scene-setting Remarks

Vijay Chauthaiwale, In-charge, Department of Foreign Affairs, Bhartiya Janata Party, India

Interventions

Doyin Odubanjo, Secretary General, Nigerian Academy of Sciences

Hema Sridhar, Director of Programmes and Government Relations, Koi Tu Centre for Informed Futures, New Zealand

Macharia Kamau, Former Head of Foreign Affairs Kenya; Co-chair UN General Assembly Commission on SDGs

Geetha Vani Rayasam, Director, CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research

Sudip Parikh, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Publisher, Science Journals, USA

Tateo Arimoto, Senior Advisor to the President of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

William Marks, Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School, USA

In the Chair

Marilyne Andersen, Director General, Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator, Switzerland

Closing Remarks

Peter Gluckman, President, International Science Council; Founder and Managing Trustee, Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures, New Zealand

Vijay Chauthaiwale, In-charge, Department of Foreign Affairs, Bhartiya Janata Party, India