Fifth edition of Raisina Dialogue focusing on geopolitics, geo-economics begins today

The fifth edition of the Raisina Dialogue 2020, India's annual global conference on geopolitics and geo-economics is set to kick-off here Tuesday with the participation of more than 100 countries.

The flagship conference jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation has been India's contribution to global efforts to discover solutions, identify opportunities and provide stability to a century that has witnessed an eventful two decades.

The three-day conclave will bring together 700 international participants, of which 40 per cent of the speakers will be women, emphasising India's commitment to gender equality.

Along with the participation of 12 foreign ministers, including the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Australia, Maldives, South Africa, Estonia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Latvia, Uzbekistan and the European Union, the National Security Adviser (NSA) of Afghanistan, the Deputy NSA of the United States and several other ministers of state will also present their ideas.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will share his insights on India's growing role in the world in a session on January 15.

This year's Dialogue titled 'Navigating the Alpha Century' is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion, involving heads of states, cabinet ministers and local government officials as well as major private sector executives, members of the media and academics.

The inaugural session of the mega-event today will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi where other visiting leaders will share their views on important challenges facing the world related to globalisation, 2030 agenda, role of technology in the modern world, climate change and counter-terrorism.

Over the course of two days thereafter (on January15-16), intensive deliberations will take place over 80 sessions around 5 thematic pillars - the nationalist impulses challenging global institutions and collective action, the debate on the global trading architecture, the role of technologies in determining political, economic and military power, the global development agenda and the state-individual relationship in the age of digital communities and cyberspace, according to a statement by the MEA.

In the short space of five years, the Raisina Dialogue has acquired an enviable global profile uniting the best strategic thinkers of the world. The synergies and collaborations in the Raisina Dialogue represent India's deliberative ethos, as well as its international credibility and convening power. The Raisina Dialogue has grown along with India's diplomatic profile and will set the tone for its intensive diplomatic engagement this year.

The inaugural address was to be delivered by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison but he called off his visit in view of the bushfire crisis in his country.