To identify growth opportunities through innovation in South Asia
Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) is hosting the 4th South Asian Diaspora Convention (SADC) at the National University of Singapore from 15th to 17th November 2019.
ISAS was established in July 2004 as an autonomous research institute at the National University of Singapore. ISAS is dedicated to research on contemporary South Asia. The institute seeks to promote understanding of this vital region of the world, and to communicate knowledge and insights about it to policy makers, the business community, academia and civil society in Singapore and beyond.
800 distinguished guests and more than 30 of the region’s leading policymakers, business leaders, academics and civil society leaders are expected to take part in the forthcoming SADC.
The convention begins with a gala dinner on the 15th November at Shangri-La hotel. Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Singapore will be the Guest-of Honour. In the gala dinner, two awards will be conferred – Outstanding Member of the South Asian Diaspora award and Special lifetime achievement award. The recipients will be known only on the day of the presentation.
On the 16th November the full day convention will consist of seven sessions that cover various geopolitical and economic topics pertaining to South Asia and its diaspora. The sub-themes include:
Business in South Asia: Opportunities and Challenges, Infrastructure and smart cities, Innovation, start-ups and youth, women empowerment in South Asia, South Asian Diaspora: A strategic Asset?, technology in financial services, trends in education technology.
The keynote address will be delivered by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and coordinating Minister for National Security of Singapore followed by an interactive session on the 16th November between 10-10 am and 11-00 am.
First time a session on women empowerment in South Asia has been included. Mr Gopinath Pillai, Chairman, ISAS said that ‘as the position of women in society is evolving, we have included a topic on women empowerment this year’. In this session, several female political leaders and change makers will take part and Ms Indranee Rajah, Singapore’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s office and Second Minister for Finance and Education, will deliver her keynote address.
Mr Lawrance wong, Singapore’s Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance will deliver his keynote speech and participate in an interactive session for the plenary on infrastructure and smart cities.
The convention will reinforce Singapore’s position as a hub for international commerce and business connection and entrench Singapore’s position as a global thought leader.
This year for the first time, ISAS have also planned for an exciting cricket match on Sunday, 17th November 2019 with corporate teams and top-notch South Asian celebrities like Mohammad Azharuddin, Harbajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan from India and T M Dishan from Srilanka, Mohammad Ashraful, Abdur Razzak from Bangladesh. An in-conversation session with Indian cricket legends Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid will be held on the evening of 17th November 2019 as the finale of SADC 2019.
SADC 2019 will provide a platform for the South Asian diaspora and the rest of the world to engage in inventive conversations, thus keeping in line with the theme of ‘Vibrant South Asia- innovative diaspora’.
For more information, please visit http://www.southasiandiaspora.org
Source:: Media Release of ISAS on 12th November 2019, Singapore