The Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 7th edition of Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, on April 25.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will join the Inaugural Session as Chief Guest.

The Dialogue will be held in an in-person format over three days, April 25-27, the Ministry of External Affairs said, announcing details about the event on Thursday.

The event will also see the presence of Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister of Sweden, Stephen Harper, Former Prime Minister of Canada, Mohamed Nasheed, Former President of Maldives and Anthony Abbott, Former Prime Minister of Australia.

Abdulla Shahid, President of the United Nations General Assembly will deliver a pre-recorded address, the MEA said.

Foreign Ministers of Argentina, Armenia, Australia (online) Guyana, Nigeria, Norway, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia will also participate, the MEA added.

The Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, held annually since 2016. It is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Last year, the Dialogue was held in a virtual format due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “This year, the Dialogue is being held in an ‘in-person’ format. The organizers have taken all necessary measures to adhere to Covid-19 health protocols to ensure safe conduct of the Dialogue,” the MEA mentioned.

The theme for the 2022 Edition is ‘Terra Nova: Impassioned, Impatient, and Imperilled’.

According to the MEA, over the course of three days, the Dialogue, will have panel discussions and conversations across multiple formats on six thematic pillars.

The pillars are:

(i) Rethinking Democracy: Trade, Tech and Ideology

(ii) End of Multilateralism: A Networked Global Order?

(iii) Water Caucuses: Turbulent Tides in the Indo-Pacific

(iv) Communities Inc.: First Responders to Health, Development, and Planet

(v) Achieving Green Transitions: Common Imperative, Diverging Realities

(vi) Samson vs Goliath: The Persistent and Relentless Tech Wars.

This year, Raisina Dialogue side-events will be hosted in Berlin and Washington D.C as well.

The Raisina Young Fellows programme will be also be conducted on the sidelines of the main conference, the MEA said.

The 2022 Edition will have over 100 sessions with over 210 speakers from more than 90 countries and multilateral organisations. A large audience is also likely to join the Dialogue across various social media platforms, the MEA said.

In the past seven years, the Raisina Dialogue has grown in stature and profile to emerge as a leading global conference on international affairs.

The Dialogue attracts prominent thought leaders from the global strategic and policy-making community to discuss key geopolitical developments and strategic issues facing the world.