India’s North Eastern States & Eastern Neighbours: Engaging For Connectivity, Culture & Prosperity- ‘The Shillong Dialogue’
Date: Fri Dec 05, 2014 - Sat Dec 06, 2014
Location: Hotel Polo Tower, Shillong , Hosts: Asian Confluence
Location: Hotel Polo Tower, Shillong , Hosts: Asian Confluence
To bring to light various debates revolving around the issue of collective development in the North East, the Asian Confluence organised The Shillong Dialogue. A large number of widely known participants cutting across the spectrum of professions, expertise and backgrounds gathered for three days in this two-day seminar and deliberated on issues of serious public and sub-regional interest with very focused conversations on how this prolific and well-endowed sub-region could collectively work and move together to maximize the benefits of cooperation under India’s Act East Policy, with a special focus on the role of Civil Society. These delegates ranged from politics to diplomacy, bureaucracy to academics, media to NGOs and students to young leaders from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar and Nepal.
The Aims and Objectives of The Shillong Dialogue were:
• To consolidate the process of bringing together Governments, Businesses, Academicians, Activists, Civil Society (especially in our North Eastern Region) AND our immediate neighbours in South East Asia, to synergise ideas and evolve action plans to further accelerate transformation of “Look East Policy” to “Act East Policy” through active association and support of the Civil Society.
• To initiate, stimulate and accelerate the process of revival and strengthening of the age-old friendly socio-cultural, spiritual, economic & strategic ties between the peoples of India and of our neighbouring countries in S-E Asia by leveraging our common heritage, history and aspirations for Asian Resurgence, to build a better and more prosperous future for us all.
• To intensify purposeful involvement of the people of NER (our land bridge to the S-E Asia), especially of our bright youth to contribute their talent in sectors like tourism, health, education, agro-industries etc to build up prosperity for all in this large Asian sub-region.
• To emerge with a consensus action plan on how civil society in the Third Space can participate in and contribute to the success of the programmes of the Government of India for development of the S-E Region and prosperity of its peoples.
The Agenda for the Shillong Dialogue is as follows:
DAY 1: Friday, 5th December, 2014
Session 1: Regional and Sub-Regional Realities: The Voice from Below Revisiting the geographical, geo-economic and geopolitical imperatives that bind the composite region of North East India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh together.
Session 2: What is Our Togetherness Agenda?
Session 2: What is Our Togetherness Agenda?
Session 3: Setting the Togetherness Agenda and Regaining the Third Space
DAY 2: Saturday, 6th Dec, 2014
Session 4: Enabling of Culture and Tourism by the Third Space
Session 5: Education and Skill Development for Regional Cooperation
Session 6: Managing Perceptions and the Third
Session 7: Views on Prospects of Indo-Myanmar Relations
