Connecting Global South Asians: Second South Asian Diaspora Convention to be held in November

This year’s key issues include investment in South Asia, expanding networks.

LAHORE:

The Institute of South Asian Studies (Isas) in Singapore will host the second South Asian Diaspora Convention (SADC) in Singapore from November 21-23.

Aiming at providing a platform to tap into investment opportunities in South Asia, the event, themed ‘Connecting Global South Asians’, will include sessions with more than 40 leaders, including the region’s top policymakers, business and industry leaders, as well as key figures from academia, media, culture and civil society.

A focused South Asia business meet will also be arranged on the sidelines of the conference to facilitate partnerships between organisations looking to grow their presence in the region and expand their networks. Delegates will also get a chance to meet first-hand a wide spectrum of business leaders of South Asia.

South Asia has been a hub for investors for some years now. This region has also had the most immigrants settling in other countries in the last decade. Diasporic connections are crucial to any country with regards to its economic and political status.

Isas Chairman Ambassador Gopinath Pillai, who is also the chairman of the SADC organising committee, said, “With Singapore providing a neutral and dynamic platform, we aim to foster deeper links within the South Asian diaspora, as well as between South and South East Asia.”

According to an Isas press release issued on August 21, over 1,500 delegates are expected to attend this year’s event. This is 500 more than last year’s attendance.

The list of speakers includes Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Indian Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shahshi Tharoor, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Yaseen Anwar.

Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid, whose recent bestseller How to get Filthy Rich in South Asia hit the markets in April, and award-winning Indian film actress and director Nandita Das will also speak at the event.

Other sessions will include business symposiums to spotlight and facilitate discussion on select growth in South Asia, and the future of this region in terms of culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Commenting on the scope and chances of growth for investors, Isas Director Professor Tan Tai Yong said that South Asia had tremendous growth potential with a significantly growing middle-class population that will contribute positively to the growth of the global economy in the next two decades.

An Encyclopaedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora, published by Isas and Editions Didier Millet, which focuses on the socioeconomic and political developments of the Sri Lankan diaspora and their contribution to host societies around the world, will also be launched during this event.

Registrations to attend the convention will be open till September 30.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th 2013.

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