> Byline > Regional Young Scholar’s Forum recommended coalitions and tangible collaborations within and across borders, based on fresh thinking and ideation by young scholars  
Date of Publish: 2019-03-26
Submited By: Asian Confluence
Contact: [email protected]

Shillong, 19th March, 2019:  The fourth edition of the Young Scholars’ Forum was organised by the Asian Confluence on March 18-19, 2019 in Shillong, Meghalaya with collaboration with Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi, Asian Center for Development, Bangladesh and Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs, Nepal. The theme of this year’s forum was “Engaging Youth to Re-envision the regional discourse and action on Water and Rivers: For Trade, Connectivity, Tourism, Livelihood and Climate Change Adaption”.

Speaking at the platform, Ambassador Shahidul Islam, Secretary General, BIMSTEC Secretariat, welcomed the forum and extended his support for all scholars in their efforts to bring together ideas, collaborations and action towards creating a more connected and integrated region.

Mr. Ram Muivah, Secretary, North Eastern Council, heartily welcomed the fourth edition of the forum and said that the engagement of young minds is a key ingredient towards solving development challenges of the North East. He highlighted the immense potential that the region has, particularly in terms of cross-border trade, tourism, water resources, and hordes of other sectors and connecting physically, culturally and intellectually will help North East region to be transformed from a land-locked to a water-linked land bridge.

Ambassador T C A Raghavan, Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs, shared that scholarship is key to harness ideas, energies and faculties from young minds of the region towards a more connected and prosperous region. The forum came up with key ideas and directions for research and action agenda to be taken up by young scholars from across the region to influence the regional discourse on water and rivers. The forum concluded that coalitions and tangible collaborations both within and across borders, based on fresh thinking, ideation and research by young minds is the key to create a change pathway that speaks to the needs of the countries and region. Involved and participatory thinking and action will help bring creative breakthroughs, which in turn will help find solutions to complex and layered problems of the region.

The forum had active participation from eminent dignitaries like Ambassador Shahidul Islam, Secretary General, BIMSTEC Secretariat, Mr. Ram Muivah, Secretary, North Eastern Council, Ambassador T C A Raghavan, Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs, Dr. Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur, Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner, Guwahati and eminent academicians and young scholars from AIDIA, Nepal, Asian Development Center, Bangladesh, Vietnam Institute for Indian and Southwest Asian Studies, Ha Noi, Vietnam and ICWA, IIT Guwahati, Guwahati University, Rajiv Gandhi University, Earth Day Network, CPR, MBDA, India from a total of twenty four organisations across the region. The forum also lead to several concrete ideas and agreements on cross-border collaborations that the participating organisations pledged to. A total twenty four Institutions and organisations participated at the forum, which includes IIT Guwahati.


For more information contact Mr.Sayandeep Chattopadhyay, Senior Research Associate, Asian Confluence (+91 7026776218, [email protected])

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