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Context

• Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has told a Parliament committee that the Raisina Dialogue is now among the most significant global-level think tank events in the world.

Raisina Dialogue

About

• The Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.

Concept of Raisina Dialogue

• The concept of Raisina dialogue is inspired by the Shangri-La dialogue which is held every year in Singapore.
• In the Shangri-La dialogue, the focus is mainly to discuss the defence issue. This is also known as Asia’s premier defence summit. Whereas Raisina dialogue is a broad-based term.

The name

• The name "Raisina Dialogue" comes from Raisina Hill, an elevation in New Delhi, seat of the Government of India, as well as the Presidential Palace of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Commencement

• It is held annually since 2016.

Organization

• It is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) an independent think tank.
• This effort is supported by a number of institutions, organizations and individuals, who are committed to the mission of the conference.

Aim

• The Raisina Dialogue is held to provide a platform for discussing important global issues and fostering greater cooperation among nations.
• The conference aims to facilitate a constructive dialogue on a wide range of topics, including security, economics, climate change, and technology.
• The Raisina Dialogue also serves as a platform for India to showcase its growing strategic and economic significance on the global stage.

Participants

• The Raisina Dialogue is attended by a wide range of participants, including government officials, policymakers, business leaders, and strategic experts from various countries.
• The conference attracts delegates from around the world, with a special emphasis on Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. In the past, the conference has been attended by high-level dignitaries such as heads of state, foreign ministers, and top business leaders.

Significance

• Since its foundation, the Raisina Dialogue has emerged as a leading global conference on international affairs featuring the participation of heads of state, ministers, journalists, academics, and researchers from across the globe.
• The first Raisina Dialogue was held in 2016, in which over 100 representatives from over 35 countries spoke on the theme, “Asia: Regional and Global Connectivity”.

8th Edition of Raisina Dialogue 2023

• The theme for the 2023 edition of the Raisina Dialogue was “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse In The Tempest?”
• This year, over the course of three days, over 250 decision-makers and thought leaders of the world engaged in 100 conversations of various formats.

The discussions deliberated over five thematic pillars:

• • Neo Insurgence: Geographies, Domains, Ambitions.
  • Amoral Mosaic: Contest, Cooperate or Cancel.
  • Chaotic Codes: Sovereignty, Security, Society.
  • Pernicious Passports: Climate, Commons, Citizens.
  • Grey Rhinos: Democracies, Dependencies, and Debt Traps.
• Over 2500 participants are expected to join the dialogue in person and the proceedings would reach millions across various digital platforms.

Why does the Dialogue matter?

• The Raisina Dialogue has quickly become India’s premier event on foreign policy and strategic affairs, with the aim to increase engagement of global actors with Asia and of Asia with the world.
• An event of such scale sets the tone for the rest of the year. The Dialogue provides a platform for the government to state its position on various questions and issues of international relations.
• The event gives many experts, and other countries, a glimpse into the Indian government’s near-term priorities in international relations. Such insight is exceedingly, and this is no doubt why the Raisina Dialogue has proved to be a success.
• The Dialogue also provides a golden chance for young scholars and researchers to interact with a galaxy of stars from the international relations universe. Also, it gives a platform for researchers to network and perhaps even collaborate.
• The Dialogue has arguably played an essential role in the blossoming policy the event creates an ecosystem for the growth and development of think tanks and other policy groups sector in Delhi.
• The Dialogue’s success as an emerging global platform reflects how governments can shed their rigid “we know it all approach” and collaborate with think tanks and other parties with a stake in global affairs for informed and credible engagement.

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. The Raisina Dialogue has quickly become India’s premier event on foreign policy and strategic affairs committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Analayse.

https://www.news18.com/india/raisina-dialogue-key-think-tank-event-in-world-pm-modis-presence-in-2016-transformed-it-foreign-secy-8529108.html