Policy Events (April 5 - April 11)
The new race in the Arctic, vaccine passports, digital policy, European powers in the Indo-Pac and post-pandemic recovery are among the topics being discussed at think tank events next week.
There are more events this week than usual! Each week Policy People puts together a list of think tank events from around the globe. Below is our list for April 5 to April 11. There are several events that look at digital policy from various angles, as well as post-pandemic recovery talks on India and other countries. There is a talk on competition in the Arctic and Franco-German interests in the Indo-Pacific. There is also a stimulating debate on the ethics of vaccine passports.
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Webinar
COUNCIL ON ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND WATER – Monday, 5 April 2021 @ 10:30am India Standard Time (UTC+5:30)
How to Accelerate Asia's Renewable Energy Transition: Policies, Markets and Emerging Issues
The discussion will cover critical debates on policies, markets and emerging issues that shape the renewable energy transition in the Asian region which is rapidly becoming an epicentre of global energy consumption. We will draw insights from the latest book 'Renewable Energy Transition in Asia: Policies, Markets and Emerging Issues'. We will focus on domestic policies, geopolitics, technology landscape, and governance structure on renewable energy development across Asian countries.
For more information and registration: https://www.ceew.in/events/how-accelerate-asias-renewable-energy-transition-policies-markets-and-emerging-issues
Online
OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (ORF) – Tuesday, 6 April 2021 @ 12pm Indian Standard Time (UTC+5:30)
Envisioning the post-pandemic metropolis: Learnings from Mumbai, India and Tel-Aviv Israel
This conference will explore this shift, which is physical, social, and economic, through the experiences of the Mumbai and Tel-Aviv metropolitan regions. These nationally important and globally connected conurbations have had to adapt to the health and socio-economic crises brought about by the pandemic. Driven by four themes of technology, socio-economic inclusion, the built-environment, and the climate emergency – all of which impact metropolitan resilience – the discussions will explore how post-pandemic metropolises are planning better and creating more resilient and sustainable communities.
For more information and registration: https://www.orfonline.org/research/envisioning-the-post-pandemic-metropolis/
Zoom Webinar
WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE (WRI) – Tuesday, 6 April 2021 @ 6:30pm India Standard Time (UTC+5:30)
Stories to Watch: India Edition 2021
Beyond the stories that dominate headlines are the ones that affect the lives and livelihoods of millions on the planet. Like other countries, India is shaping its own unique action plan in building back better after the COVID-19 pandemic along with putting climate action centerstage. Indian decisions have global imperatives which make Stories to Watch: India Edition 2021 even more relevant as we explore the major challenges and policy actions to watch out for in 2021.
For more information and registration: https://wri-india.org/events/stories-watch-india-edition-2021
Online event
FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE – Tuesday, 6 April 2021 @ 1pm (UTC-4)
Braving the Cold: Climate, Competition, and Collaboration in the Arctic Sea Lanes
With sea lanes opening in the Arctic, a new race for resources has created opportunities for both cooperation and competition among Arctic nations and great powers alike. With Russia assuming the rotating chair of the Arctic Council this year, how will this impact Arctic diplomacy? What role will climate change play in these negotiations? How will U.S. competition with Russia impact agreements over Arctic waterways and resources? To answer these questions and yours, FPRI has assembled a panel of experts on Arctic Policy. Joining host will be former NASA Scientist Anthony Strawa, Russian Energy Policy Expert Roman Sidorstov, and the U.S. Naval War College’s Rebecca Pincus.
For more information and registration: https://www.fpri.org/event/2021/braving-the-cold/
Online
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS- Tuesday, 6 April 2021 @ 5:30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10)
Meet the Ambassador Series - Brazil
HE Sergio Eduardo Moreira Lima, Ambassador of Brazil to Australia in conversation with Jim Middleton. 2020 marked 75 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Brazil, but the trade relationship stretches back to 1787! The relationship is built not just on rum as it once was but on a broad range of common interests spanning education, agriculture, strong two-way investment, security and the promotion of liberal democratic values. Despite the strong relationship, the impact of COVID-19 has asked tough questions of the countries both economically and politically. As the two largest countries and economies south of the equator with shared interests, can we be doing more? How do the two countries handle a competitive commodity market? What are the prospects?
For more information and registration: https://aiiavic.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events/33904-meet-the-ambassador-series-brazil
Online
INSTITUTE OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN STUDIES, BERKELEY – Wednesday, 7 April 2021 @ 4pm Pacific Time (UTC-4)
North Korean Refugee Entrepreneurs in South Korea: Unveiling Korea's Hidden Potential
Seventy-five years after the onset of Asia’s Cold War, the world remains focused on the geopolitics of inter-Korean relations. Meanwhile, an emerging community of more than 33,000 refugees from North Korea currently live in South Korea; half aspire to become entrepreneurs. This discussion will focus on the lives of refugee entrepreneurs, exploring their aspirations, experiences, challenges, and opportunities amid discrimination, limited financial access, and barriers in culture and language. Expert panelists will discuss insights from North Korean refugee entrepreneurs and offer a set of strategic recommendations to bolster social inclusion and support refugee entrepreneurs in Korea.
For more information and registration: https://berkeley.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GZnkslcBTASMjCqAXIHr4w
Live Webinar
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES (IISS) – Wednesday, 7 April 2021 @ 10am British Summer Time (UTC+1)
UK−EU strategic and security cooperation after the trade deal and the pandemic
Despite concluding a trade agreement, the United Kingdom and the European Union, have been wrangling over its implementation. Tensions have risen between them over COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution, with allegations of economic and vaccine nationalism made on both sides. The frictions between them hardly seem conducive to close strategic and security cooperation. This webinar will discuss the prospects for UK−EU strategic and security cooperation. What are the prospects for defence cooperation between the UK and the EU, and EU member states? Have fractious negotiations over the trade deal and vaccine supply done lasting damage to the relationship between them? And what appetite is there for UK−EU cooperation in strategic industries and on wider geopolitical challenges?
For more information and registration: https://www.iiss.org/events/2021/04/uk-eu-cooperation
Webinar
NEW AMERICA – Wednesday, 7 April 2021 @ 12:30pm Eastern Standard Time (UTC-4)
Achieving Digital Equity in India and Pakistan
Digital inclusion is about having the right access, skills, motivation, and trust to confidently go online. Fostering digital inclusion contributes to a stronger economy and enhanced economic development through shared wealth, shared employment, and equal opportunity for all. However, minorities and low-income populations are often excluded from the digital revolution--creating a global digital divide. This event, in partnership with the Global Shapers Community, will examine the most common challenges faced by those trying to bridge the digital divide in India and Pakistan.
For more information and registration: https://www.newamerica.org/future-tense/events/webinar-achieving-digital-equity-in-india-and-pakistan/
https://newamerica.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vDAVhlYBTie1VoJytlJngA
Live Webcast
WILSON CENTER – Thursday, 8 April 2021@ 10am Eastern Time (UTC-4)
Vaccine Passports: A public health solution or ethical & legal minefield?
As vaccination speeds up and governments are eager to return to a sense of normalcy, the concept of vaccine passports has gained significant traction among policymakers and business leaders. Vaccine passports or certificates would allow businesses and countries to better track and distinguish between those who are vaccinated and those are not, and give the fully-vaccinated more access to activities that are still deemed problematic. But vaccine passports are not an easy solution. They come with significant drawbacks that could exacerbate inequality and discrimination against vulnerable groups.
For more information and registration: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/vaccine-passports-public-health-solution-or-ethical-legal-minefield
Webinar
ISEAS YUSOF ISHAK INSTITUTE- Thursday, 8 April 2021@ 10am Singapore Time (UTC+8)
China’s Vision of a Digital Order
What is China’s vision of a digital order? How does it differ from the digital order currently dominated by the West? What does this development mean for other countries, particularly those in Southeast Asia, in terms of the opportunities and risks that these countries will need to come to terms with? Apart from the common features underlying China’s vision and the existing order, there are significant differences which make the West, especially the US, wary. In fleshing out these divergences and assessing their impacts on the world, the speaker will focus on the high-tech war between China and the United States, especially the 5G race, culminating to a potentially fierce competition over industrial standards and the governance of the future digital order.
For more information and registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Cu9nJnxFRw2H1X9ORKuGPg
Online
THE GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL AND AREA STUDIES (GIGA) – Thursday, 8 April 2021 @ 9:30am (UTC+1)
Franco-German Observatory of the Indo-Pacific
The Franco-German Observatory will invite key actors from the Indo-Pacific to present their vision of the region, how they conceive of it geo-strategically and the place of China, the US, and Europe within this framework. We look forward to debating questions of economic interdependence and independence, of trade and investment, and the expectations the countries of the Indo-Pacific might have towards the ‘West’ in general, and Europe, in particular.
For more information and registration: https://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/events/23962978-franco-german-observatory-indo-pacific/
Webinar
MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE – Thursday, 8 April 2021 @ 10am Eastern Time (Washington DC), 4pm Central European Time (Brussels, Berlin)
A Year of Pandemic: The State of Global Human Mobility & What Is on the Horizon
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed mobility and cross-border movement in 2020, decimating tourism and business travel, severely curtailing labor migration, and dampening all forms of migration, including refugee resettlement. A new IOM-Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report draws from the IOM database to sketch the state of mobility across world regions in 2020, and the range of mobility-related strategies used to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus. Join MPI for a two-panel discussion, featuring introductory remarks by IOM Director General António Vitorino, to examine how the pandemic reshaped border management and human mobility in 2020 and what the lasting impacts may be throughout 2021 and beyond.
For more information and registration: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/events/year-pandemic-global-human-mobility
Online
CHATHAM HOUSE – Thursday, 8 April 2021 @ 2pm British Summer Time (UTC+1)
AI and Democracy: Transformative and Disruptive Potential
Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly shaping contemporary politics. AI has the potential to enhance democracy through enabling a better understanding of societal issues as well as helping to develop effective policy tools and pathways. If not properly understood or abused, AI could reinforce existing inequalities and biases, increase polarization and ultimately undermine not only democratic systems but also the very preconditions in which democracy exists. This panel discusses the transformative potential of AI and how policymakers, technology companies and civil society can work together to make sure that these advancements are for the betterment of, rather than a detriment to, democratic norms and practices.
For more information and registration: https://www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/members-event/ai-and-democracy-transformative-and-disruptive-potential
Live Webcast
CENTRE FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES – Friday, 9 April 2021 @ 10am Eastern Time (UTC-4)
Digital Technologies and the Post-Pandemic Development Challenge
Covid-19 is undoubtedly disrupting traditional institutions and economic markets. Not only has it disrupted supply chains and slowed down global economic growth, but it has also exposed and exacerbated the digital divide. But despite facing such an acute crisis, emerging markets have a significant opportunity to fast-track their development goals by successfully adopting new and emerging digital technologies. CSIS is pleased to convene a diverse panel of experts and thought leaders to discuss in detail how developing countries can drive an ambitious, competitive, and comprehensive digital transformation plan to achieve their development goals in the post-pandemic world.
For more information and registration: https://www.csis.org/events/digital-technologies-and-post-pandemic-development-challenge
Online
REFORM THINK TANK – Friday, 9 April 2021 @ 1pm British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Will the white paper work? A health secretary's guide to transforming the NHS
The pandemic has tested the resilience of every aspect of our health and care system. Despite the heroic effort of NHS staff and leaders, this crisis has exposed structural weaknesses in the Services. Ministers have recognized this and put forward a White Paper aimed at increasing accountability, boosting collaboration and integration, cutting bureaucracy and securing greater financial sustainability. But can they deliver? This webinar will discuss the opportunities and pitfalls that lie ahead as the Government tries to reform the health and care system.
For more information and registration: https://reform.uk/events/will-white-paper-work-health-secretarys-guide-transforming-nhs
That’s all for now. Don’t forget to check in next week for more updates.
If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to reply to this email, leave a comment or message me at my LinkedIn profile.
Stay well,
- Liam
Founder of Policy People