Chief Guest

Dr. S. Jaishankar

Dr. S. Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister, India

Welcome note on behalf of the host nation, U.A.E.

Pavan Kapoor

Pavan Kapoor

Indian Ambassador to U.A.E.

Speakers

John Bolton

John Bolton

Former National Security Advisor, U.S.

Nakayama Yasuhide

Nakayama Yasuhide

State Minister of Defence, Japan

Sudhir Chaudhary

Sudhir Chaudhary

CEO and Editor-in-Chief, WION

Palki Sharma Upadhyay

Palki Sharma Upadhyay

Executive Editor, WION

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum

Deputy Mayor, Jerusalem

Mustapha Noman

Mustapha Noman

Former Deputy Foreign Minister, Yemen

Ibrahim Shukralla

Ibrahim Shukralla

Emirati Editor, Abu Dhabi

 Jason D. Greenblatt

Jason D. Greenblatt

Former White House Middle East Envoy

 Youssef Chahed

Youssef Chahed

Former Chief of Government, Tunisia

 Michael Tsai

Michael Tsai

Former Defence Minister, Taiwan

 Ranil Wickremesinghe

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Former Prime Minister, Sri Lanka

 Jacek Rostowski

Jacek Rostowski

Former Minister of Finance, Poland

Ian Goldin

Ian Goldin

Former Vice President of the World Bank

Ali Aslan

Ali Aslan

International TV Presenter and Journalist

Alexander Downer

Alexander Downer

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Australia

Alexander Dynkin

Alexander Dynkin

President, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy, and International Relations (IMEMO)

Audrey Tang

Audrey Tang

Digital Minister, Taiwan

Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed

Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed

Foreign Secretary, Maldives

Maria Galindo

Maria Galindo

Advisor in International Digital Policy, Government of Catalonia

Kaimar Karu

Kaimar Karu

Former Minister of Foreign Trade and Information Technology, Republic of Estonia

Jehudi Castro

Jehudi Castro

Former Deputy Minister, Digital Economy , Colombia

Simon Lacey

Simon Lacey

Former Vice President, Huawei Technologies

Ahmed Naseem

Ahmed Naseem

Minister of Health, Maldives

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee GBS JP

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee GBS JP

Chinese politician, member of ExCo & LegCo and founder of New People's Party

Gilles Babinet

Gilles Babinet

Digital Champion, European Commission for France

Programme

WION Global Summit: Power Play in a Post-Pandemic World, Dubai 2021

Session 1:

Peace Deals & the Shifting Sands of West Asia
AGENDA -
  • A seismic change in Gulf politics
  • 4 countries 'formalise' ties with Israel in the last 5 months
  • 'Formalise' vs 'Normalise': Under the table deals existed in recent years; that table has been removed with the Abraham accords.
  • A political win for Netayahu.
  • He gets to eat the cake and have it too. No word on 'stopping' annexation of West Bank.
  • A betrayal for Palestine?
  • A foreign affairs win for Trump.
  • The common enemy - Iran.
  • What's the future of West Asia? New oil order, the Biden administration, Biden's word on returning to the talking table with Iran.
Opening Keynote Address By - John Bolton, Former US National Security Advisor
DIALOGUE PARTNERS:
  • Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem
  • Mustapha Noman, Former Deputy Foreign Minister, Yemen
  • Ibrahim Shukralla, Emrati Editor from Abu Dhabi
  • Jason D. Greenblatt, Former White House Middle East Envoy. A Chief Architect of Peace Plan Between Israel & Its Arab Neighbours

Session 2:

The Post-Pandemic World Order
AGENDA –
  • The Wuhan virus exposed the failure of multilateral institutions, lack of global leadership
  • Who will be the post-pandemic global leader? Or will there be global leaders?
  • The pandemic diminished U.S. credibility, exposed its lack of interest in global leadership
  • Double whammy for West Asia - pandemic and oil market slump
  • Fight against political Islam in Europe
  • Has the pandemic opened opportunities for new alliances?
  • Will the world reset its ties with China?
  • Will there be a shift in economic power?
  • Will there be a push towards multilateralism or ultra-nationalism?
  • Will the world #MakeChinaPay?
  • India's role in the post-pandemic world
Opening Keynote Address By -Nakayama Yasuhide, Current State Minister of Defence, Japan
DIALOGUE PARTNERS-
  • Youssef Chahed, Former Chief of Government, Tunisia
  • Michael Tsai, Former Defence Minister, Taiwan
  • Ranil Wickremesinghe, Former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
  • Ahmed Naseem, Minister of Health, Maldives
  • Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee GBS JP, Chinese politician, member of ExCo & LegCo and founder of New People's Party

Session 3:

World Economy: The Price of the Pandemic
AGENDA –
  • The Wuhan virus has brought about an economic downturn not seen since the World War II
  • By the end of this year, the global GDP is expected to be 7.5% lower than it would have been without the pandemic
  • Joblessness, business shutdowns
  • 15% of young (previously employed) people out of jobs
  • American unemployment highest since the Great Depression
  • Oil, tourism, aviation among worst-hit sectors
  • Several countries pushed into recession
  • 2021 trends
  • Why is China not being held accountable?
DIALOGUE PARTNERS-
  • Jacek Rostowski, Former Minister of Finance and Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
  • Ian Goldin, Former Vice President of the World Bank & Former Founding Director of the Oxford Martin School
  • Alexander Downer, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Australia
  • Alexander Dynkin, President, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy, and International Relations (IMEMO), Former Economic Adviser to The Prime Minister of The Russian Federation.

Session 4:

Digital Revolution: The World Goes Online
AGENDA –
  • Digital was always the future. The accelerated shift has been brought about by the pandemic
  • E-working, e-learning
  • Companies move to permanent WFH
  • A toll on work-life balance?
  • Digital revolution & data security
  • Is the world prepared for the move online?
DIALOGUE PARTNERS-
  • Audrey Tang, Digital Minister, Taiwan
  • Maria Galindo, Current Advisor in International Digital Policy, Ministry for Digital Policy and Public Administration, Government of Catalonia
  • Kaimar Karu, Former Minister of Foreign Trade and Information Technology, Republic of Estonia
  • Jehudi Castro, Former Deputy Minister, Digital Economy , Colombia
  • Simon Lacey, Former VP, Huawei Technologies
  • Gilles Babinet, Digital Champion at the European Commission for France

Global Summit Venue

Wednesday, March 24, 2021
12:00 pm (IST), 6:30 am (GMT) onwards

Venue
The Oberoi, Dubai