Venkaiah Naidu virtually addresses the 18th meeting of the Governing Council
- Even in trying times like these, India has not forgotten to help countries who needed assistance – Vice President
- India leading from the front in the global fight against Coronavirus - Vice president
- Says, we are also in the vanguard of research to develop a vaccine
- VP lauds Vande Bharat missions for bringing Indian nationals back
- Most countries showing the spirit of collaborative cooperation during a pandemic – Vice President
- Addresses the 18th meeting of the Governing Council and 19th meeting of Governing Body of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in virtual mode from Chennai
- Asks ICWA to undertake more people-centric activities
- Present Indian perspectives to the world and deepen world’s understanding of India’s development story: Vice President of India urges ICWA
The Vice President addressed the 18th meeting of the Governing Council of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in virtual mode. In his opening remarks as the President of ICWA, Naidu said that India has been leading from the front in the global effort to counter the pandemic. “We are also in the vanguard of research endeavours to develop a vaccine and expect good news soon”, he added.
The Vice President was of the view that the role and relevance of international relations and foreign policy to the lives of ordinary Indians have been re-emphasized resoundingly during the pandemic period.
Naidu specifically referred to the Vande Bharat missions that enabled Indian nationals living and working abroad to return to their homeland and lauded concerned departments and agencies for skillfully managing this huge task.
He wanted ICWA to undertake more such people-centric activities and reach out to hitherto untouched audiences around the country.
Observing that the Covid-19 pandemic has left virtually no country unaffected, the Vice President said that it has impacted societies and economies in different ways. Stating that the pandemic has brought out the best and the worst in countries, Naidu said, “while most have reacted in a spirit of collaborative cooperation, some have retreated into a shell in pursuit of their narrow interests”.
Noting that the Council has been focusing on the study and analysis of the regional and global impact of the pandemic, its repercussions on matters such as international relations, Naidu said that “these monumental changes and shifts over the past eight months have added new dimensions to the Council’s research work”.
The Vice President expressed happiness that ICWA has made full use of digital platforms during a pandemic and held more than 50 online programmes and events, including national and international seminars and conferences, track II dialogue meetings with foreign counterparts, participation in regional and global meetings, and virtual signing of MoUs with Indian and global partners. This has helped the Council in maintaining and strengthening its position as one of the premier foreign affairs think tanks in India, he added.
He expressed satisfaction over two-day consultation held virtually with a number of policymakers and scholars from African countries recently in line with his suggestion made last year during the National Consultations on Africa.
He commended ICWA for raising awareness among both experts and the general public through its activities and praised the Ministry of External Affairs for providing guidance to the Council.
At the meeting, External Affairs Minister and Vice President, ICWA Dr. S Jaishankar called for renewed focus and attention on the development of Area Studies in Indian Universities. He emphasized that strengthened Indian scholarly understanding of socio-political, economic, historical, and cultural contours of different countries and geographic regions is essential not only for knowledge creation on international affairs and foreign policy but also for robust policy formulation. Dr. Rajiv Kumar, VC, Niti Aayog, and Vice-President, ICWA agreed with EAM and suggested that ICWA may convene a meeting of all concerned viz., Niti Aayog, MEA, M/o HRD, UGC and present a report to a Special Meeting of the GB/GC. Hon’ble Vice President approved the proposal and asked ICWA to move ahead.
This was the third Council meeting of Naidu as the President of ICWA. Earlier in the day he also chaired the 19th meeting of the Governing Body of ICWA.
The virtual meeting was attended by the three Vice-Presidents of the Council – Dr. S. Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, P.P. Chaudhary, the Chairman, Standing Committee on External Affairs, and Dr. Rajiv Kumar, the Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog. Secretary to the Vice President, I.V. Subbarao, DG, ICWA, Dr. T.C.A. Raghvan also joined the meeting along with the members of the Governing Council which included several Members of the Parliament as well.
