The prime minister of Bangladesh and
the deputy prime minister of Singapore both called for improved regional
cooperation in South Asia and Southeast Asia during the closing session of the
India Economic Summit 2019 this afternoon.
“We have always thought about this because of our geographical situation” in
the middle of an East-West axis connecting the regions, said Sheikh Hasina,
Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Initiatives might eventually include a trans-Asian
highway and railway, she suggested. “Now I give more importance to connectivity
with Southeast Asia.”
As evidence of her country’s commitment to regional integration, the prime
minister called attention to the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Forum for
Regional Cooperation (BCIM), the multilateral trade and investment
organization. Bilateral initiatives include cooperation on water and energy
initiatives with India. While accepting large numbers of refugees from Myanmar,
Bangladesh continues to work with the leaders of that nation on a wide range of
issues.
Hasina expressed her desire for “shared prosperity,” a concept echoed verbatim
by Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Singapore.
“We need to create a framework for cooperation,” said the Singaporean official.
He believes that South Asia-Southeast Asia can become a “great area” for the
development of cutting-edge technology. Extending beyond digital technology and
artificial intelligence, this should include research and development into new
agricultural techniques, he added.
Meeting outcomes:
Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of the region, the meeting
produced numerous notable outcomes:
- Drones will soon deliver life-saving medical supplies
and vaccines to rural communities in Telangana. The government will begin
a drone delivery programme built on a World Economic Forum and Apollo
Hospital Group framework.
- Clean fuel will fly 1 million airline passengers
between Delhi and Mumbai by 2030 thanks to SpiceJet and a coalition of
aviation partners. They’ve joined the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies
for Tomorrow Project, promoting the use of biofuels and blended fuels
through public-private partnership.
- People in Punjab will soon be driving down a 100km
electric vehicle corridor, which is part of a sustainable pilot project
with the World Economic Forum’s Moving India initiative. This is one
example of how India is accelerating the adoption of electric mobility
nationwide.
- Smart cities are no longer a thing of science fiction,
but how we collect and use citizens’ data responsibly and sustainably is
the next big hurdle. To help tackle this, the Smart Cities Mission India
joined the G20 Smart City Alliance, chaired by the World Economic Forum,
to establish universal norms and guidelines for safe and responsible
implementation of smart city technology.
- To support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative ending
open defecation, the Forum’s Young Global Leaders community will mobilize
more than $3.5 million in resources to finance the urban sanitation
ecosystem in 10 Indian cities, in collaboration with Population Services
International (PSI) and the Forum’s Global Shapers. Their #AfterTheFlush
initiative promotes a healthy and sustainable urban sanitation system.
- Doubling farmers’ incomes and transforming the
agriculture sector is one step closer to becoming a reality. More than 70
global and regional leaders committed to support investments in integrated
food value chains throughout the country. This partnership will build on
the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture partnership, which
has supported 600,000 farmers.
- India’s leading energy companies and the Ministry for Petroleum and Natural Gas will partner with the Forum and other public-sector groups to improve the quality of urban services and create more economic opportunities.
The summit
succeeded in bringing many innovative ideas to the fore. To ensure these and
other initiatives progress, the World Economic Forum launched a high-level
Regional Stewardship Board for South Asia. It has a one-year mandate to shape
and develop the Forum’s work in the region. High-level representatives from Bangladesh,
India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka will focus on shared regional
challenges, including closing the skills gap, sustainable production and trade
facilitation.
The World Economic Forum’s 33rd India Economic Summit took place in New Delhi
from 3-4 October under the theme Innovating for India: Strengthening South
Asia, Impacting the World. The two-day meeting convened more than 800 leaders
from government, the private sector, academia and civil society with the aim of
accelerating the adoption throughout South Asia of Fourth Industrial Revolution
technologies and making the most of the region’s distinctive demographic
dividends.