Sonepat (Haryana), Sep.10 (ANI): Public involvement in some key global issues and how the internet could be used more effectively in a changing global scenario was highlighted at an interaction of cyber experts at the Sonepat-based Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) on Friday.
The JSIA, the Tokyo-based United Nations University (UNU) and the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) jointly organised the two-day conference on 'The Internet and a Changing World', which concludes today, with the support of the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The conference was inaugurated on September 9th by Dr. Vesselin Popovski, Senior Academic Programme Officer of the United Nations University and Professor G.K. Chadha, President of the South Asian University, New Delhi.
The conference had a number of thematic panels on the social, economic and political effects of the Internet and web-based technologies. The issue areas covered by the conference included 'The Internet and Global Democracy', 'The Internet and Socio-Economic Development', 'The Internet and Privacy', 'The Internet and Diplomacy', 'Internet Freedom and Censorship', and 'The Internet and National Security'.
The Internet has made possible a new degree of public involvement in some key global issues such as accountable governments, climate change, financial management, terrorism and pandemics.
It has brought institutions of Global Governance such as UN closer to people and has the potential to further transform it. Today, cyber war can be far more devastating than any country or economy could achieve through traditional warfare.
In the wake of the unprecedented information revolution which is sweeping the planet, the direction of evolution of political, economic and social organisation of humanity is crystal clear. This made the conference topics timely, relevant and unique.
Some of the best known experts on the cyber world and its impact on various facets of contemporary life delivered talks in this conference. These included Dr. Abusaleh Shariff, Chief Economist of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER); Mr. Rajeev Malhotra, Economic Adviser to the Finance Minister; Mr. Amitabh Nag, Head of Government Industries Solution Unit, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS); Mr. Rameesh Kailasam, Director, Government Programmes India and South Asia, IBM India Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Navdeep Suri, Head of Public Diplomacy, MEA; Mr. Michael Pelletier, Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi; Dr. Kamlesh Bajaj, CEO, Data Security Council of India; Mr. Ameet Nivsarkar, Vice President, Global Trade and Development, NASSCOM; Mr. Ramanjit Singh China, Senior Policy Analyst, Google India; and Mr. Alok Vijayant, Director, National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).
Navdeep Suri, Head of the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, who chaired the session on Internet and Diplomacy said: "The Internet and especially Web 2.0 have brought a new dimension to diplomacy. The Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs has actively embraced Web 2.0 tools so that it can engage with the widest cross-section of people in India and the around the world. We have also found social media a powerful medium to expand our outreach amongst younger audiences."
Dr. C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor of JGU, commented on the significance of this conference, and said: "This is a truly historic conference because it brings together policymakers, academics, civil society activists, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, think tanks and media persons around the spread of the Internet and how it is changing our ways of thinking and acting in multiple spheres."
Dr. Vesselin Popovski of UNU added: "The UNU is proud to be associated with Jindal School of International Affairs of O.P. Jindal Global University, and I am impressed with the high relevance of this conference, which comes at a time when governing the Internet and harnessing its potential for general good are central issues of our time."
Dr. Sreeram Chaulia, Vice Dean of Jindal School of International Affairs, remarked: "No such public event has happened in India before that discusses in detail the implications of Internet-based reorganisation of human and macro-social interactions for the emerging world order and prescribes solutions to major public challenges and problems being generated by the 'web 2.0' era."
Andreas Bummel in his written address to the session on The Internet and Global Democracy said: "The internet revolution we experience today increases doubts on whether the current system of global governance is still up to date.One of the immediate practical remedies that we do suggest is the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly - which would be the first political body in the history of mankind that would have the purpose to represent the world's citizens directly without any intermediary in between."
The idea of the conference on The Internet and a Changing World, first of its kind in India, came from Abhay Kumar, author and diplomat in deliberation and consultation with JGU. (ANI)
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