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Thu, Jun 24, 2021 at 10:00am
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Thu, Jun 24, 2021 at 11:15am
Join the Asia Center on June 24, 2021, from 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. EDT for an Asia Center Author Conversation with Arjun Subramaniam, Retired Air Vice Marshal, IAF; President’s Chair of Excellence in National Security, India’s National Defence College. Subramaniam will discuss his recent book, A Military History of India Since 1972: Full Spectrum Operations and the Changing Contours of Modern Conflict with M. Taylor Fravel, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science; Director, Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. James Robson, James C. Kralik and Yunli Lou Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations; Victor and William Fung Director of the Harvard University Asia Center will moderate.
Arjun Subramaniam is the President’s Chair of Excellence in National Security at NDC. He is a retired fighter pilot from the IAF who has flown MiG-21s and Mirage-2000s. He has commanded a MiG-21 Squadron and a large flying base and held several operational, staff, and instructional assignments in the IAF. He is an airpower doctrinal expert having crafted the current IAF doctrine in 2012. He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service by the President of India in 2011. A Ph.D. in Defence and Strategic Studies from the Univ of Madras, he has been a Visiting Fellow at The Harvard Asia Center and Oxford Universities, and a Visiting Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Ashoka and Jindal Universities. Currently, he is also an Adjunct Faculty member at the Naval War College. He has lectured extensively at a wide range of Universities, think tanks, and war colleges in India and abroad including Harvard, MIT, Georgetown University, Oxford, Carnegie Endowment, and the International Institute of Strategic Studies. His current areas of focus are international and regional security, contemporary Indian military history, airpower in integrated operations, and the India-China security relationship. He is the author of four books including ‘India’s Wars: A Military History: 1947-1971’ and its newly-released sequel titled ‘A Military History of India since 1972: Full Spectrum Operations and the Changing Contours of Modern Conflict.’
M. Taylor Fravel is the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Taylor studies international relations, with a focus on international security, China, and East Asia. His books include Strong Borders, Secure Nation: Cooperation and Conflict in China’s Territorial Disputes, (Princeton University Press, 2008), and Active Defense: China’s Military Strategy Since 1949 (Princeton University Press, 2019). His other publications have appeared in International Security, Foreign Affairs, Security Studies, International Studies Review, The China Quarterly, The Washington Quarterly, Journal of Strategic Studies, Armed Forces & Society, Current History, Asian Survey, Asian Security, China Leadership Monitor, and Contemporary Southeast Asia. Taylor is a graduate of Middlebury College and Stanford University, where he received his Ph.D. He also has graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. In 2016, he was named an Andrew Carnegie Fellow by the Carnegie Corporation. Taylor is a member of the board of directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and serves as the Principal Investigator for the Maritime Awareness Project.
James Robson is the James C. Kralik and Yunli Lou Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and the Victor and William Fung Director of the Harvard University Asia Center. He is also the Chair of the Regional Studies East Asia M.A. program. Robson received his Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Stanford University in 2002, after spending many years researching in China, Taiwan, and Japan. He specializes in the history of medieval Chinese Buddhism and Daoism and is particularly interested in issues of sacred geography, local religious history, and Chan/Zen Buddhism. He has been engaged in a long-term collaborative research project with the École Française d’Extrême-Orient studying local religious statuary from Hunan province. He is the author of Power of Place: The Religious Landscape of the Southern Sacred Peak [Nanyue 南嶽] in Medieval China (Harvard, 2009), which was awarded the Stanislas Julien Prize for 2010 by the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres and the 2010 ToshihideNumata Book Prize in Buddhism. Robson is also the author of “Signs of Power: Talismanic Writings in Chinese Buddhism” (History of Religions 48:2), “Faith in Museums: On the Confluence of Museums and Religious Sites in Asia” (PMLA, 2010), and “A Tang Dynasty Chan Mummy [roushen] and a Modern Case of Furta Sacra? Investigating the Contested Bones of ShitouXiqian.” His current research includes a long-term project on the history of the confluence of Buddhist monasteries and mental hospitals in East Asia.
Sponsored by the Harvard University Asia Center; co-sponsored by the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, and Harvard-Yenching Institute
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Mon, Jun 21, 2021 at 08:00am
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Mon, Jun 21, 2021 at 09:30am
5:30-7:00 pm IST/ 8:00-9:30 am ET
Panelists:
- Mirai Chatterjee, Director, Social Security Team, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
- Ajay Nair, Chief Executive Officer, Swasth
- Sunita Rani, ASHA Worker and Secretary, ASHA Workers Union Haryana
- Priyadarsh, Yumetta Foundation
Moderator:
Sreenivasan Jain, Journalist and Reality Check Host, NDTV
Description:
The webinar will be a panel discussion about the frontline efforts to manage the devastating COVID-19 pandemic surge in India. The panelists have been directly involved in activities relating to the containment of COVID-19 spread or engaged in COVID-19 related care and will address issues such as COVID preparedness, saving lives, and protecting mental health. As a Citizens’ Commission, we invite the public to participate in the discussion, provide input and engage with the panelists. The Commission would also invite those interested to participate in our initiative and provide inputs to the discussion and work.
The Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System is an ambitious, cross-sectoral endeavor that aims to lay out a citizens’ roadmap to achieving universal health coverage for the people of India. Our new webinar series is intended to serve as a platform for public health discourse in India, and a means for academics, practitioners and the public to engage on substantive and timely issues regarding universal health coverage in India.
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Tue, May 18, 2021 at 07:00am
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Wed, May 19, 2021 at 09:00am
The Harvard Center for Africa Studies will convene our Africa-Asia Roundtable – Pandemics: Surveillance, Preparedness, and Response on May 18 – 19, 2021 from 7:00a – 9:00a EST / 1:00p – 3:00p CAT / 4:30p – 6:30p IST / 7:00p – 9:00p CST.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a global focus on pandemic surveillance, preparedness, and response. As a result of the 2014 – 2016 Ebola outbreak, the World Bank invested in the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) Program. Thirteen countries in West and Central Africa have received a $200 million funding commitment “to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat of emerging and epidemic-prone diseases.” In addition to funding, the program has provided for intra-country cooperation on detecting and preventing pandemics as well as regional lab networks and training opportunities. More recently, the Africa CDC has spearheaded continental efforts to advance various elements of detection and response to various health threats, with notable success related to COVID-19. Such programs are examples of how regional and global cooperation designed to respond to an infectious disease outbreak can be leveraged in future pandemics.
China has promised the delivery of its Sinopharm vaccine to countries in Africa, with 200,000 doses arriving in Senegal and another 200,000 in Zimbabwe. While the commitments fall far short of the 1.4 billion doses that will be needed to reach herd immunity in Africa, China’s vaccine distribution has moved alongside the WHO-endorsed COVAX plan (to which China will also contribute 10 million vaccines). India has also been a contributor to global vaccine distribution, both through COVAX and other direct supplies to the global south, distributing more than 60 million doses. The scrambling for vaccines from the global north highlights a disparity in equitable access to vaccines, raising questions about intellectual property and the possibilities for local production.
Over two days, we will convene four panels to further explore questions around vaccines and vaccine development, technology transfer, capacity building, and global cooperation strategies for combating pandemics. What lessons can the world learn from Africa’s response to previous epidemics/pandemics including Ebola and HIV/AIDS and the current COVID-19 pandemic? What is the role of global cooperation between Africa-Asia, and China-India-Africa in particular? Is the COVID-19 crisis and response, including vaccine development and distribution, an opportunity for a new era of global cooperation?
May 18, 2021: Vaccines
7:00a Welcome and Introductory remarks
7:10a – 8:05a Panel 1– Vaccines: Discovery and Trials
The panel will explore vaccine development and the role of clinical trials held in Africa, by Africans, and on Africans as well as the generalizability of global trials of the COVID-19 vaccine in light of the spread of variants. We will discuss the clinical trials conducted globally and the contributions of African scientists and trial participants. Conducting clinical trials in Africa has also been a topic of controversy, in particular when some have suggested trials should take place in Africa due to a lack of personal protective equipment and a higher risk of infection. We will also explore whether the speed with which COVID-19 vaccines have been produced brings promise for other existing and emerging infectious diseases.
8:05a – 9:00a Panel 2 – Vaccines and Diagnostics: Production and Technology Transfer at Scale
We will begin a conversation about local distribution of globally produced vaccines and technology transfer. Once a vaccine is developed, what conditions provide for local production, and what are the barriers? China and India, for example, have made bilateral agreements with several Asian and African countries to produce vaccines for COVID-19. Compared to India and China, Africa has limited production capacity for both vaccines and diagnostics. What factors explain the lack of production capability and capacity? Dakar, Senegal is one production site developing both rapid testing and antibody testing for COVID. What are the economic and public health factors that could drive local production at scale?
May 19, 2021: Surveillance and Response
7:00a Welcome and Reflections on Day 1
7:10a – 8:05a Panel 3 – Capacity Building and the Role of Universities
We will explore the role of universities in training the next generation of scientists and health professionals who will lead the charge in discovery and translation of knowledge that is essential for addressing current and future public health challenges. Tomorrow’s pandemics require the next generation of leaders to be prepared to collaborate with peers within and across countries to navigate as yet unforeseen challenges. What have been the barriers to such collaborations? What novel and innovative approaches have been used to develop capacity building in an increasingly globalized world? The panel will discuss solutions that have been successfully implemented and can serve as models to further develop global public health leaders.
8:05a – 9:00a Panel 4 – Surveillance and Response
We will invite panelists to speak to their roles and contributions on surveillance and response and to interrogate the possibility for global cooperation on these efforts. Infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola or COVID-19 may tax a system in the near-term, but what can be done to develop more resilient health systems in the longer-term? Surveillance and response are also linked to good governance, and, with COVID-19, we have seen the risk of an infectious disease becoming politicized. The panel will explore how healthcare and response strategies must transcend domestic politics and foster global cooperation efforts as well as successful examples of such strategies.
Sponsored by the China-Harvard-Africa Network at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Harvard University Asia Center; Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University; The Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard University; Harvard-Yenching Institute
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Thu, May 13, 2021 at 08:00am
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Thu, May 13, 2021 at 09:30am
5:30-7:00 pm IST/ 8:00-9:30 am ET
Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System Public Webinar Series, in collaboration with Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force
Panelists:
- Gagandeep Kang, Professor of Microbiology, Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College
- Peter Piot, Director and Handa Professor of Global Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Gautam Menon, Professor of Physics and Biology, Ashoka University
- K. Sujatha Rao, Former Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
- K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India
Moderator:
Sarah Jacob, Editor/Anchor of ‘We The People’ on NDTV
Description:
The Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System is an ambitious, cross-sectoral endeavor that aims to lay out a citizens’ roadmap to achieving universal health coverage for the people of India. Our new webinar series is intended to serve as a platform for public health discourse in India, and a means for academics, practitioners and the public to engage on substantive and timely issues regarding universal health coverage in India.
The Lancet COVID-19 Commission is an interdisciplinary initiative across the health sciences, business, finance, and public policy that was launched in July 2020. It has four themes: to propose recommendations on how best to suppress the epidemic; to address the humanitarian crises arising from the pandemic; addressing the financial and economic crises resulting from the pandemic; and rebuilding an inclusive, fair, and sustainable world. The work of the Commission is supported by twelve Task Forces, in areas ranging from vaccine development, to humanitarian relief strategies, to safe workplaces, to global economic recovery. The India Task Force of the COVID-19 Commission is the only country-specific Task Force, set up in recognition of the unique challenges that India faces in the context of COVID-19.
The first webinar in the series is a joint event with the Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force and will be a panel discussion about the devastating COVID-19 pandemic surge in India – focusing on the short and long-term actions that are needed to address the impact. Leading experts from the medical, scientific, and public policy community will discuss the lessons that need to be learnt and propose what the next steps should be to respond to, and improve, the situation in India. As a Citizens’ Commission, we invite the public to participate in the discussion, provide input and engage with the panelists.
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Mon, Apr 19, 2021 at 10:00am
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Mon, Apr 19, 2021 at 11:15am
7:30–8:45 PM IST // 10:00 AM–11:15 AM EDT
Over the past three years, the Mittal Institute, in partnership with the Tata Trusts, has been conducting research into innovations in healthcare in India. These innovations are focused on expanding access to care, widening the range of services offered, and re-imagining the mode of healthcare delivery. Join us for a discussion on this research. Panelists will speak about innovating in the public health sector, translating health research into practice, and the challenges of creating an enabling environment for these innovations to thrive.
Welcome Remarks by Manoj Kumar, Founder, Social Alpha and Senior Advisor, Tata Trusts
Moderator:
- Vikram Patel, The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health, Harvard Medical School
Panelists:
- Satchit Balsari, Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Anant Bhan, Bhopal Hub Head, Sangath
- Pawan Sinha, Professor of Vision and Computational Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Rajani Ved, Former Executive Director, National Health Systems Resource Centre
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Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 10:00am
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Tue, Apr 13, 2021
Please join the Future of Diplomacy Project, the Center for Public Leadership, and the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University for a conversation with Shivshankar Menon, former National Security Advisor and Foreign Secretary of India, about his new book on India’s foreign policy entitled India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present. Mr. Menon will discuss India’s historical responses to the rise of China, in addition to other regional powers as well as analyze how India’s policies are likely to evolve in the future to address current and new challenges. Faculty Chair, Nicholas Burns will moderate this discussion.
RSVP to attend.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr Shivshankar Menon is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Chinese Studies in New Delhi, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Washington.
Mr Menon served as national security advisor to the Prime Minister of India from January 2010 to May 2014 and as Foreign Secretary of India from October 2006 to August 2009. A career diplomat, he has served as Ambassador or High Commissioner of India to Israel (1995-1997), Sri Lanka (1997-2000), China (2000-2003), and Pakistan (2003-2006). He was a member of India’s Atomic Energy Commission from 2008-2014. Mr Menon has also served in India’s missions to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna and in the Department of Atomic Energy in Mumbai.
Mr Menon has been a Richard Wilhelm Fellow at MIT and Fisher Family Fellow at Harvard University in 2015. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group, and a Distinguished Fellow of the Asia Society Policy Studies Institute in New York.
In 2010, Mr Menon was chosen by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the world’s top 100 Global Thinkers.
Mr Menon studied at the Scindia School, Gwalior and St. Stephens College, Delhi University, where he studied ancient Indian history and Chinese.
ABOUT THE BOOK
India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present
A clear-eyed look at modern India’s role in Asia’s and the broader world
One of India’s most distinguished foreign policy thinkers addresses the many questions facing India as it seeks to find its way in the increasingly complex world of Asian geopolitics. A former Indian foreign secretary and national security adviser, Shivshankar Menon traces India’s approach to the shifting regional landscape since its independence in 1947. From its leading role in the “nonaligned” movement during the cold war to its current status as a perceived counterweight to China, India often has been an after-thought for global leaders—until they realize how much they needed it.
Examining India’s own policy choices throughout its history, Menon focuses in particular on India’s responses to the rise of China, as well as other regional powers. Menon also looks to the future and analyzes how India’s policies are likely to evolve in response to current and new challenges.
As India grows economically and gains new stature across the globe, both its domestic preoccupations and international choices become more significant. India itself will become more affected by what happens in the world around it. Menon makes a powerful geopolitical case for an India increasingly and positively engaged in Asia and the broader world in pursuit of a pluralistic, open, and inclusive world order.
