Asia 21 India Chapter Launches in New Delhi
NEW DELHI, March 25, 2010 - The Asia Society's Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative announced the launch of its Asia 21 India chapter in the capital on March 20. Indian young leaders—Asia 21 delegates and fellows—from a variety of sectors including social entrepreneurship, academia, media, non-profit, government, design, arts and culture, law, films, and medicine, to name a few, converged in New Delhi to set the agenda for the Indian chapter, chart the way ahead for outreach and networking, and engage in task forces aimed at addressing specific challenges of public interest.
Launched during the Asia Society's 20th Asian Corporate Conference (held in Delhi from March 18 to 20), the India chapter comprises over 80 dynamic young leaders from all over India and is aimed at becoming a forum for idea interchange that will address issues for the Asia 21 group and society at large, increased youth engagement in the region, a think tank for collaborative public service projects and creation and growth of a global leadership grid.
Asia 21 young leaders are chosen from various sectors from over 30 countries in the Asia-Pacific region and the US. They are all under age 40 at the time of being chosen as a young leader.
Vishakha N Desai, President, Asia Society; Jamie F. Metzl, Executive Vice President of the Asia Society; and Bunty Chand, Executive Director Asia Society India Centre, spoke of common approaches to meet the shared challenges of India, the Asia-Pacific Region and the US. They also touched on the importance of connecting with Asia 21 local chapters across the world, serving as a model for next generation Indians, and recruiting young leaders to be a part of the larger Asia 21 Young Leaders Network.
Karti Chidambaram, Member, All India Congress Committee and newly elected Chairman of the Asia 21 India Chapter, said, "The Asia Society hopes to connect young leaders from various sectors across Asia. A full-fledged India chapter is imperative for us here to leverage on this network. We at Asia 21 Young Leaders are excited about putting together and galvanizing the chapter in India, particularly leading up to the Asia 21 Young Leader's Summit in that is planned in India in 2011."
Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative local "satellite Asia 21" chapters are active in the Philippines, Australia, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan.
For more information, please contact Bunty Chand, Executive Director of the Asia Society India Centre, at:
Phone: 91 22 6610 0888
Fax: 91 22 6610 0887
Email: [email protected]