Asia 21 Virtual Summit

Ms. Sheeran also serves as the UN Special Envoy to Haiti, representing the UN Secretary-General in advancing Haiti's 2030 vision and in helping secure an end to the transmission of cholera in Haiti.

Sheeran is former vice chair of the World Economic Forum, known for its annual Davos convening and Davos in China. She helped advance global initiatives encompassing global, regional, and industry agendas such as Grow Africa, which has attracted $10 billion to end hunger and malnutrition in Africa.

Prior to the World Economic Forum, Sheeran was executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006. Sheeran’s TED Talk on ending world hunger has been viewed more than one million times and has been used in schools to teach children about hunger. She led the world’s largest humanitarian organization, serving up to 100 million of the world's most hungry each year. Under Sheeran’s leadership, the WFP increased its donor base to more than 100 nations and became the first UN program to include the so-called BRIC countries and the Gulf States among its top 10 donors.

Prior to this, Ms. Sheeran served as a diplomat and negotiator for the United States, including as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs, and deputy U.S. Trade Representative, handling Asia, Africa, labor, environment, intellectual property, and trade capacity building portfolios.

In 2011, Forbes named her the world’s 30th most powerful woman; Foreign Policy listed her among its top 100 global 'Twitterati'. She was a Fisher Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center in 2013.

Sheeran is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. She was awarded Japan's Nigata International Food Award, Commandeur de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole by the government of France, and Brazil`s highest civilian award, the Grand Official Order of the `Rio Branco,’ and the “Game Changer” award by the Huffington Post.

As Prime Minister, he led Australia’s response during the Global Financial Crisis, reviewed by the IMF as the most effective stimulus strategy of all member states. Australia was the only major developed economy not to go into recession. Mr. Rudd co‑founded the G20 to drive the global response to the crisis, which in 2009 helped prevent the crisis from spiraling into depression. As Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mr. Rudd was active in global and regional foreign policy leadership. He was a driving force in expanding the East Asia Summit to include both the U.S. and Russia in 2010, and launched the long-term concept of transforming the EAS into a wider Asia Pacific Community. On climate change, Mr. Rudd ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2007 and legislated in 2008 for a 20 percent mandatory renewable energy target for Australia. He represented Australia at the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Summit which produced the Copenhagen Accord, for the first time committing states to not allow temperature increases beyond two degrees. He was appointed a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Global Sustainability and is a co-author of the report Resilient People, Resilient Planet for the 2012 Rio+20 Conference. This report was the first to recommend the negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr. Rudd drove Australia’s successful bid for its non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for 2012-2014. His government also saw the near doubling of Australia’s foreign aid budget to approximately $5 billion, making Australia then one of the top ten aid donors in the world. He also appointed Australia’s first ever Ambassador for Women and Girls to support the critical role of women in development and reduce physical and sexual violence against women.

Domestically, Mr. Rudd delivered Australia’s formal national apology to indigenous Australians. In education, his government introduced Australia’s first-ever nationwide school curriculum, undertook the biggest-ever capital investment program in Australian schools with the building of thousands of new state of the art libraries across the country, as well as introducing the first-ever mandatory national assessment system of literacy and numeracy standards. In health, Mr. Rudd in 2010 negotiated with the Australian states a National Health and Hospitals Reform Agreement, the biggest reform and investment in the health system since the introduction of Medicare 30 years before. His government established a national network of leading-edge cancer care centers across Australia, before introducing the world’s first ever plain-packaging regime for all tobacco products. To improve the rate of organ and tissue donation, he established Australia’s first National Organ and Tissue Transplant Authority. In 2010, his government introduced Australia’s first-ever paid parental leave scheme and implemented the biggest increase in, and reform of, the age pension since federation. He also founded the National Broadband Network to deliver high-speed broadband for every household, business, school, hospital, and GP in the country.

Mr. Rudd joined the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York as its inaugural President in January 2015. ASPI is a “think-do tank” dedicated to using second-track diplomacy to assist governments and businesses in resolving policy challenges within Asia, and between Asia and the West. In this capacity he chaired an international panel which produced an ASPI report entitled on the development of long-term security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, entitled Preserving the Long Peace in Asia. Mr. Rudd released a series of speeches delivered during 2019 in the collection, The Avoidable War: The Case for Managed Strategic Competition. This volume works to help make sense of where the U.S.-China relationship is heading in the current period of strategic competition, and follows on from Mr. Rudd’s 2018 collection, The Avoidable War: Reflections on U.S.-China Relations and the End of Strategic Engagement.

Mr. Rudd worked as a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2014, where he produced a major policy paper, U.S.-China 21: The Future of U.S.-China Relations Under Xi Jinping. Mr. Rudd remains a Senior Fellow at the Kennedy School.

Mr. Rudd is Chair of the Board of the International Peace Institute in New York, a United Nations-related think tank dedicated to peace and security issues, focusing on the Middle East. In his IPI capacity, Mr. Rudd in 2015-16 chaired a two-year-long Independent Commission on Multilateralism, which produced a comprehensive report on reforming the UN system entitled UN 2030: Rebuilding Order in a Fragmenting World. Since 2015, Mr. Rudd has also been Chair of Sanitation and Water for All, a global partnership of government and non-government organizations dedicated to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Mr. Rudd was appointed to the IMF Managing Director’s External Advisory Group in 2020. He is a Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House in London, a Distinguished Statesman with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, a Distinguished Fellow at the Paulson Institute in Chicago, and a member of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization’s Group of Eminent Persons. He serves on the International Advisory Board of the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University. Mr. Rudd is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.

Mr. Rudd in his private capacity has established the Australian National Apology Foundation to continue to promote reconciliation and closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Mr. Rudd is a regular contributor to global media on international relations, climate change and China. He has been featured in the Financial Times, The New York Times and Le Monde, and regularly appears on the BBC, CNN, CNBC, Fox and Bloomberg.

Representative Hsiao previously served four terms in the Taiwan Legislature, representing overseas citizens for the first term, and then the constituents of Taipei City and Hualien County through different terms. For many years she was ranking member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and previously the chair of the USA Caucus in the Legislative Yuan.

She began her political career serving as Director of the Democratic Progressive Party International Affairs Department. After Taiwan’s first democratic change of government in 2000, she became an Adviser in the Office of the President, and was international spokesperson for all DPP presidential elections between 2000 and 2012. 

Representative Hsiao has taken on numerous leadership roles in international organizations. She was the Chair of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), an organization representing Asian democratic political parties. Between 2005 and 2012, she was elected Vice President on the Bureau of Liberal International (LI), a London-based global political party organization.  

She is also a founding Board Member of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. 

Born in Kobe, Japan, Representative Hsiao grew up in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan. She has an MA in Political Science from Columbia University in New York and BA in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College, Ohio. 

In 2009, he was appointed USAID Administrator by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  Dr. Shah reshaped the $20 billion agency’s operations in more than 70 countries around the world by elevating the role of innovation, creating high impact public-private partnerships, and focusing US investments to deliver stronger results.  Shah secured bipartisan support that included the passage of two significant laws – the Global Food Security Act and the Electrify Africa Act.  He led the U.S. response to the Haiti earthquake and the West African Ebola pandemic, served on the National Security Council, and elevated the role of development as part of our nation’s foreign policy. Prior to his appointment at USAID, Shah served as Chief Scientist and Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics at the United States Department of Agriculture where he created the National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

Shah founded Latitude Capital, a private equity firm focused on power and infrastructure projects in Africa and Asia and served as a Distinguished Fellow in Residence at Georgetown University.  Previously, he served at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he created the International Financing Facility for Immunization which helped reshape the global vaccine industry and save millions of lives.

Raised outside of Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Shah is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and the Wharton School of Business.  He has received several honorary degrees, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, and the U.S. Global Leadership Award.  He is married to Shivam Mallick Shah and they have three children.

Mr. Wilcox was previously the CEO of SVB Financial Group. In that role, he successfully pursued a strategy of expansion and diversification, while remaining focused on the group’s core niches of technology, life sciences, venture capital and premium wineries. Mr. Wilcox is Treasurer of the Asian Art Museum, the Equilibrium Capital Group, and Columbia Lake Venture Debt Fund. He is also an adjunct professor and member of International Advisory Board at Fudan University in Shanghai, and an advisor to a number of startups. Earlier in his career, Mr. Wilcox was a member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2006 to 2012.

• 10 pm ET/11 am HKT - Opening Remarks 

• 10:30 pm ET/11:30 am HKT - Keynote Conversations on Crisis Leadership

• 11:30 pm ET/12:30 pm HKT - Asia 21 on the COVID-19 Frontlines: Alumni Share Experiences from the Pandemic and Lessons for Future Outbreaks 

  • Meet Asia 21 health sector heroes and hear their first-hand experiences working on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 — the risks and challenges they have faced, their worries, and the trials and tribulations medical professionals have endured in this trying year. These Asia 21 alumni will also make recommendations to the healthcare sector, policymakers, and ordinary citizens regarding ways to prevent and/or better prepare for future outbreaks.

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• 12:30 am ET/1:30 pm HKT - Future Proof: Reinventing Work at a time of Crisis

  • Unemployment is at all time highs across the world. We are working harder than ever but still chasing, and falling behind, big changes fueled by technology, demographics, globalization and now a pandemic. How can you positively adapt to a changing world? With insights from her best-selling book, Future Proof: Reinventing Work in the Age of Acceleration, and further research as part of the Future Work Forum think tank, Asia 21 Young Leader Diana David will talk about how we can adapt as individuals to future proof our lives, companies and careers.

• 1:30 am ET/2:30 pm HKT - Building Back Better: Asia's Climate Response

  • With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen lockdowns happening all across the world. But even so, we are only able to cut down global emissions by 5%. To achieve the aspirations of the Paris Agreement, we would need to cut emissions by 7.6% annually. 

    Inspired by the New Deal, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s socioeconomic reform proposals, the “Green New Deal” is a proposed package of legislation that aims to address climate change and economic inequality, championed by U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey.

    As the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, leads a proposed “European Green Deal”, what coordinated actions are possible here in Asia in light of Covid-19? What would an “Asian Green New Deal” look like, and should this be Asia's response to the looming climate crisis? how feasible would it be?

• 3 am ET/4 pm HKT - Solidarity in Combating the Global Pandemic: China and the World

• 6 am ET/7 pm HKT - Asia 21 Give and Take

• 8 am ET/9 pm HKT - How Sustainable Finance, Impact Investments and Social Entrepreneurship Can Respond to COVID-19

• 9 am ET/10 pm HKT - Rebuilding a Global Community Through Our Shared Humanity: Building Stronger and Lasting People to People Ties Across Boundaries

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• 8 pm ET/9 am HKT - After the Pandemic: The Future of Philanthropy and Fundraising

  • By all accounts, the outpouring of philanthropic giving to meet the immediate challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented. Support from private individuals, independent foundations, and the corporate sector has been instrumental in complementing governments’ relief spending. However, as we brace for the “second wave” and continue to reel from the economic fallout, the level and scale of charitable giving may not be able to meet the need.

    • What new measures are philanthropic and charitable organizations considering to transform giving and significantly reduce the burden for grantees in the post-COVID 19 reality?

    • Can new practices take root and grow as individuals and institutions reimagine philanthropic innovation? And what should nonprofits anticipate and how can they adapt to trends in philanthropy as donor expectations and giving behaviors continue to shift?

    • How should nonprofits pivot and identify ways to evolve their fundraising efforts?

• 9 pm ET/10 am HKT - Racial Equity and Social Justice in a post COVID-19 World

  • While the world is consumed with adapting to a “new normal” – or “new abnormal” – post-COVID-19, this pandemic has also exposed one “normal” the world had gotten all too accustomed to: entrenched racial inequities in education, health, employment, housing, and livelihood in both the developed and developing worlds.

    • As a global community, how can we reduce the opportunity gap and ensure that the most vulnerable groups are not left behind in post-COVID recovery efforts?

    • How can we contribute to rebuilding a more equitable, just, and inclusive world where everyone will have a fair shot to get ahead, irrespective of one’s race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, and national origin?

• 10 pm ET/11 am HKT - After the Pandemic, Charting the Path for a “Green Recovery”

  • The worst recession to confront the global community since World War II  has forced both public and private sectors around the world to redefine, reimagine, and prioritize the kind of growth and development policies required for a more sustainable and resilient recovery. The rebuilding and recovery are already underway in some parts of Asia, but the prospects for building back in a more climate-friendly fashion are unclear. The staggering global challenge wrought by the pandemic has, however, presented governments and businesses with a unique opportunity to create a cleaner, greener future.

    • How should governments and businesses embrace a green recovery as the world reels from the economic devastation of COVID-19?

    • Will the inclusion of climate commitments in stimulus packages take a back seat or help steer a green recovery after the pandemic?

    • With the contraction in global GDP, job losses, and a continuing health crisis, how can decision-makers and private citizens commit to build back better – and “greener”?

• 11 pm ET/12 pm HKT - Conversation on Leadership and Culture: Leading Through a Crisis

  • Any of us may be called to lead, for a short time or a longer one, in a large or small group, and almost all of us are capable.  However, an age-old question “What does it mean to be a Leader” is something we continue to wrestle with, irrespective of our roles or however long we have been in a position of leadership. Join Ken Wilcox, Emeritus Chairman of Silicon Valley Bank and former CEO of SVB Financial Group, as he shares his personal leadership journey that required him to relocate from the east coast to the west, with a lengthy stint in China; transform a startup bank to a global one; and lessons learned which helped him become a better leader during every part of this journey. 

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• 12:30 am ET/1:30 pm HKT - Digital Security Issues in South Asia in the Era of a Pandemic

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased clampdown on freedom of expression and crackdowns on press freedom in several countries, including in South Asia. Incidents of harassment and arrests of journalists reporting on the pandemic, in particular, with regard to failure of government leadership to swiftly respond to COVID-19, have been widely reported. In this session, a panel of media and civil society experts will discuss how civil society in South Asia can protect the right to freedom of expression in their region as the pandemic is reshaping South Asia’s digital landscape.  

• 3 am ET/4 pm HKT - The Impact Of COVID-19 on India’s Startup Ecosystem

• 4 am ET/5 pm HKT - Resilience Photography

  • A collaborative session that will help us recharge using photography as a tool for self-reflection. During the session, participants will create a map of resilience for themselves, using pictures from their countries—an informal, creative, and fun way to get a glimpse into the state of our minds. The session will also provide a nice opportunity to engage with each other through photos from different corners of the planet. 

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• 5:30 pm ET/6:30 am HKT - Peace, Health and Human Rights on the Korean Peninsula

  • What to do about North Korean nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles was the most urgent national security challenge—crisis, really—facing Donald Trump when he came into office, and as Kim Jong Un did more and better weapons tests, with Trump tweeting back at him, the world worried about nuclear war. But suddenly the winds changed, and we watched a spectacular series of summits between the two Koreas and the US. All this time, the human rights situation within North Korea remained bleak, and then the COVID pandemic led Pyongyang to seal off the country even more tightly. Join our panel of Asia 21 experts in imagining where to go next, for a solutions-oriented discussion of ways to promote peace, health and human rights in and with North Korea.

• 6:30 pm ET/7:30 am HKT - Opening Remarks

• 6:50 pm ET/7:50 am HKT - After the Pandemic, Adapting to the Changing Landscapes in Education

  • Education’s sudden, nearly wholesale shift to online learning has forced educational institutions to go into overdrive to meet the demands of a pandemic. COVID-19 related school closings have exposed the digital divide and opportunity gap that disproportionately impact school children from vulnerable populations and affects their ability to stay on track.

    • What are some innovative ways for the government and the private sector to work together and find solutions to close the digital equity gap?

    • How can educators make distance learning work for all?

    • How can digital learning augment in-person classroom learning instead of replacing it?

    • How can students themselves take charge of their learning as they adapt to the changing landscape? What are some strategies and tips for parents to support their children?

• 8 pm ET/ - 9 am HKT - Arts and Culture in a Post COVID-19 World

  • There is no single sector or industry that has emerged unscathed from the impact of COVID-19. The arts and culture sector is no exception—cultural institutions and creatives industries throughout the world have been greatly affected by pandemic-driven museum closures and large drops in attendance and revenue. At the same time, COVID-19 is the ultimate proof that our world is more interconnected than ever, as we have seen artists all over the world using social media and other platforms to help others calm their minds and combat loneliness during the pandemic. This combination of art, ideas, and innovation—as demonstrated by Asia Society’s first Triennial, “We do Not Dream Alone”—has the power to bring people together and give them a voice in times like now.

    • How is the arts and culture sector adapting to the post-COVID-19 reality?

    • How are cultural institutions throughout the world unleashing the power of art to connect, unite, and inspire?

    • What are some of the creative ways museums are engaging with the public, despite having their galleries closed or partially opened?

• 9 pm ET/10 am HKT - Silver Linings? Technology and Innovation in The COVID-19 Response and Recovery

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to change how we live, learn, and work in ways we never anticipated. Unending lockdowns, school closings, travel bans, and remote working have now become more of a norm, and there is no real timetable as to when our lives might return to some semblance of normalcy. However, COVID-19 has also exposed silver linings—with AI applications, the health care industry is now able to improve the accuracy and efficiency of cancer screening, diagnose and treat patients more quickly, and better predict patient outcomes while reducing cost. Pharmaceutical companies are also developing COVID-19 vaccines in record time due to technological advancements. And workplace innovations have improved life and productivity in other sectors as well.

    • What are some of the most helpful innovations to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and in what ways are they changing our lives for the better?

    • The boom in technological and digital innovations has also revealed big equity problems. How can we enhance the learning environment—while at the same time working to address the inequity exposed by COVID-19?

    • What are some of the most successful strategies deployed around the world to bridge the technology gap? What can we learn from them and how can such successful strategies be scaled?

• 10 pm ET/11 am HKT - Mindfulness Leadership at a Time of Crisis

• 11:15 pm ET/12:15 pm HKT - Closing Session and Looking Ahead to Tokyo 2021

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