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Asia Society and the Asia Society Policy Institute will host His Excellency Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, for an address and discussion with the Hon. Daniel Russel, Vice President of Asia Society Policy Institute.

Opening and Welcoming Remarks

The Hon. Dr. Kyung-wha Kang is Asia Society President and Chief Executive Officer (effective April 1, 2024). Dr. Kang is an accomplished diplomat who served as South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017 to 2021)—the first woman to serve in this role in the nation’s history. She previously held key leadership roles at the United Nations and was appointed to senior positions by three consecutive Secretaries-General: as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights under Kofi Annan, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs under Ban Ki-moon, and Senior Advisor on Policy to António Guterres.

Before joining the UN, Dr. Kang held various positions in the Korean Foreign Ministry. She served as Minister at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN, during which she chaired the 48th and 49th sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. She also spearheaded efforts to highlight women with disabilities in drafting the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Dr. Kang holds MA and PhD degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her doctorate work was in the field of international and intercultural communication. She has served as Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment, Yonsei University in Korea.  

SPEAKERS

Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is India’s External Affairs Minister since May 30th, 2019. He is a Member of the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) of India’s Parliament from the state of Gujarat. He was Foreign Secretary from 2015-18, Ambassador to United States (2013-15), China (2009-2013) and Czech Republic (2000-2004). He was High Commissioner to Singapore (2007-2009). He has also served in other diplomatic assignments in Embassies in Moscow, Colombo, Budapest and Tokyo, as well in the Ministry of External Affairs and the President’s Secretariat. He was also President – Global Corporate Affairs at Tata Sons Private Limited from May 2018. Dr S. Jaishankar is a graduate of St. Stephen’s College at the University of Delhi. He has a Masters in Political Science and an M. Phil and Ph.D in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He is a recipient of the Padma Shri award in 2019 and has written widely acclaimed best-selling books: The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, which was published in 2020 and Why Bharat Matters, which was published in 2024.

Daniel Russel (moderator) is Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). Previously he served as a Diplomat in Residence and Senior Fellow with ASPI for a one year term. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary on July 12, 2013, Mr. Russel served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Asian Affairs. During his tenure there, he helped formulate President Obama’s strategic rebalance to the Asia Pacific region, including efforts to strengthen alliances, deepen U.S. engagement with multilateral organizations, and expand cooperation with emerging powers in the region.