During 2023, it was observed that Pan-South Asia regional cooperation was paralysed by the burden of history, the legacy of bilateral tensions and the lack of initiatives to break the status quo. There was an urgent need for a rethink as regards the modalities to take the discourse on South Asian cooperation forward, taking into cognisance the new developments — both within and outside the region — which had implications for intra-regional cooperation in South Asia.
In this context, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), along with Research and Information Centre for Developing Countries (RIS), Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), organised the Fourteenth South Asia Economic Summit (SAES XIV), under the theme ‘Reframing South Asian Regional Cooperation in the New Context: National and Global Dimensions’. This two-day conference took place on 4-5 November, 2023, and it saw an overwhelming number of attendees, with approximately 600 participants from both Bangladesh and countries across the South Asian region.
During this regional conference, an inaugural session, three plenaries, nine parallel sessions, and a closing session were organised, with the participation of 70 panellists. This volume contains speeches from eminent figures of the South Asian region, who shared their insights, analyses and recommendations at the event. Additionally, it includes papers from the panellists who discussed various cross-cutting and thematic issues.
It is hoped that this volume will appeal to a broad spectrum of readership who are keen to learn about the possible pathways to harness the advantages of closer cooperation in a peacefully rising South Asia.
Publication Period: June 2024