Building Bridges: A Regional Dialogue
   ·   01 May, 2012   ·   42    ·    Discussion Report

South Asia continues to be the most volatile region in the world, involved in issues relating to Insurgency, Terrorism, Border Disputes and the Environment. These issues are transnational in nature and no country can address it alone.  A regional approach therefore is best suited to address such issues.

In recognition of the above, the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) set up the Consortium of South Asian Think Tanks (COSATT) in January 2008 with the objective of bringing together some of the leading think tanks in South Asia to foster cooperation in the region. COSATT is supported by the Regional Programme SAARC of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

As part of the effort, annual meetings are planned based on a theme to address topical issues of the region. These meetings comprise of a planning conference of participating think-tank heads, an expanded meeting with authors and experts, followed by the final study release before the SAARC Summit.

The theme for COSATT 2012 is “Building Bridges: Strengthening Physical, Emotional and Economic Linkages in South Asia.” The first conference of 2012 took place between 6 and 7 April 2012 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The previous COSATT dialogues have focused on “Energy & Environmental Security: A Cooperative Approach in South Asia” (2011), “Countering Terrorism-Building a Common Approach in SAARC” (2009-2010) and “SAARC: Towards Greater Connectivity” (2008).

Previous COSATT Conference Reports:

Energy and Environmental Security: A Regional Dialogue (Final Report)

Energy and Environmental Security: A Regional Dialogue (Preliminary Report)



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