Summits & Meetings - Current Affairs for September, 2016

Apart from India, Bangladesh and Bhutan have also pulled out of the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November, saying the environment is not right for the successful holding of the meet.

• The decision was conveyed by Bangladesh and Bhutan on 27th Sept to the Saarc chair Nepal, sources said
• The decision by three countries of the eight-member grouping not to attend the summit would lead to its collapse.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the same day also decided not to attend the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November.
• The announcement by India came on a day foreign secretary S Jaishankar issued a second demarche to Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit over September 18 Uri attack and confronted him with proof of "cross-border origins" of the terror strike in which 18 jawans were killed.
• The attack has triggered a strong response from India which has reviewed the 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty (IWT), and decide to reconsider the MFN status granted by it, unilaterally, to Pakistan.

IITIS is a platform for domestic and foreign investors to meet project owners from Indian states and private sectors.

• the summit was held on 22nd Sept 2016
• It includes State Presentations encompassing all investible Properties, Session on Why Invest in India, MSME in tourism sector, Panel discussions on core infrastructure for tourism, Session on Start-ups, digital India, Investing into Swadesh Darshan, PRASAD, MICE and Niche Tourism Products, B2B meetings and signing of MoUs.
• It has dedicated space for Seminars, Business to Business meetings and Roundtables around focus themes.
  
  Over 1800 delegates were from:
  
  
• Private sector Project Owners;
• Banks and Financial Institutions;
• Business Developers;
• Cruise Liners;
• Domestic Investors;
• Entertainment Companies; I
• Indian States with Ready Investible Projects
• Territory Administrations;
• Global Investors;
• Helicopter Services;
• Hoteliers;
• Infrastructure Developers;
• International Associations;
• Restaurateur;
• Spa and Yaga Centres;
• Tour and Travel Operators;
• Urban Developer and Venture Capitalists
• The Confederation of Indian Industry and Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd are principal partners of this summit. Four Knowledge Partners i.e. Ernst & Young, KPMG, Yes Bank and Invest India will assist States and UTs for identifying projects, Suggesting Tourism Policy updates and presenting these to the potential investors during the summit.
  
  There will be six Plenary Sessions on 22nd and 23rd September, 2016
  
  
• Plenary Session –1 - Why Invest in Incredible India
• Plenary Session –2 - Core Infrastructure for Tourism
• Plenary Session –3 - Digital India & Start UP India
• Plenary Session –4- Open House with State Tourism Ministers
• Plenary Session –5 - Open-house with CEOs
• Plenary Session– 6 -Medical Tourism

World leaders on 19th September 2016 adopted the New York Declaration at the opening of the United Nation’s General Assembly first ever Summit for Refugees and Migrants

• Delegates adopted the landmark declaration issuing a solid commitment to address current issues and prepare the world for future challenges.
• This includes starting negotiations and adoption of global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration in 2018
  
  Highlights of the declaration are as follows:
  
  
• Protection of human rights of refugees and migrants regardless of status including the rights of women and girls ad promoting equal and meaningful participation in finding solutions
• Ensure that refugee and migrant children are receiving education within a few months of the arrival
• Prevent and respond to gender based violence
• Support those countries, receiving and hosting numerous refugees and migrants
• Work towards ending the practice of detaining children for the purpose of assessing the migration status
• Find new homes for all refugees identified by Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as needing resettlement
• Increase opportunities for refugees or migrants to relocate other countries through labour mobility or education schemes
• Strengthen global governance of migration by bringing the international organisation of migration into the UN system
• Adopting the NY Declaration means more children can attend school, more workers can seek jobs and rights of refugees and migrants will be protected
• Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General has launched a new campaign called Together – Respect, Safety and Dignity for All to respond to rising xenophobia and turn fear into hope.

The important 17th NAM Summit was held in Margarita Island in Venezuela from Sept 17 to 18.
NAM summit on 17th makes the second time PM of India will not be representing the nation at the summit.

• India was one of the founding members of the Non Aligned Movement
• It hosted the 7th NAM Summit in 1983 in New Delhi
• Last NAM summit was held in Iran in 2012
• “The Summit is expected to deliberate on issues of contemporary relevance and concern such as terrorism, UN reform, the situation in West Asia, threats to peace and security, UN peacekeeping operations, climate change, and sustainable development,” stated a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs.
• NAM is a group of states not formally aligned or against major power blogs
• Organisation was founded in Belgrade in 1961 and largely conceived by India’s first PM Nehru

• Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno;
• Egypt’s second president, Gamal Abdel Nasser;
• Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah;
• Yugoslavia’s president, Josip Broz Tito.
• All these leaders emphasised the middle course for states in developing part of the world in the cold war between Western and Eastern Blocs.
• As of 2012, NAM has 120 members

ASEAN Summit 2016 namely the 28th and 29th associations of ASEAN Summit concluded on 8th Sept 2016 at Vientiane Laos.

• The theme for the summit was Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community
• HE THongloun Sisoulith, PM of Laos PDF was Chairperson of the summit
• The summit was held from 6-8th Sept 2016
• It was attended by leaders of 10 member ASEAN nations namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia
• ASEAN leaders at the summit discussed the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and enhanced cooperation with external partners of ASEAN
• The nations also adopted the initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan III and Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 which is an integral part of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025
• The ASEAN declaration on One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region was also signed
• Several outcome documents were aimed at realising the 8 priorities for ASEAN Chairmanship 2016 and the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025
• There was also an agreement to intensify ASEAN Cooperation with Dialogue Partners and External Parties through ASEAN led mechanisms namely ASEAN Plus One, ASEAN Plus Three, ASEAN regional forum, ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus and East Asia Summit
• PM Narendra Modi represented India at the 14th ASEAN- India summit
• The summit is ASEAN’s highest policy making body. Chair of the ASEAN Submit rotates annually in alphabetical order of English names of member states

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture has said that Incredible India Tourism Investors Summit 2016 is a platform for investors across the globe to explore investment opportunities available within the ambit of the Indian tourism sector as well as core infrastructure.

• India is one of the fastest growing economies and the tourism sector seeks to escalate its culture and heritage
• India’s tourism offerings will be on display during the summit
• Centre has allowed 100 percent FDI under the automatic route in tourism and hospitality as well as tourism construction projects
• Policies offer attractive investment potential in the tourism sector
• Incredible India Tourism Summit organised by Ministry of Tourism is its initiative in association with CII and TFCI
• Highlights of the summit include participation from more than 27 Indian states, around 600 investable projects from across the country and from across various sectors of tourism participation from 140 investors from 70 companies and 21 seminars across two shows along with event road shows, an updated website and B2G meetings prefixed online

This first of its kind event will deliberate on the need for an LPG enabled household problem arising due to absence of cooking gas, the usage of traditional biomass cooking fuels and their impact on both health and environment.

• Event will have a session on the successful Give It Up scheme that has given birth to a silent revolution and encouraged a large part of India’s affluent sections to voluntarily give up their LPG subsidy
• Delegates from dozen developing countries such as Brazil, Nigeria, Ghana, Nepal and Sri Lanka will participate in the conference