Update, 14th September, 2021: The rescheduled event dates, speakers list, and schedule is now here.
Update, 7th May, 2021: India is facing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and medical catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. Due to the tragic crisis caused by the second wave of Covid, we have decided to reschedule this event until August 2021. A new announcement will be made closer to the date. Our apologies for any inconvenience caused.
This summer, brilliant minds will come together to discuss solutions for peace, gender equality, social justice, and a unified South Asia.
eShe magazine’s South Asia Union Summit Led by Women is designed to promote women’s leadership and create a space for dialogue while harnessing feminine intelligence.
The Summit is the first step in eShe’s peacebuilding initiative, South Asia Union – a vision board for a unified South Asia.
The virtual Summit includes talks, interviews, workshops and panel discussions by women of purpose from around South Asia and the world. Speakers include business leaders, writers, activists, educationists, artists, pop-culture icons, thought leaders, historians, policy analysts, youth voices, authors, and more.
Aekta Kapoor, founder and editor of eShe, says, “Conflict, war and militarization come at an unimaginable cost – to life, resources, freedom, social justice and the basic principles of humanity. It is women who suffer the consequences of war, violence and extremism the most, and it is time women stepped up to build peace in South Asia using the power of feminine wisdom, the spirit of solidarity, and a vision tinted with empathy.”
Dates: 15th and 16th May, 2021
Time: 4 to 8 pm India | 10.30 am to 2.30 pm GMT – both days
Entry: Free. Hurry! Limited seats.
AGENDA
Day 1: 15th May, 2021 (India Standard Time)
| 1600 hrs | Introduction: A Platform for Women’s Leadership Aekta Kapoor, founder and editor, eShe (India) |
| 1615 hrs | Talk: Dr Scilla Elworthy, peace builder, author and three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee (UK) |
| 1640 hrs | Not Repeating History: Lessons from the Past for the Future Panel 1: Rita Manchanda, scholar, author and peacebuilder (India) Peggy Mohan, linguistic expert, author and educator (Trinidad-India) Moderator: Natasha Badhwar, filmmaker, columnist, author, media team lead at Karwan e Mohabbat (India) |
| 1730 hrs | Pathbreaking Education: Raising Global Citizens of a Digital World Panel 2: Juhi Javed Husain, civil servant, lawyer and senior policy advisor (UK) Faiza Yousuf, technologist and founder of WomeninTechPK and CodeGirls (Pakistan) Shahneila Saeed, director, Digital Schoolhouse, Head of Education, Ukie (UK) Monica Malhotra Kandhari, managing director, MBD Group (India) Moderator: Sabin Muzaffar, feminist publisher and editor of Ananke magazine (Pakistan-UAE) |
| 1820 hrs | The Role of Women in Building Peace Discussion: Hina Jilani, renowned human-rights activist, lawyer, and co-founder of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Women’s Action Forum (Pakistan) Aekta Kapoor, founder and editor, eShe (India) |
| 1850 hrs | The Burden of Tradition: Gender Equality and Social Justice in South Asia Panel 3: Sabin Muzaffar, feminist publisher and editor of Ananke magazine (UAE) Mandy Sanghera, award-winning philanthropist and human-rights activist (UK) Dr Sonora Jha, journalism professor and author of How to Raise a Feminist Son (USA) Moderator: Lavanya Garg, development professional, senior manager and chief of staff, Good Business Lab (India) |
| 1940 hrs | Talk: Feminine Intelligence as Endowed in Leadership Karen Downes, cofounder, FemmeQ and changemaker (Costa Rica) |
| 2000 hrs | End of day one |
Day 2: 16th May, 2021 (India Standard Time)
Hosts: Kay Newton, award-winning international speaker and author
Manvi Pant, contributor, eShe
| 1600 hrs | Welcome to day two Aekta Kapoor, founder and editor, eShe (India) |
| 1615 hrs | Talk: Focus on Women and Youth Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, Padma Shri awardee, educationist and peacebuilder (India) |
| 1640 hrs | Feminist Lens: Women’s Visibility and the Culture of Silence Panel 4: Mehr Tarar, feminist journalist (Pakistan) Saloni Chopra, actor, author and influencer (India-Australia) Moderator: Aekta Kapoor, founder and editor, eShe (India) |
| 1730 hrs | Focus on Youth: Empowering Humanistic Leaders of Tomorrow Panel 5: Raaheela Ahmed, student leader, community activist and elected official (USA) Tara Krishnaswamy, director, software development, ORACLE, and founder of Shakti initiative to empower women in politics (India) Saba Gul, technology entrepreneur and changemaker (Pakistan) Moderator: Beena Sarwar, editor, Aman ki Asha, filmmaker, and peace activist (Pakistan-USA) |
| 1820 hrs | The Role of Women in Building a Unified South Asia Discussion: Beena Sarwar, editor, Aman ki Asha, journalist, filmmaker, and peace activist (Pakistan-USA) Khushi Kabir, social activist and environmentalist (Bangladesh) |
| 1850 hrs | Open for Business: Peace, Economic Growth and Regional Prosperity Panel 6: Nadia Samdani, philanthropist and founder of Dhaka Art Summit (Bangladesh) Darshita Gillies, impact investor, philanthropist and tech entrepreneur (UK) Kalsoom Lakhani, venture capitalist with a focus on Pakistan (USA) Moderator: Suparnaa Chadda, founder, SABERA Awards (India) |
| 1935 hrs | Lens of Humanity Discussion |
| 2000 hrs | End of day two |
Please note: This list is still being populated as more speakers confirm their presence
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