IAIE Annual Report 2021
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
each other the better we engage.
I must emphasise that like 2020, year 2021 has also been a challenging year due to Covid-19 outbreak posing enormous difficulties in hosting events, engagements and initiatives because of travel restrictions, social distancing regulations and strict Covid-19 protocols. Nonetheless, IAIE has not only survived but thrived. In this context, on behalf of the Executive Committee I extend my sincere gratitude towards our highly accomplished Board members and international panel of advisors, for their stellar support and wisdom. In 2021 we were delighted to welcome Prof Shaun Star as our new Board member who has been instrumental in furthering IAIE’s mission objectives on numerous fronts, including research, policy dialogues and public events, and above all the Student Mentoring and Research Training (SMART) program. This also gives me immense pride to share that our distinguished Board member Dr Sarah Kelly has Dr. Ashutosh Misra been awarded the Order of Australia medal and also been appointed the Honorary Consul General t is an absolute honour and privilege to write of the Embassy of Israel in Australia. Similar, Prof the CEO’s note for the Annual Report 2021 of Star was awarded the India Impact Award at the the Institute for Australia India Engagement. prestigious IABCA Awards. I am also very proud It gives me great satisfaction to note that IAIE to be appointed the National Sports Chair at the continues to scale greater heights since its launch Australia India Business Council (AIBC) which in September 2018 by the Indian High Commishas allowed IAIE to deepen its institutional collabsioner Dr A.M. Gondane. The Institute has not oration with AIBC and with Cricket Australia and looked back ever since and continued to promote Queensland Cricket for promoting sporting ties greater mutual country understanding and combetween the two countries. plement the objectives of the Australia India ComTowards the latter half of 2021, as the pandemic’s prehensive Strategic Partnership through policy effects began to wane, we were able to host more research, policy dialogues and multi-disciplinary dignitaries and guests and also hold in-person engagements. dialogues, networking events and community engagements with the AIBC and Department of The publicity and profiling of the Institute has been Foreign Affairs and Trade, Queensland Cricket, ever expanding through the regularly updated Queensland Police and the Brisbane City Council. IAIE website www.iaie.org.au which has recorded In 2021, an international dialogue on “Role of over 85,000 hits so far. Over the years, an increasConstitutional Democracies in Shaping the Emerging number of scholars, diplomats, policymakers, ing World Order”, commemorating Azadi ka Amrit business groups, community associations and Mahotsav,celebrating India’s 75th year of indepenmedia houses in Australia, India and internationaldence made an impressive impact in shaping the ly have engaged with us regularly at various levels. national and international strategic discourse on This testifies the Institute’s growing leadership as the Indo-Pacific and Australia-India relations. the first independent policy think-tank in Australia Similarly, the dialogue with AIBC on “Tracing focused on Australia-India bilateral relations. We the Quad’s evolution and India-Australia bilateral have continued to bolster mutual understanding in history” has enabled the two institutions to instil sync with our vision — the deeper we understand
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