Pathfinder Foundation successfully hosted its Fourth Dialogue with Diplomats on June 5, on the topic “Policy challenges for a new government”.

In collaboration with the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) of India, Pathfinder Foundation organized an online workshop on May 29, 2024, focusing on the theme "Sri Lanka – Addressing the Dilemmas of a Strategically Located Island State". The Workshop marked the latest engagement between the Pathfinder Foundation and the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) as MoU partners since 2017.

The 4th annual Bay of Bengal Dialogue, co-hosted by the Pathfinder Foundation and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD) of Switzerland, was held in Colombo from 7th to 8th May at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo. The event was attended by prominent personalities, including India Foundation’s President, Dr. Ram Madhav, and BIMSTEC Secretary General Amb. Indra Mani Pandey, alongside heads of diplomatic missions based in Colombo.

The Pathfinder Foundation and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue hosted the "Colombo Roundtable: Climate Change, Public Policy, and Humane Governance" at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, focusing on pressing issues in maritime affairs and climate change within the Bay of Bengal region. The event was graced by Douglas Devananda, Minister of Fisheries, who delivered special remarks emphasizing the urgency of addressing environmental and maritime challenges in the region.

The Pathfinder Foundation, in collaboration with the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) of the National University of Singapore, hosted a webinar that focused on Sri Lanka's potential accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

PATHFINDER INDIAN OCEAN SECURITY CONFERENCE – PHASE III

Pathfinder Foundation successfully hosted Phase III of its Indian Ocean Security Conference on the 28th and 29th of February 2024. The event was conducted in a hybrid format, with key speakers being physically present alongside eminent local invitees. Overseas-based resource persons, including the panel, joined the event virtually. The conference was co-chaired by Ambassador Shivshankar Menon, former Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Foreign Secretary, and National Security Advisor, and Ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman of Pathfinder Foundation.

The one-and-a-half-day event was held at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo, with H.E. Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka, as the Chief Guest. H.E. Hayashi Makoto, Deputy Director-General / Deputy Assistant Minister, Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, and H.E. Julie Chung, Ambassador of the United States in Sri Lanka, delivered special remarks. Representatives of diplomatic missions in Colombo, including Heads and Deputy Heads of Mission, other officials, and invitees from the Government of Sri Lanka, think tanks, and academia, attended the event in person.

The virtual event included over 100 participants each day from the littoral and hinterland countries of the Indian Ocean, including member countries of IORA and its Dialogue Partners, permanent members of the Security Council, regional and international organizations, partner institutions of Pathfinder Foundation locally and globally and other interested parties.

The following three themes were taken up at the 2024 conference which have their genesis in the 'Free & Open Indo-Pacific Strategy:

1. Indo-Pacific Strategy and its implications on the Indian Ocean Community

Moderator - Amb. (Retd.) Ahmed Jawad, Director-Centre for Indo-Lanka Relations, Pathfinder Foundation

Presenter -Mr. Kim Heriot-Darragh, Research Fellow, Perth USAsia Centre, University of Western Australia

Panelists

Ambassador (Retd.) H.M.G.S Palihakkara - Former Foreign Secretary and Sri Lanka's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Geneva and New York.

Dr. Liu Zongyi - Senior Fellow, Director of the Center for South Asia Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS)

2. Underwater Domain Awareness: Security and Economic Dimensions

Moderator - Admiral Jayantha Perera, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy

Presenter - Dr (Cdr.) Arnab Das, Founder & Director, Maritime Research Centre, Pune, India

Panelists

Rear Admiral Dimuthu Gunawardena (Retd.) Former Actg. Director General and Director (Communications and Publications) Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSS).

Prof. Jeffrey Payne, Assistant Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Washington DC, USA

3. Climate Change, Maritime Disaster Management and Blue-green Economy

Moderator - Dr. Terny Pradeep Kumara, Professor of Oceanography, Dept. of Oceanography and Marine Geology, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka

Presenter - Dr. Richard Jeo, Senior Vice President and Chief Field Officer, Asia-Pacific Field Division, Conservation International, Virginia, USA

Panelists

Dr. Athaulla Rasheed, Doctoral Researcher, Australia National University (ANU)

Prof. Rashed Uz Zaman, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

The platform provided by the conference for an open and free discussion is expected to engender a conducive environment to address issues and rivalries involving regional and extra-regional states, the impact on environmental security arising from climate change and global warming, transnational maritime crime, the importance of connectivity and economic growth for which maritime security and upholding international law are critically important.

The biannual Pathfinder Indian Ocean Security Conference brings together key players of the Indian Ocean to a single platform, where critical issues can be discussed and debated to enhance bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation.

Pathfinder Foundation (PF) is actively pursuing initiatives to enhance ties between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, focusing on tourism and connectivity. During a visit to Chennai, PF Chairman Bernard Goonetilleke met with Thiru K. Ramachandran, Minister for Tourism, Tamil Nadu, and Dr. K. Manivasan IAS, Additional Chief Secretary to the government.

Pathfinder Foundation (PF) and The Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) recently convened a significant dialogue titled “India - Sri Lanka Relations: Prospects and Challenges for Improving Connectivity and Tourism” in Chennai, India. Attended by policymakers, academia, think tanks, tour operators, and media representatives from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, the roundtable aimed to bolster bilateral relations, particularly in connectivity and tourism.

Pathfinder Foundation (PF) recently hosted its third ‘Dialogue with Diplomats’ in Colombo, focusing on the critical theme of the ‘Role of the Donor Community in Promoting Good Governance and Curbing Corruption in Sri Lanka’. With Sri Lanka's declining position in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the discussion underscored corruption as a pervasive issue across society, undermining trust in governance.

The Pathfinder Foundation met with the Indian business delegation jointly organized by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and led by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director of VIF.

The International Conference on Asia-Pacific Trade Dynamics and Connectivity, hosted by the Pathfinder Foundation in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) from India and Singapore, convened in Colombo on November 30th. Themed "Exploring Trade Dynamics: Insights on Supply Chains and Connectivity in the Asia Pacific Region," the conference aimed to disseminate research findings and foster dialogue among government officials, industry leaders, and private sector entities.

The inaugural Dialogue between the Pathfinder Foundation and the Asia New Zealand Foundation held in Colombo marked a significant step towards more profound understanding and collaboration between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, with broader implications for small states in the Asia Pacific region. Against the backdrop of heightened interest of major regional powers, the Dialogue addressed the multifaceted challenges small states face in navigating the rapidly shifting geopolitical dynamics.