Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Political Dialogue Asia

🌊 World Ocean Day | Protecting Our Shared Future

On World Ocean Day, we are reminded that for countries like the Small Island States in the Pacific such as 🇫🇯 Fiji, 🇹🇻 Tuvalu, 🇻🇺 Vanuatu & 🇼🇸 Samoa, the ocean is not just a resource—it is identity, livelihood, a mode of transport, and home. Yet, climate change is transforming this reality. Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and increasingly severe weather phenomena 🌪️⛈️ are no longer distant risks, but daily challenges.

Climate change has become a non-traditional security threat—a risk multiplier that intensifies vulnerabilities, threatens food and water security, and puts entire indigenous communities at risk of displacement.

Across the Pacific, security is no longer only about borders—it is about whether people can continue to live on their land with dignity and hope for the future. 🌏

Germany’s Indo-Pacific engagement recognises this harsh reality. Sustainable ocean governance, climate resilience, and multilateral cooperation are not only environmental priorities—they are essential for peace 🕊️, stability ⚖️, sovereignty 🏛️, and human security 💡.

By amplifying Pacific perspectives, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Political Dialogue Asia Programme aims to contribute to policies that are grounded in real needs—supporting resilience, strengthening legal protections, and advancing innovative solutions.

Protecting the ocean also means protecting people—their livelihoods, their cultures, and their future. 🌊💙

The inaugural Sri Lankan–German Business Forum 2026 🇱🇰 🇩🇪 demonstrated the growing momentum in German–Sri Lankan economic relations and the strong potential for deeper cooperation across trade, investment, innovation 💡, connectivity 🌏, and sustainable development 🌱.

As a cooperation partner, KAS PDA Singapore was pleased to support this important platform, which brought together government representatives, business leaders, entrepreneurs 🚀, and development partners to discuss practical pathways for strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation.

We were also honored by the presence of Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Harini Amarasuriya, whose remarks highlighted the importance of inclusive economic growth, international partnerships, and Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with global investors and partners 🌍. Particularly noteworthy were the discussions on the EU’s Global Gateway initiative 🌐 and Sri Lanka’s role as a regional maritime ⚓ and logistics hub 🚢. These exchanges highlighted the country's strategic importance in the Indian Ocean and the opportunities that emerge when public and private stakeholders work together to advance connectivity, economic resilience, and sustainable growth 🌱.

The forum also showcased the dynamism of Sri Lanka’s innovation ecosystem 💡, with the Startup Night at TRACE Expert City 🚀 providing a valuable platform for entrepreneurs to present solutions addressing real-world challenges. The energy, creativity, and ambition on display offered a powerful reminder of the country's significant potential.

We extend our sincere appreciation to AHK Sri Lanka for its leadership in organizing this landmark event and, in particular, to Martin Klose and Malintha Gajanayake for their outstanding commitment and collaboration 🤝. Bringing together such a diverse group of stakeholders and launching a forum of this scale in its inaugural year is a remarkable achievement 👏.

Happy Vesak Day!🪷🙏🏻

Wishing all a blessed Eidul Adha! 🌙

🌏Connecting Leadership, AI, and Sustainable Development

In today’s rapidly changing world, the challenges of artificial intelligence, urban sustainability, and climate policy are deeply intertwined. How we govern emerging technologies shapes our cities, societies, and the future of work, while sustainable development ensures that technological progress serves people and the planet. Addressing these issues requires cross-border dialogue, innovation, and responsible leadership—precisely the goal of recent exchanges in Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

As the regional hub for Political Dialogue in Asia, KAS PDA Singapore was honored to join KAS Shanghai and Director David Merkle for two landmark initiatives:

🤖 Europe–China Future Young Leaders Program 2026 – Young leaders explored how AI is transforming work, governance, and cooperation. Through workshops and hands-on exercises, participants developed transnational leadership skills, a key focus of KAS PDA’s regional mission.

🌱 Workshop on Green Transition and Sustainable Governance – Jonas Nitschke represented KAS PDA Singapore, sharing perspectives on EU Climate Policy and the Global Gateway, exploring how cities and nations can align technological progress with societal and environmental well-being.

These exchanges reflect KAS PDA’s commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders in Asia, enabling them to react to complexity and turn understanding into action.

🙏 Many thanks to David Merkle, KAS Shanghai, and CUHK Shenzhen for facilitating these inspiring dialogues!

🌏📢The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia (PDA) and KAS Rule of Law Programme Asia (RLPA), in collaboration with the Center for Sustainable future, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji will be hosting the following event:

“𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁: 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀” 🌊🌱

📅 3 – 4 June 2026
📍 MSP Lecture Theatre, USP Lower Campus, Suva, Fiji

As one of the most pressing non-traditional security threats of our time, climate change continues to pose serious challenges for Small Island Developing States; from rising sea levels and extreme weather events to food and water insecurity, displacement, and governance concerns. 🌪️🏝️

This conference will bring together scholars, policymakers, security practitioners, legal experts, and representatives of affected communities to exchange perspectives and develop policy-relevant recommendations on climate resilience and adaptation. 🤝

💡𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲:

▪️ Climate change as a non-traditional security threat
▪️ The politics of climate change and implications for small island states
▪️ Climate security and the rule of law
▪️ A policy paper drafting workshop ✍️

The conference will also feature a keynote address by H.E. Dr. Andreas Prothmann, German Ambassador to Fiji, alongside experts from Fiji, Samoa, Tuvalu, Tonga, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 🌍

📌 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟳 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.
🔗 Registration: bit.ly/ClimateChangeFiji

🌏 Director of the KAS Political Dialogue Asia, Andreas Klein, participated in the panel discussion on 13th May on the “Opportunities & Challenges: Navigating Risks in Asia-Pacific” organised by the ESSEC Geopolitics & Defence Association (EGDA) at the Singapore campus of the École Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) Business School.

The panel also featured Ms. Selina Ho of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Lt. Colonel Philippe Quemerais, Deputy Defence Attaché of the French Embassy in Singapore, and Ms. Elina Noor of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 🌐

During the discussion, Mr. Klein spoke on Germany’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, emphasising the importance of defending the rules-based international order, upholding freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, and strengthening international cooperation with like-minded partners in the region. 🌍⚓🤝

He also highlighted the importance of Singapore as a comprehensive strategic partner in deepening trade and economic relations between Europe and the Indo-Pacific. 🇸🇬🇪🇺

The event further underscored the importance of Franco-German cooperation in advancing shared objectives in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in promoting stability, multilateralism, and international cooperation. 🇫🇷🇩🇪🌏

📣 Post Event Update: Climate Action at the Local Level, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 | 9th & 10th May 2026

🌍🍃 KAS Political Dialogue Asia, in partnership with the Institute of Democracy and Governance (IDAG) and the Northern Provincial Council, successfully conducted the second “Climate Action at the Local Level” workshop on 9–10 May 2026 at Jetwing Jaffna, Sri Lanka. 🇱🇰

This workshop was organized for local government representatives from the Mullaitivu District with the aim of strengthening their capacity to respond to climate-related challenges at the local level. 🌱🏛️ The programme provided an opportunity for participants to discuss the importance of climate-sensitive local planning, community-level adaptation, environmental protection, and the role of local authorities in building resilient communities. 🤝🌏

The workshop was honoured by the presence of Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan, as the Chief Guest. His participation emphasized the importance of provincial-level leadership and collaboration with local government institutions in advancing climate action in Sri Lanka. 🌿

By conducting this workshop in collaboration with the Northern Provincial Council, KAS Political Dialogue Asia and IDAG reaffirm their commitment to supporting inclusive local governance, provincial-local cooperation, and climate resilience in Sri Lanka. 🌍