International Relations Conference 2013

The SSIS with the support of the Division of Public Diplomacy, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, organized its first edition of the International Relations Conference titled 'India and its Development Partnerships in Asia and Africa: Towards a New Paradigm' in December 2013.

The conference was inaugurated by Hon'ble Vice President of India, Mr. Hamid Ansari. The special guest of honour at the event was H.E. Mr. Hamid Karzai, GCMG, Hon'ble President, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Eminent members of academia, government officials, ministers, corporate leaders and experts from over 25 countries attended the conference to deliberate on the various tracks that were identified for the conference.

International Relations Conference 2014

In 2014, the theme of the conference focused on the evolving contours of India's foreign policy for the South and Southeast Asian region and was titled 'India's Look East- Act East Policy: A Bridge to the Asian Neighbourhood'.

The conference was inaugurated by Hon'ble Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri. Nitin Gadkari. Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, Finance Minister of Nepal; Mr. Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East), Government of India; Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam and State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.

Mr. Kiren Rijiju, Hon'ble Minister of State for Home Affairs of India, was the key note speaker at the session on Defence and Security and also held an interactive session with the students.

International Relations Conference 2015

In 2015, the School organized its third edition of the IRC titled 'Link West: India and the Gulf'. The discussions at the conference explored the myriad aspects of India's relations with the Gulf region. The conference was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Vice President of India, Shri. M. Hamid Ansari. During his introductory speech, the Vice President reiterated the importance of the Gulf and the pressing need for peace and stability in this region, and its consequences for India. Hon'ble Governor of Maharashtra, Shri. C. Vidyasagar Rao, and Hon'ble Guardian Minister for Pune, Shri. Girish Bapat also graced the occasion with their presence.

International Relations Conference 2016

In 2016, the IRC titled ‘India and the Indian Ocean: Sustainability, Security and Development’, discussed and deliberated on how the dynamics of the Indian Ocean region is expected to influence the geopolitical trajectories in the coming decades of the much discussed Asian Century. The conference also addressed developments that are shaping the internal dynamics apart from mapping challenges and opportunities for India as well as engaged with analysis of the IOR from various perspectives like history, economy, geopolitics, culture, energy, trade, migration and diaspora-related issues.

The guests of honour were Mr. Ram Madhav, Director, India Foundation, Mr. Amar Sinha, Secretary, Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and H.E Dr. Ali Al-Bimani, Vice Chancellor, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman. The Conference was supported by the Ministry of External Affairs, Vivekananda International Foundation and India Foundation.

International Relations Conference 2017

In 2017, the IRC titled 'India-EU: Enhancing Strategic Partnerships', brought together professionals from India and the EU to discuss and recommend steps forward in the formulation of a more interactive foreign policy towards this region that would further deepen cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and security realms. The delegates and participants engaged in strategic discussions covering various and far-reaching initiatives on issues of security, trade and investment, clean energy and climate change mitigation and higher education and skill development.

The guests of honour for the conference were H.E. Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski, Ambassador of the European Union to India and Bhutan, Mr. A. Gitesh Sarma, Additional Secretary (Pol.) Ministry of External Affairs, India and Dr. Furqan Qamar, Secretary General Association of Indian Universities

International Relations Conference 2018

The theme of the sixth edition of the International Relations Conference in December 2018 was a slight departure from the previous conferences, which were focused on different geographic spaces. IRC 2018 tackled a more ideational notion, that of “Shaping a new strategic culture for India”. The conference focused on a strategic vision for India that transcends political differences to involve a large stakeholder participation from both government and non-government forces. The conference promoted in-depth discussion with speakers contributing both to the general framework of strategic culture and to policy approaches in specific areas of interest to India.

The guests of honour for IRC 2018 were Shri Vijay Gokhale, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India and Shri Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, who addressed the conference through a video call.

International Relations Conference 2021

The Director of Symbiosis School of International Studies, Prof. Shivali Lawale, welcomed the Honorable Chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) S.B Mujumdar, Honourable Pro-Chancellor Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar and the Honourable Vice-Chancellor Dr. Rajani Gupte. She introduced the Chief Guest, Honorable Foreign Secretary of India, Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla to the 7th edition of the IRC themed ‘COMPETITION, CONVERGENCE AND MULTI ALIGNMENT: SHAPING INDIA’S FOREIGN POLICY FOR THE NEXT DECADE’.

Prof. (Dr.) S.B Mujumdar and Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar addressed the audience and the stage was then left for the keynote address by the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Foreign Secretary, Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla. He started by praising the evolution of Symbiosis International University and the work undertaken by the Hon’ble Chancellor over the years that has evolved Pune into an internationally recognized place for education. He continued to talk on continuity of change in foreign policy and major international occurrences like, the pandemic, belligerence of China, Indo-Pacific and changing nature of economies. He further expressed that India’s foreign policy today remains in its immediate neighbourhood under the Neighbourhood First Policy and India must align itself and engage actively in the growing and ever-changing multipolar world order. He also informed the audience about the deep engagements of India with Bangladesh, Nepal, the newly emerged Biden administration, Denmark, Gulf and Middle East, Japan and Africa. He also spoke about the importance of multilateral organization and the position India must acquire. He ended the address by talking about the current crisis that the entire world is facing. He informed the audience of the efforts made by India in deployment of rapid response teams to the Maldives, Kuwait, Mauritius and Comoros. And mission SAGAR to the Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Vietnam and Cambodia just to give a sense of the extent of international support that the country provided during the initial period of the pandemic.