The Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Philippines will debut this October 2016 Asia Pacific's first and most comprehensive forum on autonomy, federalism and governance.

 

IAG said registration for the Global Autonomy and Governance Forum (GAGF) 2016 is now open. This after the official event website that hosts all information about the forum went live on Tuesday this week. Interested participants can now access gagf2016.iag.org.ph and register themselves online.

 

Slated on October 19-20, 2016 at the Mayuree Grand Ballroom of the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City and co-presented with KAS Philippines Office, GAGF will feature over 20 international experts speaking and sharing first-hand experiences and programs on autonomy, federalism and governance. It will highlight country case studies including Mindanao and Cordillera in the Philippines, Northern Ireland and Scotland, Aceh in Indonesia, Australia, Finland, Spain, India, Sri Lanka, among others.

 

Former chair of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission and world-renowned constitutionalist Prof. Yash Pal Ghai leads this year’s stellar roster of speakers. He will be joined by Dr. Markku Suksi, professor of Public Law at the Åbo Akademi University in Finland; Dr. Rekha Saxena, professor with the Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi in India; and Dr. Edward Aspinall, a fellow at the Department of Political and Social Change, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies of the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

 

The new Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, has been invited to keynote the event. The complete list of confirmed speakers may be viewed here.

 

Over 500 international and local attendees are expected to participate in over 16 interactive and structured dialogues, forums, debates, panel discussions and briefings in the two-day duration of the event. The full hourly programme schedule has also been made available on the GAGF website.

 

Organizers from IAG and KAS said these activities will be meticulously prepared to make sure participants will be able to access latest findings of researches, projects and programs on autonomy and governance; learn best practices on effective autonomy and good governance; meet, network and do business with prospective customers and project partners; enjoy first mover advantage on business prospects and opportunities; and be part of a group of experts for interactive dialogue and consultative policymaking that will define the future of concerned regions and communities.

 

“I strongly urge all relevant stakeholders, negotiating panels, policymakers and government leaders to participate and make your voices heard at this first ever global forum on autonomy and governance in Asia Pacific. This is a rare opportunity to learn from the experiences of other countries and see what can be adopted here in the Philippines and vice versa,” said IAG Executive Director and GAGF 2016 Conference Chair Atty. Benedicto Bacani.