Experts from 20 countries to discuss mega trends in resource geopolitics at Navy conference

Resource geopolitics over dwindling fish-stocks owing to illegal fishing and other maritime exploitation of hard-to-find minerals and rare earth elements will come up for deliberations at the three-day long 2024 edition of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD), the annual apex-level international conference organised by the Indian Navy.

The event will be held in Delhi from October 3 where globally renowned subject-matter experts and eminent speakers from 20 countries will endeavour to identify mega trends of resource-geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific and posit policy-options that could be pursued to advantage.

Focusing upon “Resource-Geopolitics and Security in the Indo-Pacific” , the IPRD-2024 would explore and elaborate upon the several dimensions of two vital pillars of the IPOI Web, namely, “Marine Resources” and “Resource Sharing”, said a Indian Navy spokesperson.

Over a period of three days, IPRD would also explore whether and how cooperation, collaboration, and comity might offer alternative pathways within the paradigm of resource-geopolitics.

The dialogue would concentrate upon the manner in which traditional and newly identified marine resources are driving contemporary geopolitics and are likely to do so in the foreseeable future, the spokesperson pointed out.

These include dwindling fish-stocks – with a concomitant increase in Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, especially in oceanic areas beyond national jurisdiction, he said.

“Another manifestation of resource-geopolitics is the geopolitical race for cobalt, lithium, nickel, and other hard-to-find minerals, as also rare earth elements (REE) such as tellurium and neodymium that are needed for the millions of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and other such renewable-energy devices required to successfully transition from fossil-fuels to renewable sources of energy,” he emphasised.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will deliver the commemorative address at the IPRD. While a series of “Special Addresses” by particularly distinguished speakers, and from experts from over 20 countries are part of the itinerary lined up for three days.

The IPRD follows the recently concluded Goa Maritime Symposium 2024, conducted by the Indian Navy on September 24 and September 25 at the Naval War College in Goa.