Every year on May 25, the world celebrates Africa Day. On May 25 1963, 30 independent African leaders signed the founding charter of the OAU (Organization of African Unity). In 2002, to give more impetus to the organisation, many new areas were added, and it was transformed into African Union (AU). From that perspective, this year is unique as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of AU. This year, VIF decided to celebrate the event along with the rest of the world.

Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) hosted an Interaction with H.E. Mr. Denis Evgenyevich Alipov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to India on June 9, 2022 following a hybrid format. The participants who were physically present for the discussions included Amb D. P. Srivastava, Amb. Ashok Sajjanhar, Lt. Gen Ravi Sawhney Amb Anil Trigunayat, Prof Sujit Dutta, Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Air marshal Rajesh Kumar, Commodore Gopal Suri and Dr. Nanadan Unnikrishnan. General N. C.

As the controversy over the disrespect to Islam and the Holy Prophet by some errant individuals of the Indian ruling party raged across West Asia , I was happy to see the book edited by veteran diplomat and West Asia expert Ambassador Anil Trigunayat underscoring the critical importance of the WANA region for India and the world . Amb Trigunayat has spent nearly two thirds of his diplomatic career dealing with the Middle East and Africa and is currently leading the West Asia Experts Group at the Vivekananda International Foundation.

In the month of April 2022 Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized six expert group interactions with most of them being hybrid. All the interactions covered the relevant and engaging topics in the world and the region i.e. Sri Lanka, Ukraine and Pakistan’s political scene, with their ramifications to the various groupings, regions and to India specifically. This edition contains views on issues affecting USA, Europe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Asia and their impact on India.