Top South Asian millennials’ meeting kicks off today

Global Shapers from across South Asia will gather in Colombo for ‘Shape South Asia 2016’ kicking off today, with Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake as the chief guest and Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva delivering the keynote address. 
During the three-day meeting, Shapers will use Colombo as a backdrop to explore the themes of urbanization, inclusion, physical and digital empowerment, regional cities and the role of millennials. The regional meeting gathers members of the Global Shapers community in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. This year, the event is held under the theme ‘Shaping Identities’ hosted by the Global Shapers Colombo Hub that won the bid competing with several other cities across the region. 
The opening reception today will feature a special address by Coca-Cola India and South West Asia Vice President Ishteyaque Amjad, with Coca Cola supporting the event as youth partner. Other partners include official banking partner DFCC Bank, Altair (Indoocean Developers), SriLankan Airlines, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, Virtusa, Hirdaramani Group, CIMA Sri Lanka, Metropolitan Group, Ebert Silva Travels, Emagewise, 99X Technologies, Informatics Institute of Technology, Mount Lavinia Hotel, Sentrino, iFilm Productions and Impulse. The Wijeya Newspapers group is the print and online media partner for the event.
Alongside the Global Shapers, the members of the private sector, civil society, youth leaders and government representatives, will attend the event. The Global Shapers Community is an initiative of the World Economic Forum. It is a network of hubs developed and led by young people between the age of 20 and 30 that are exceptional in their potential, their achievements and their drive to make a contribution to their communities. There are currently over 400 hubs in over 150 countries with over 4,500 Shapers globally who are part of the community.