On 23 June 2025, UNU and the Singhvi Centre for Constitutional, Parliamentary and Legal Studies will co-host "India and the World: Democracy, Development and Justice”, a conversation with Dr. Abishek Singhvi, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; and Prof. C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University. The event will start at 18:30 in the 2F Reception Hall at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
Home to nearly one billion voters in its most recent election, India represents a complex and dynamic democratic landscape. Its ongoing development trajectory — marked by efforts to reduce poverty and expand access to education and opportunity — offers important insights into the relationship between democratic governance and inclusive growth. As global challenges mount, there is a pressing need to support institutions that uphold democratic principles, foster critical inquiry and promote inclusive development and human rights.
Dr. Abishek Singhvi and Prof. C. Raj Kumar will join UNU Rector Tshilidzi Marwala to discuss how India demonstrates an example of positive change and transformative impact. The conversation will highlight the challenges and possibilities of sustaining democratic governance alongside rapid social and economic change. As countries across Asia and beyond confront questions of inequality, institutional trust and civic participation, how can democratic systems remain responsive and resilient? What role can universities play in promoting informed public discourse and equitable development? And how can societies ensure that democratic values translate into meaningful opportunities for all?
The UNU Conversation Series aims to foster audience participation; you are encouraged to engage with the speakers during the conversation and at the reception that will follow, where all event attendees are invited to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks while exchanging ideas and making new contacts.
Please note that this event will be in English. Advance registration (by 22 June at 15:00) is required. Please click on the REGISTER button above to access the online registration page.
Please be prepared to present identification at check-in.
UNU@50
This event is part of the UNU 50th anniversary celebration. To learn more, visit: https://unu.edu/unuat50
About the speakers
Dr. Abhishek Singhvi’s multifaceted and versatile personality straddles public life, media law and academia. Dr. Singhvi is currently serving his fourth term as a Member of Parliament of India. He is the senior-most National Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, the youngest designated Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India (at age 34), and India’s youngest Additional Solicitor General (at age 37). An eminent jurist and a front-ranking senior counsel of the Supreme Court, he is the former Vice President of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Dr. Singhvi is also a well-known author and columnist and a visible media personality. Awarded the Global Leader for Tomorrow Award by World Economic Forum at Davos in 1999, Dr. Singhvi has been the opening lead speaker for the Treasury Benches in Parliament for almost every major debate from 2006 to 2013. He has been involved in almost all landmark Supreme Court cases, spanning constitutional law, corporate law and arbitration and several other subjects over the last four decades. He has served on many Parliamentary Committees, including those on Privileges, Urban Affairs, Law and Justice, and Defence.
After obtaining his B.A. (Economics) degree from St. Stephen's College, New Delhi, Dr. Singhvi went on to complete his M.A. and Ph.D. from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK. He has taught at St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, and joined a brief summer program at Harvard University. He has delivered lectures to student/faculty groups and general audiences at Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Boston, MIT and George Washington Universities, as well as NGOs and think tanks, and has addressed several international conferences, including in at Paris and Pakistan. He was a visiting Trumbull Lecturer at Yale University, USA, in 2011 and is currently an Honorary Adjunct Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University.
Prof. C. Raj Kumar, a Rhodes Scholar, is the Founding Vice Chancellor (VC) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in India. He was appointed as the VC at the age of 34 in 2009 when the university was established. Professor Kumar is an accomplished legal scholar and works in the fields of human rights and development, comparative constitutional law, terrorism and national security, corruption and governance, law and disaster management, legal education and higher education. He has nine books and over two hundred publications to his credit and has published widely in peer reviewed journals, law reviews and other internationally reputed publishing houses based in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, the UK and the US.
Professor Kumar has academic qualifications from the University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Hong Kong, University of Delhi and Loyola College. He served as a faculty member at the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong, where he taught for many years. Professor Kumar was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford, UK, where he obtained his Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) degree; a Landon Gammon Fellowship at the Harvard Law School, USA, where he obtained his Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree and a James Souverine Gallo Memorial Scholarship at Harvard University. He received the Doctor of Legal Science (S.J.D.) from the University of Hong Kong. He also obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Delhi, India; and a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) degree from the Loyola College, University of Madras, India.
