COSATT Conference in Colombo Aims to Find Solutions to Combat Disinformation in South Asia

The Consortium of South Asia Think-Tanks (COSATT) is hosting a conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka, titled "Fake news, Propaganda, and Dis-information in International Relations: A South Asian Viewpoint." The conference is being held from the 15th to 16th of this month and aims to address the issue of disinformation in the region.

The conference is being organized with the support of the Political Dialogue Asia program of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), a German foundation associated with conservative parties that focuses on international issues and finding solutions. The COSATT conferences are held three times a year in one of the capitals of South Asia and cover themes such as connectivity, countering violent extremism and terrorism, refugees and IDPs in South Asia, and more.

The conference will see the participation of professors from Sri Lankan, Indian, and Pakistani universities, as well as representatives from the Observer Research Foundation. In addition, two senior journalists from Dhiyares, Khathima Yousuf, and Anifa Hussein Siraj, the sister outlet of the Maldives Journal, are taking part in the conference.

COSATT conferences have a wide range of participants, including think-tank heads, researchers, media persons, business communities, academics, and students. The conferences aim to bring together experts and professionals to discuss important issues facing the region and find solutions to them. The publications brought out by COSATT are widely circulated, and reports of the conferences are given to eight governments of South Asia, the SAARC Secretariat, and other important stakeholders.

The current conference focuses on the issue of disinformation, which has become a significant challenge for the region. Disinformation can have far-reaching consequences, including the erosion of trust in institutions, the spread of false information, and the manipulation of public opinion. By bringing together experts from across South Asia, the conference hopes to address the issue of disinformation and find solutions to combat it.