KIIT Law School (KLS) along with the KIIT International Relations Office hosted His Excellency Mr. Hans Jacob Frydenlund, Norwegian Ambassador to India on 30th November 2022, as a part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations of KIIT.
India’s geopolitical role, large population, long coastline, and booming economy make it an increasingly influential regional and global player particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, said Mr. Frydenlund in his talk. Both Norway and India place a high value on consistency and predictability, he said. Explaining how Norway is attempting to minimize conflicts, Mr. Frydenlund updated the young audience on the effects of the Russia and Ukraine war on Norway’s foreign and security policy.
The Ambassador underlined the pressing subject of climate change, on which the world is not adequately focusing. “Food production and human health can be harmed by drought. Flooding has the potential to spread illness and harm infrastructure and ecosystems. Health problems can reduce worker productivity, raise mortality, and have an impact on the availability of food. Impacts of climate change can be seen in every area of the world we live in”, he stated.
India was a crucial country for the world, and if India doesn’t succeed then the world doesn’t succeed in its efforts to limit the impacts of climate change, Mr. Frydenlund said. The Norwegian ambassador wrapped up his talk by mentioning Norway’s commitment to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 and other initiatives.
Earlier, welcoming the speaker and dignitaries, Dr. Bhavani Prasad Panda, Director, KLS spoke about the accomplishments of KIIT in general and KLS in particular. Mr. Debraj Pradhan, Fmr. Diplomat & DG, KIIT International Relations Office briefed the audience about his time at KIIT and introduced everyone to Norway, which is well known for its breathtaking northern lights, fjords, high economic growth, GDP parity and high HDI Index.
After his speech, Mr. Hans Jacob Frydenlund had a Q&A interactive session with the students of KLS. The questions raised a host of issues including Public International Law, sustainable development and various facets of Indo-Norwegian relationships. He gave some books to the KLS library, as a sign of the growing relationship between the KIIT and the Norwegian Government.