Plenaries

ICCS 2025 was pleased to present the following plenary sessions:

1. Special Presentation: Perspectives on Social Cohesion

How should we define social cohesion in today’s world? Are there universal principles of social cohesion? This segment examined the ever-evolving concept of social cohesion as it applied to our diverse, multicultural societies of that time.

Speakers:

• Professor Mike Hardy, Professor of Intercultural Relations, Coventry University

• Dr Catherine Fieschi, Fellow, Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute

• Dr Aaron Maniam, Fellow of Practice and Director, Digital Transformation Education, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Moderator: Professor Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs

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2. Plenary 1: Unpacking Multiculturalism

What do we mean by terms like multiculturalism, inclusion, and social cohesion? In this plenary, we explored the significant events and conditions that have enabled diverse communities to flourish.

Speakers:

• Prof Dr Nasaruddin Umar, Minister of Religious Affairs, Indonesia and Grand Imam of Istiqlal State Mosque

• Mr Ed Williams, President, International, Edelman

• Prof Colleen Ward, Professor of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington

Moderator: Professor Farish Noor, Professor, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

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3. Plenary 2: Navigating Uncertainty

In an era of rapid change and increasing complexity, what emerging forces challenge our confidence in multiculturalism today? In this plenary, we explored the emerging faultlines that threaten to erode trust and confidence within societies.

Speakers:

• Mr Peter Ho, Senior Advisor, Centre for Strategic Futures, Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group and Former Head of Civil Service, Singapore

• Mr Ahmed Aboutaleb, former Mayor of Rotterdam

• Mr Fadi Chehade, Managing Partner, Ethos Capital

Moderator: Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, Dean, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

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4. Plenary 3: Forging Societal Resilience

What enables societies to maintain harmony and thrive amidst adversity? This session explored the structures, values, and practices that preserved resilience and supported multicultural cohesion. It examined how different elements of society—including governments, businesses, and individuals—could champion multicultural values and strengthen societal resilience.

Speakers:

• Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Manpower

• Mr Ho KwonPing, Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Group

• Venerable Napan Thawornbanjob, Founding Chair, Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace (IBHAP) Foundation and Secretary-General, Religions for Peace Thailand

Moderator: Professor Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies and Assistant Principal for Religion and Society, University of Edinburgh

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5. Southeast Asian Social Cohesion Radar

This session showcased the findings from the 2^nd edition of the Southeast Asian Social Cohesion Radar. This was a follow-up to the first edition that had been presented at ICCS 2022. The Southeast Asian Social Cohesion Radar explored the following research questions: What dimensions of social cohesion contributed most to cohesion, and what elements of social cohesion did ASEAN states share?

Speakers:

• Dr Leong Chan-Hoong, Senior Fellow and Head of Social Cohesion Research Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

• Professor Paul Hedges, Professor of Interreligious Studies, Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

• Professor Farish Noor, Professor, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

Moderator: Mr Warren Fernandez, Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

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