Asia After 5: Exploring Bhutan - Fireside chat with Ambassador Sonam Tobgay
Wellington
Join us for this Asia After Five event, featuring Ambassador Sonam Tobgay, Bhutan’s first-ever Ambassador to Australia.
In conversation with Professor David Capie, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies, Ambassador Tobgay will share insights on life in Bhutan, its culture and politics and the country’s evolving position in the world.
The event will follow our popular Asia After Five format, blending Asia-focused discussions with an evening of networking to deepen your understanding of the region.
This is an open event, so feel free to bring a friend! Please RSVP for catering purposes.
Ambassador Sonam Tobgay
Ambassador Sonam Tobgay
Sonam Tobgay has been serving in Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for almost three decades and is currently the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bhutan to Australia. He has also had diplomatic postings in Geneva, Kuwait, New York and New Delhi and has acquired extensive diplomatic skills in human rights, development, trade, health and aid mobilization.
Professor David Capie
Professor David Capie
Professor David Capie is Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies and Professor of International Relations. He is also a Trustee of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
David's research interests focus on conflict and security issues, particularly in the Asia–Pacific, and New Zealand's foreign and defence policy. He has authored or co-authored three books and numerous articles and book chapters.
His research has been supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the East-West Center and the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Marsden Fund. David has held visiting positions at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and at LUIS Guido Carli in Rome.
He was regional co-chair of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) from 2020 until 2022 and was a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum Experts and Eminent Persons Group from 2012 to 2019.
