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Zero Project India Conference and CII-IBDN National Conference

  • 19th and 20th September, 2023
  • New Delhi
The Zero Project India conference and CII-IBDN National conference aims to be a key event in the disability inclusion calendar in India. The Conference is a unique and highly influential event that brings together diverse stakeholders from India or with an interest in India and South Asia to introduce and promote innovative solutions for achieving a more inclusive society for persons with disabilities. It will connect the global network of the Zero Project with the Indian community of persons with disabilities, its ecosystems of innovators, the tech and business sector, grassroots organisation and the public sector. The Conference builds bridges between India and all other countries, and by providing a platform for shared learning and innovative practices.

The Conference is part of the broader Zero Project India chapter that supports all stakeholders interested in innovation and scaling process and is designed to be the annual hub of all these activities for India and the whole region. This year's conference theme, "Global Networks and Innovations: Making Inclusive Employment a Reality in India" aims to foster dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange to drive positive change in disability inclusion.

The Conference is jointly organised by the Zero Project and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and is supported by Omidyar Network India. The lead partner for the conference is Youth4Jobs. Other partners of the conference are GDi Partners, Axis Bank Foundation and The Hans Foundation
Day 1
Tuesday, 19th September 2023
01:00 PM to 06:00 PM
  • 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
    Registration & Networking Lunch
  • 02:00 PM
    Unveiling of Conference
  • 02:00 PM - 02:10 PM
    Welcome address & introducing Zero Project India and CII
  • 02:10 PM - 02:20 PM
    Opening address
  • 02:20 PM - 02:30 PM
    Importance of investing in inclusion
  • 02:30 PM - 02:45 PM
    International significance of the conference
  • 02:45 PM - 03:00 PM
    Address by Zero Project India Conference Celebrity Supporter
  • 03:00 PM - 03:15 PM
    Special Address
  • 03:15 PM - 03:35 PM
    Keynote address
  • 03:35 PM - 03:40 PM
    Theme address
  • 03:40 PM
    Accessibility playbook launch
  • 03:40 PM - 04:00 PM
    Exhibition inaugural
  • 04:15 PM - 05:00 PM
    How can global collaboration on innovative solutions and technology support inclusive employment in India?
  • 05:15 PM - 06:00 PM
    Innovations addressing rural livelihoods
  • 06:00 PM Onwards
    Hi-tea & networking
Day 2
Wednesday, 20th September 2023
09:30 AM to 05:00 PM
  • 09:30 AM - 10:00 AM
    Welcome tea and exhibition visit
  • 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
    Preview to the second conference day
  • 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
    Impact investing in India
  • 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
    The role of innovative technologies for job creation in the Indian market
  • 12:15 PM - 01:00 PM
    Innovation labs addressing the growing needs of India
  • 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
    Lunch
  • 02:00 PM - 02:45 PM
    Presenting the DISH Database
  • 02:45 PM - 03:30 PM
    Launching WE-DO
  • 03:30 PM - 04:15 PM
    Leveraging vocational training for job creation
  • 04:15 PM - 05:00 PM
    Au revoir
  • 05:00 PM Onwards
    Post conference networking
Detailed Agenda
Day 1
Tuesday, 19th September 2023
01:00 PM to 06:00 PM

01:00 PM - 02:00 PM

Registration & networking lunch

02:00 PM

Unveiling of conference

Welcome address & introducing Zero Project India and CII

Meera Shenoy

Founder & CEO, Youth4Jobs

Opening address

Venkataraman S V

Chairman, CII National Committee on Empowerment of PwDs & IBDN

Address: Importance of investing in inclusion

Shilpa Kumar

Partner, Omidyar Network India

Address: International significance of the conference

Martin Essl

Founder and Chairman, Essl Foundation & Zero Project

Katharina Wieser

Austrian Ambassador to India

Address by Zero Project India Conference Celebrity Supporter

Saiyami Kher

Indian Actress

Special address

Rajesh Aggarwal

Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

Keynote address

Satoshi Sasaki

Officer-in-Charge (India), International Labour Organization (ILO)

Theme Address

Seema Arora

Deputy Director General, CII

03:40 PM

Accessibility playbook launch

03:40 PM - 04:00 PM

Exhibition inaugural

04:15 PM - 05:00 PM

How can global collaboration on innovative solutions and technology support inclusive employment in India?

Moderator

Tariq Mustafa

Omidyar Network India

Speakers

Sanjay Dawar

Accenture

Jürgen Menze

International Labour Organisation

Ashutosh Chadha

Microsoft

Priyanka Mohanty

Startek

Susan Scott-Parker

Business Disability International, United Kingdom

Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo

The World Bank Group, United States

Break 05:00 PM - 05:15 PM

05:15 PM - 06:00 PM

Innovations addressing rural livelihoods

Moderator

Armaan Ali

NCPEDP

Speakers

S. Sankara Raman

Amar Sewa Sangam

Mallikarjun Iytha

IDEA

Deepak Raj Sapkota

Karuna Foundation, Nepal

Prahlad Beniwal

Grassroot Divyang Mitr

Neena George

SAVE Foundation, Belgium

Sneha Gokhale

SELCO Foundation

R. Karthikeyan

Worth Trust

06:30 PM onwards

High-Tea & networking

Day 2
Wednesday, 20th September 2023
09:30 AM to 05:00 PM

09:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Welcome tea and exhibition visit

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Preview to the second conference day

Speakers

Michael Fembek

Zero Project, Austria

Meera Shenoy

Youth4Jobs

Sumita Kunashakaran

Zero Project, Austria

10:15 AM - 11:00 AM

Impact investing in India

Moderator

Ankita Shirodariya

Social Alpha

Speakers

Sameer Garg

Axis Bank Foundation

Nirat Bhatnagar

Dalberg Advisors

Bernd Schramm

GIZ, Germany

Shilpa Kumar

Omidyar Network India

Anuradha Jain

USAID

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM

The role of innovative technologies for job creation in the Indian market

Moderator

Sunita Cherian

Wipro

Speakers

Praveen Sangappa

Applied Material

Shilpi Kapoor

Barrierbreak

Ajit Narayanan

Google

Meenu Bhambhani

State Street

Break 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM

12:15 PM - 01:00 PM

Innovation labs addressing the growing needs of India

Moderator

Shashaank Awasthi

v-shesh

Speakers

Klaus Hoeckner

Access Austria

Michal Rimon

Access Israel

Prateek Madhav

ATF Labs

Carola Rubia

Fundación Descúbreme, Chile

P.V. Madhusudhan Rao

IIT Delhi

Lourdes Márquez de la Calleja

Fundación ONCE, Spain

Lunch 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM

02:00 PM - 02:45 PM

Presenting the DISH database for global cooperation on innovation and scaling

Moderator

Sayomdeb Mukerjee

EnAble India

Speakers

Dipesh Sutariya

EnAble India

Michael Fembek

Zero Project, Austria

Sameer Rawal

DISQ

Ankita Shirodariya

Social Alpha

02:45 PM - 03:30 PM

Launching WE-DO, the global women entrepreneurs with disability initiative

Moderator

Meera Shenoy

Youth4jobs

Speakers

Sanjana Govindan

WE-DO

Manisha Gulabrao Patil

Amazon

Lasanthi Daskon

IFES

Minu Mandarwaliya

Rajasthan Samagrah Kalyan Sansthan

Rekha Srinivasan

United Way

Shivani Kumar

CII Foundation

03:15 PM - 04:15 PM

Leveraging vocational training for job creation

Moderator

Chitra Shyam

Barclays

Speakers

Aziza Ahmed

Bangladesh Business Disability Network (BBDN)

Barsha Banerjee

Perkins School for the Blind

Praveen Karn

Spark Minda

Daniel Van Sant

The Harkin Institute, United States

Patrick Romzek

Bridge to Opportunity, United States

04:15 PM - 05:00 PM

Au revoir

Speakers

Michael Fembek

Zero Project, Austria

Meera Shenoy

Youth4jobs

05:00 PM Onwards

Post conference networking

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Contact : india@zeroproject.org
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