The Megacity Security Conference

November 23-24, 2015 in Mumbai, India


Hosted by the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center in partnership with the US Consulate General, Mumbai and in collaboration with the India Foundation

Megacities across the world today share the common element of massive and rapid urbanization of immigrant and rural young populations. This means that government agencies are finding it more difficult to regulate their national economies to curb unemployment, a factor that often leads to crime and finding other dangerous sources of livelihood. Such a complex set of conditions needs to be addressed by a diverse coalition of leaders from security and law enforcement agencies, academia, think tanks, the policy world, and media groups operating with a regional as well as international focus. The security requirements of megacities in the 21st century will require a comprehensive approach by policymakers that empowers key stakeholders and individuals to act according to the diverse needs of counter terrorism today.

While security is an important concern, citizens have high expectations regarding the place where they live and work. This puts pressure on the big cities and creates a real competition between them. The quality of the services they offer have an influence on the choice people make about coming there or not. That is why megacities have to be smart; the infrastructure services, the information and communication technologies have to be combined to build a seamless value chain for the people. They also have to be easy to use and manage for every citizen in order to be accepted and more broadly used.

Reliable communication and robust applications are key features of smart cities services. Implementing these kinds of solutions is not only a question of innovation; it is also a question of trust and experience.

The Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center and the India Foundation aim to address these concerns through the Megacity Security Conference taking place in Mumbai on November 23-24, 2015.

This conference will convene high ranking policymakers, leading academics, policy practitioners, and security experts, mainly from India and the United States, to discuss security challenges confronting megacities such as Mumbai. We hope to provide a forum for candid conversation aimed at producing practical policy recommendations to serve as a basis for strengthening US-India as well as global cooperation in confronting megacity security challenges. Delegates will be invited from other megacities such as London, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, and New York City to examine governance challenges.

Proposed conference panels include: a mayors’ forum, envisioning alternative megacity futures, securing megacities and advanced technological solutions in safeguarding megacities, and opportunities for defense firms in providing solutions to protect megacities.

For more information on the conference or for sponsorship opportunities, contact Bharath Gopalaswamy, Director, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council, Email: BGopalaswamy@atlanticcouncil.org, Phone: 202-778-4997