V International Contest "Leader of Public Diplomacy". Gala Awarding Ceremony of the Country Stage Winners took place in New Delhi
The Award Ceremony for the winners of the country stage of the V International Contest "Leader of Public Diplomacy" took place on March 25, 2026 in New Delhi as part of the World Public Summit. India: "New World: India in the architecture of a shared future". The Gala Evening brought together representatives of the international expert community, public leaders, cultural, scientific, and business figures, and highlighted leaders whose activities are aimed at developing public diplomacy, building trust, and humanitarian cooperation between countries.
Svetlana Smirnova, Chairman of the General Council of the World Peoples Assembly, addressed the participants of the Contest with a welcoming speech. She noted the importance of the Contest as an international platform for bringing together initiative leaders and emphasized the high activity of Indian representatives in the development of public diplomacy.
Within the country stage in India, 22 reputable representatives of various spheres of public and professional activity became winners:
Nomination "Humanistic Leadership"
The winners are representatives of the international and public sector:
Sameep Shastri – Vice President of the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
Krishna Prasad Tenneti – Member of the Indian Parliament and the Head of a non-governmental organization the “Krishna Prasad” Foundation,
Sandeep Marwah – Film Producer, President of Marwah Studios,
Saurabh Kumar Ubovedja – Managing Partner of BoD Group,
Manish Kumar Chaudhary – Singer, Secretary General of Respect India,
Rohini Hak – Founder of HopeBlit.
The awards were presented by Philip Blessed Ossange, Trustee of the African Blindness Fund and Director of the Canadian branch of HOPE Worldwide (Canada).
Nomination "Cultural Diplomacy"
The winners are cultural and creative industry figures:
Anil Sharma – Film director,
Asif Shaikh – Founder of the Handicraft Design Society from Ahmedabad;
Akbar Khan – Film director,
Jean Nissar Lawn – Global President of the BRICS Cultural Media Forum, which promotes cultural dialogue around the world.
The awards were presented by political scientist, historian, and public figure Helene Perroux (France).
Nomination "Youth Diplomacy"
The winners are representatives of youth organizations and international initiatives:
Himadrish Suwan – Chairman of the Confederation of Young Leaders of India, Member of the Supreme Advisory Council of the World Peoples Assembly (India);
Ankita Sadchev – Co–Director of the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry (India);
Kombu Raj – Member of the World Peoples Assembly, the founder of the United Global Forum, which promotes the involvement of young people in global projects.
The awards were presented by Nurul Ashikin Binti Shamsuri, founder of the Fearless Foundation (Malaysia).
Nomination "Educational and Scientific Diplomacy"
The winners are representatives of the academic and expert community:
Savita Roy – PhD, Head of the Department of the University of Delhi, Professor and Director of Daulat Ram College at the University of Delhi;
Sonu Saini – Chairman of the Union of Russian Translators of India, Senior Lecturer at the Center for Russian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University;
Anil Kumar – Professor, Member of the Board of Trustees of Respect India;
Punit Gaur – Researcher at the Indian Council on International Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India.
The awards were presented by Alexander Ageev (Russia), Director General of the International Research Institute of Management Problems, member of the General Council and Chairman of the Scientific and Expert Council of the World Peoples Assembly, member of the Club of Rome.
Nomination “Media and Communication Diplomacy”
The winners are leading journalists and media figures:
Sahar Zaman – founder and director of the Hunar TV channel;
Parul Mahajan – Media expert, presenter and producer of well-known channels, including Discovery, Epic and History18, founder of the Skilling Company (youth professional development for global opportunities);
Robin Nath Sachdev – President and Vice Chairman of the Imagindia Institute;
Mukesh Tyagi – Official representative of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP);
Anil Singh – Top News journalist.
The awards were presented by Marlise Djengwa (Cameroon).
“Each nomination of the Contest reflects the key areas of development of modern public diplomacy, from culture and education to media and youth initiatives, - Svetlana Smirnova said at the presentation. – The winners of the country stage received not only well-deserved recognition, but also the opportunity to continue participating in the international stage of the Contest, which will be held as part of the World Public Summit in Moscow in September 2026.”
The bright accents of the evening were the performances by Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Valentina Pudova, Laasya dance group from Aryabhatta Indian College, Indian bands Beats of the Roots, Folk Station and the music collective of the Hindu College of Delhi University.
The holding of the country stage of the Contest in India was an important step in the development of an international network of public diplomacy leaders and a confirmation of the high interest in shaping a new humanitarian agenda.
"The World Peoples Assembly continues to form a global community of leaders united by the values of dialogue, trust and cooperation," - Svetlana Smirnova said following the event.
The World Peoples Assembly is an international union of non-governmental organizations that forms a humanitarian platform for cooperation between the peoples of the world based on trust, mutual respect and common values.
Media accreditation for the Summit, cooperation issues: media@world-assembly.org, +7 (985) 768-2053 (Oksana Leontieva).
More information is on the official website of the World Public Summit.
