Global Entrepreneurship Summit an ode to India-US ties: Ivanka Trump

The Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 being jointly hosted by India and the United States is a testament to the "strong friendship" between the two countries, Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser of US President Donald Trump, said today.

Ivanka, 36, will be leading a high-powered delegation to the eighth edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to be held in Hyderabad from 28 to 30 November.

Ivanka Trump would deliver the keynote address at the three-day summit, which would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The latest edition of the summit has been themed 'Women First and Prosperity for All,' which "demonstrates" the administration's "commitment to the principle that when women are economically empowered, their communities and countries thrive," Ivanka Trump said ahead of her India visit.

India, she said, is "a great friend and partner" of the US, adding that the summit will help grow the shared economic and security partnership.

Ivanka will be participating in two panels - the plenary session, which has its theme: 'Be the Change - Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership,' on Tuesday evening and a breakout session: `We Can Do It! Innovations in Workforce Development and Skills Training,' on Wednesday morning.

According to the officials, during her India visit, Ivanka Trump is likely to spend some time sightseeing, including a possible stop at the Charminar in Hyderabad.

The summit, to be attended by 1,500 entrepreneurs from 170 countries, would have around 350 participants from the US, a large number of whom are Indian-Americans.

Prominent members of the administration, including US Treasurer Jovita Carranza, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Neomi Rao, USAID administrator Mark Green, and Overseas Private Investment Corporation president and CEO Ray Washburne will part of the high-powered delegation.

In any case, women will represent 52.5 per cent of the entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem supporters at the GES 2017.

More than 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Israel, will be sending all-women delegation, the US State Department said.

The summit is also different considering that the entrepreneurs attending the GES reflect a very young team with nearly 31.5 per cent of them being either 30 years or below, including an entrepreneur aged 13.

Meanwhile, US administration officials tried to ease the pain of pressure tactics by US investors and the administration, saying that President Trump's assertion of America First and Prime Minister Modi's call to "Make in India" are not mutually exclusive or contradictory.

"America First is not at the exclusion of rest of the world...most governments prioritise people of their country, but that is not in a vacuum," a senior US administration official said on Tuesday, ahead of Ivanka Trump's maiden visit to India.