The Colombo Geoeconomics Conference 2026, held on the 6th of February 2026 at Taj Samudra, Colombo, brought together policymakers, diplomats, researchers, private sector leaders, and strategic analysts to examine the evolving intersection of economics, geopolitics, and security in an increasingly fragmented global order. Organised by the Centre for Law And Security Studies (CLASS), in collaboration with the Chintan Research Foundation (CRF), India, and supported by the High Commission of India in Colombo, the conference was rooted in CRF’s ethos of seeking to foster rigorous, people-centric, and policy-relevant dialogue from a Global South perspective. Approximately 45 participants attended the conference, reflecting a diverse cross-section of expertise and professional experience.

The conference was convened against the backdrop of profound global uncertainty. Traditional pillars of the post–Second World War economic order including multilateral institutions, free trade regimes, and established norms of economic governance are under sustained strain. Economic instruments are increasingly politicised, supply chains are being reconfigured along strategic lines, and geoeconomics has emerged as a central lens through which states pursue both prosperity and security. For small states such as Sri Lanka, these shifts present not only vulnerabilities but also strategic choices that will shape long-term development trajectories.