Sri Lankan geopolitical analyst Prof. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Executive Director of the South Asia Foresight Network (SAFN) at The Millennium Project in Washington, D.C., addressed the International Conference on Peace upon Morality, Development and Nation-Building (ICPDN 2026) in Bangkok on 19th June 2026, emphasizing that the greatest challenge facing societies today is moral, not technological or geopolitical. Speaking on “The Architecture of Trust: Moral Governance in a Fragmented World,” he highlighted a growing crisis of trust between citizens and institutions, particularly among Generation Z across South Asia and beyond. He stated that without ethics, governance becomes transactional, and without trust, peace becomes temporary. Drawing on findings from his newly published book, Winds of Change (2026), he noted a recurring pattern of declining public trust in institutions among younger generations. He further noted that geopolitical risk factors in the Economic Crime and Geopolitics Index (ECGI) are clear indicators for understanding rising social and political concerns. He argued that trust should be viewed as a strategic indicator of national resilience and stability. During the conference, he presented his academic paper, which introduced a Moral Governance Framework built on four pillars: Ethical Governance, Institutional Trust, State Resilience, and Human Security.