On the sidelines of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), in partnership with the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, the United Nations in India, and the Reliance Foundation, will host a high-level event that will bring together ministers, business leaders, and philanthropists.
The session, At the Heart of Development: Aid, Trade, and Technology, will address how the global development agenda is being reshaped in the 21st century. The most significant progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been achieved where innovative businesses and public–private partnerships have worked hand in hand to empower communities, create livelihoods, and reduce pressure on public finances. At the same time, however, traditional approaches to development finance face mounting challenges as donor fatigue grows and advanced economies turn inward, limiting their appetite for funding initiatives abroad.
Technology and innovation add another powerful layer to this shifting landscape. They are transforming connectivity, opening access to new markets for smaller enterprises, and redefining how growth can be pursued equitably. Meanwhile, new tariff-based trade structures and protectionist policies pose risks for developing and emerging economies, raising urgent questions about how to safeguard their growth trajectories while staying aligned with the SDG agenda.
This conversation will go beyond diagnosing challenges to spotlight practical pathways forward. It will explore how creative plurilateral cooperation, bold trade arrangements, cutting-edge technology, and visionary leadership across government, business, and philanthropy can serve as engines of sustainable development. Ultimately, the event will ask how the needs of the 7 billion people in the Global South can be met more effectively through collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility.
17:30 - 18:00 (US)
18:00 - 18:10 (US)
P. Harish, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
Master of Ceremonies: Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India
18:10 - 19:00 (US)
The development paradigm has dramatically altered in this decade of the 21st century. The most remarkable progress on the SDG agenda has been witnessed in geographies and communities where businesses and public-private partnerships serve the bottom of the pyramid, create livelihoods, and do not burden the already stressed public finance of developing nations.
At the same time, the fatigue among rich countries around development finance and foreign aid has become more visible. These nations are now looking inward, with little appetite for funding and supporting those far away.
Finally, any assessment of persisting development challenges has become deeply implicated by technology and innovation. Together, they are changing the trade and connectivity landscapes, helping create access to markets for smaller businesses and shaping the growth agendas for all.
This panel will assess the importance of the development agenda within the broader foreign policy rubric in contemporary times. It will examine how the new tariff-based trade architecture will impact the growth aspirations of developing and emerging economies, and the arrangements that can buffer the deleterious consequences of exclusive national policies that have complete disregard for the global commitment towards SDGs. It will ask how the development necessities of today can be best served by technology and innovation, and how creative plurilateral arrangements and visionary businesses, governments, and philanthropy can cater to the 7 billion in the Global South.
S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, India
Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mexico
S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DP World, United Arab Emirates
Leslie Vinjamuri, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, United States of America
Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation, India
19:00 - 19:08 (US)
Damilola Ogunbiyi, Chief Executive Officer, Sustainable Energy for All
Master of Ceremonies: Vanita Sharma, Advisor – Strategic Initiatives, Reliance Foundation, India
19:08 - 19:10 (US)
Shombi Sharp, United Nations Resident Coordinator – India
07:10 - 21:00 (US)
