Agenda

Pre-Function Area, Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Registration

Virtual Address

Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General, ASEAN

Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Panel Discussion 1 | From Innovation to Inclusion: Financing the Next Phase of the Energy Transition

Achieving equitable energy access and long-term security demands an “all technologies on deck” approach. A successful and just energy transition hinges on deploying a comprehensive mix of solutions, including traditional fuels, renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable biofuels, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and nuclear energy. At the heart of this transformation is the urgent need to mobilise large-scale, risk-tolerant capital flows for energy security across the Global South. Innovative financing models that blend public, private, philanthropic, and multilateral capital are essential, enabling diverse energy investments where the marginal cost of emission abatement remains the lowest. Crucially, the transition must also be resilient—financing mechanisms must support the diversification of energy sources, including critical inputs for both conventional and emerging energy systems.

• What financing strategies can support energy supply chain diversification in both developing and emerging economies? 
• How can financing frameworks be retooled to support a pragmatic mix of conventional and emerging energy sources, while balancing reliability, affordability, and decarbonization goals? 
• What kind of innovative risk-sharing financial models can unlock investment in next-generation technologies like small modular reactors, alternative battery chemistries, and clean hydrogen? 
• How are geopolitical dynamics and energy security considerations reshaping the energy financing priorities of countries?

Speakers

Hakimul Batih, Indonesia Programme Representative, Clean Energy Finance & Investment Mobilisation, Indonesia Programme Representative, OECD

Ornela Çuçi, Head of Multidiscipline Research Center, Western Balkan University, Albania

Liliana Śmiech, Director-General, International Affairs, Ludovika University of Public Service, Hungary

Suthikorn Kingkaew, Advisor, KBU Research Institute, Thailand

Moderator

Terri B. Chapman, Research Fellow, George Washington Institute of Public Policy, United States of America

Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Panel Discussion 2 | Connecting Commerce: BRICS, Africa, and the Next Frontiers in Global Trade

Trade facilitation and the need to develop international transport infrastructure and logistics corridors that are resilient, secure, and cost-effective—especially across routes that have hitherto been unexplored—have become important trade imperatives in recent times. This is the result of a series of unfortunate events that have plagued international trade, from the COVID-19 pandemic to conflict in West Asia. BRICS countries, with expanding African participation, have a unique opportunity to adopt a focused approach to infrastructure financing, guided by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

• How can BRICS members and partners collectively drive strategic investments in robust logistics infrastructure?
• What can be done to optimise projects listed in the AfCFTA effort to ensure intra-African connectivity?
• What innovations in supply chain resilience are required to enable this? Which new trade corridors need more attention?
• Where are the gaps in multi-modal connectivity and warehousing that need to be filled?

Speakers

Tan Ya, Deputy Director, BRICS Research Center, University of International Business and Economics, China

Victoria Panova, Head, BRICS Expert Council; Vice Rector, HSE University; Russian W20 Sherpa, Russia

Dawisson Belém-Lopes, Dean, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abdeta D. Beyene, Executive Director, Centre for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation, Ethiopia

Moderator

Rami Desai, Distinguished Fellow, India Foundation, India

Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Panel Discussion 3 | Seeds of Change: Rethinking Food Security in the Indo-Pacific

National food policies and tech-enabled distribution models are reshaping domestic food systems across the Indo-Pacific. Countries like India have deployed large-scale public procurement and delivery frameworks to ensure food access, while innovations in agri-tech, logistics, and e-commerce are transforming how food moves from farm to fork. At the same time, global food value chains and trade arrangements are under pressure from geopolitical shocks, climate change, and rising protectionism. This panel will explore how Indo-Pacific nations can integrate domestic reforms with global resilience strategies to build inclusive, adaptive, and future-ready food systems.

• How do India’s procurement-led model and Indonesia’s targeted tech-based approach offer differing pathways to food security, and what can the Indo-Pacific learn from both?
• How can national food policies be designed to translate macro-level goals into micro-level outcomes, ensuring last-mile access, nutrition security, and local resilience?
• How can countries coordinate to stabilise food trade flows and reduce vulnerability to geopolitical and climate-related shocks in global value chains?
• How can the agenda for post-2030 ensure that food systems are more resilient, equitable and responsive to future shocks?

Scene Setter

Mudit Kapoor, Associate Professor of Economics, Indian Statistical Institute, India

Speakers

Robert Kaan, Marketing & Commercial Effectiveness Director (Asia Pacific), Corteva Agriscience, Australia

Judith Mwaniki, Program Manager, Food Security, Kenya

Chevaan Daniel, Executive Group Director, Capital Maharaja Group, Sri Lanka  

Chhavi Rajawat, Secretary, NEISSS, India

Moderator

Pamla Gopaul, Senior Programme Officer, Data Analyst, AUDA-NEPAD, South Africa

Sapphire 1, 3rd Floor

Lunch Roundtable | Twin Engines: Can ‘AI+DPI’ Transform Digital Health?

Parallel Session (Closed Door; By Invite Only)

The healthcare industry is at an inflection point, with both digital public infrastructures (DPI) and AI demonstrating their potential to be used at a population scale. The global AI-in-healthcare market is expected to advance at a CAGR of 38.6 percent, touching US$ 110.61 billion in 2030. AI is being used to address emerging threats to public health, manage the burdens and complexities caused by chronic diseases, and support medical diagnoses and treatments in ways both big and small. AI-driven healthcare tools can be built atop DPI layers, enabling an innovation ecosystem for low cost trusted and targeted solutions that aim to tackle the health challenges faced by countries of the Global South. This roundtable will bring together key stakeholders to build a platform for knowledge exchange and create a network of ‘AI+DPI’ pioneers in the health sector.

• What are some existing or possible health solutions that represent a convergence of AI and DPI?
• How can AI-for-health innovators be sensitised better about the opportunities DPI offers?
• How must the ‘AI+DPI’ approach address concerns about the protection and security of health data?
• What institutional and regulatory frameworks are needed to ensure that AI+DPI-enabled innovations remain equitable, interoperable, and accountable at scale?

Scene Setter

Ankit Goel, Vice President, Samagra, India

Interventionists 

Sonam Yangchen, Health Policy and Systems Researcher, Institute of Health Partners, Bhutan

Fernando de Pablo Martín, Director of the Digital Office, Madrid City Council, Spain
 
Shruti Sharma, Associate Director and Fellow, Global Technology Summit, Technology and Society Program, Carnegie India, India

Samaila Atsen Bako, Director, Cyber Security Experts Association, Nigeria

Moderator

Anit Mukherjee, Senior Fellow, ORF America, United States of America 

Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Panel Discussion 4 | Securing the Blue Commons: Cooperation for an Indo-Pacific Maritime Order

As maritime tensions rise from the South China Sea to the Red Sea, the Indo-Pacific’s waterways have become the frontline of strategic contestation, economic interdependence, and security risk. An unpredictable United States and an expansionist China are reshaping the regional calculus, making it imperative for Indo-Pacific powers to chart their own course. This session will spotlight how countries like India and Indonesia, alongside other Indo-Pacific partners like Australia and Japan, can step up to build a more inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific maritime architecture.

• How can India, Indonesia, Japan and Australia collectively strengthen a multipolar, rules-based maritime order amid intensifying US-China rivalry and rising hybrid threats?
• Should the Indo-Pacific pursue flexible minilateral groupings beyond the QUAD to better reflect regional realities, and what role should Indonesia play in that architecture?
• What practical burden-sharing models—such as coordinated patrols, defence industry collaborations, or intelligence exchange - can deepen Indo-Pacific maritime cooperation?
• How can India and Indonesia leverage their bilateral defence ties to anchor a regionally crafted maritime security framework rooted in ASEAN and BIMSTEC?

Speakers 

Paco Milhiet, Visiting Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Ippeita Nishida, Senior Fellow, Security Studies Program, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan 

Sayantan Haldar, Associate Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Nilanthi Samaranayake, Adjunct Fellow, East-West Centre, United States of America 

Moderator:

Jackline Kagume, Programme Officer, Constitution, Law and Economy Program, Institute of Economic Affairs, Kenya

Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Panel Discussion 5 | The New Silk Arcs: Linking Oceans, Markets, and the Global South

As the Indo-Pacific emerges as the fulcrum of global trade and geopolitics, its linkages with the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and African regions are deepening. Indonesia and India, alongside key regional players, are driving a political-economic shift through strategic corridors that connect Asia to Africa and Latin America, with hubs like the UAE playing a central role. Initiatives like IMEC, Global Gateway, and ASEAN-Africa bridges signal a new era of cross-regional integration built on resilient infrastructure, supply chains, and financial cooperation. This panel will explore how plurilateral partnerships, maritime routes, and digital public infrastructure can rewire global connectivity and reposition the Global South. 

• How are new strategic corridors and cross-regional partnerships (IMEC, Global Gateway, ASEAN-Africa bridges) shifting the balance of economic and political power across the Indo-Pacific, Mediterranean, and Atlantic?
• How are countries using strategic autonomy and corridor diplomacy to redefine their roles across the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America?
• In what ways are Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security now intertwined through connectivity, and how should regional actors coordinate to prevent disruptions and manage crises?
• In a world of overlapping initiatives and shifting political alliances, who is shaping the direction of the next-generation trade flows, economic corridors, and critical infrastructure, and what role will the Global South play in diversifying and rebalancing global trade routes?

Speakers

Mehdi Jomaa, Former Prime Minister, Tunisia

Ephraim Percy Kenyanito, Member, Pan African Lawyers Union

Atit Mahajan, Managing Director, CMA CGM, India

Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Assistant Professor, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan 

Moderator

Julia De Clerck-Sachsse, Visiting Professor, Sciences Po Paris; Senior Non-Resident Fellow, German Marshall Fund, Germany  

Keynote Address

Arif Havas Oegroseno, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia

Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Panel Discussion 6 | The DPI Dividend: Catalysing Innovation for the Global South

India’s model of digital public infrastructure (DPI) is driving the country’s digital transformation and spurring innovation at an unprecedented pace. Building atop DPI layers, several Indian startups have become unicorns and are competing head-to-head with Big Tech. Indonesia, too, has championed the DPI model, with its digital ID, payments, and data exchange systems catalysing innovation and establishing themselves as regional good practices. Recognising DPI’s impact on entrepreneurship and innovation, and learning from each other, Indonesia, India, Brazil and South Africa have promoted DPI adoption during their respective G20 presidencies. As a result, a wide range of countries across the Global South today are building DPIs, and certain advanced economies, too, have expressed interest in helping implement DPI in third countries as a tool for growth.

• What core features of DPI help innovation thrive?
• How is DPI helping attract investments for startups in sectors such as fintech and e-commerce?
• How are DPIs being funded, and what is the quantum of funding across different geographies?
• What kinds of regulation—whether light-touch or more interventionist—tend to support DPIs more effectively?

Scene Setter

Arvind Gupta, Founder, iSPIRT, India

Speakers

Vikram Sinha, President and Chief Executive Officer, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Indonesia

T Koshy, Funding Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Open Network for Digital Commerce, India

Mallory Knodel, Executive Director, Social Web Foundation, United States of America

Sixit Bhatta, Founder, Vriddhi, Nepal

Moderator

Erin Watson, Managing Director, Baker & York, Australia 

Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Closing Session | 2025: A Year of Surprises - What Held, What Shifted, and What’s Coming?

This closing session unpacks the inflection points of 2025 - what endured, what unravelled, and what transformed. As the world recalibrates across geopolitics, geoeconomics, and global governance, we look ahead to the trends, tensions, and turning points that will shape 2026.

Speakers 

Yose Rizal Damuri, Executive Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia

Aude Darnal, Research Analyst and Project Manager, Stimson Center, United States of America

Tan Ya, Deputy Director, BRICS Research Center, University of International Business and Economics, China

Vene Seane Aljas, Legislative Staff Officer III, Office of the President, Philippines

Moderator

Harsh Pant, Vice President, Studies and Foreign Policy, Observer Research Foundation, India

Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Closing Remarks & Vote of Thanks

Pre-Function Area, Dua Mutiara Ballroom 1&2

Drinks & Canapés

Session 1: Bandung and Beyond

Seventy years after the Bandung Conference, the Global South is no longer on the sidelines - it is shaping the game. As power fractures and trust in traditional Western leadership erodes, countries like Indonesia are emerging as drivers of new coalitions, economic corridors, and strategic autonomy. This session revisits the spirit of Bandung to ask: what does South-South solidarity look like today, and how can it evolve to meet the challenges of a multipolar world?

• How has the meaning of South-South solidarity evolved since Bandung, and what does it look like in an era of multipolarity and fractured global trust? Can it hedge both US hegemony and Chinese expansionism?
• What are the most promising new coalitions or economic corridors led by the Global South, and how are they changing the rules of global trade and diplomacy? 
• How can new forms of South-South cooperation help manage global crises, from pandemics to food security and conflict, and what role can countries like Indonesia play as key regional drivers?

Speakers

Don McLain Gill, Geopolitical Analyst, Author, and Lecturer at the Department of International Studies at De La Salle University (DLSU), Philippines

Aude Darnal, Research Analyst and Project Manager, Stimson Center, United States of America

Moderator

Julia De Clerck-Sachsse, Visiting Professor, Sciences Po Paris; Senior Non-Resident Fellow, German Marshall Fund, Germany

Session 2: Venture Capital Equity - Why Is It So Hard?

In 2024, female-only founding teams received just 2.3 percent of global VC funding - a number that shrinks further as startups scale, revealing that the problem isn’t just entry, but escalation. This is not merely a pipeline issue - it’s a systemic failure rooted in biased networks, skewed risk perception, and a capital culture that defaults to familiarity. From who writes the cheque and the myth of the “scalable male founder” to the impact of the growing backlash against diversity initiatives, this session will unpack why equity in venture funding continues to remain such a far-fetched goal and what it will take to fix it, especially in an increasingly polarised world. 

• If the data is clear and the talent is here, why is venture capital equity still so hard to crack? What drives the “double gap” of fewer deals and smaller checks for women founders? 
• How does the persistent underrepresentation of women as VC decision-makers shape both the flow and size of capital to female founders?
• In an era of “dispensable diversity” and DEI backlash, what policy and market levers can make venture funding a fair game for women entrepreneurs?

Speakers

Daniel  Tumewu, Managing Director, Habibie Innovation Incubator, Indonesia 

Ashok Malik, Partner and Chair of the India Practice, The Asia Group, India 

Moderator

Julie Leuzinger, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Ghost Dynamics, New Zealand

Session 3: Progress without Peace

With rising conflict costs, eroding global institutions, and stalled development gains, achieving peace is no longer just an ideal—it is a strategic imperative for countries facing persistent instability. This session explores how governments can chart a path toward stability and inclusive development, even as multilateral consensus stalls. Focusing on the economic calculus of conflict, this session will discuss possible policy models—post-conflict compacts, flexible SDG planning, and alternative diplomacy—where regional powers, local institutions, and innovative coalitions step up to fill gaps left by traditional actors and pragmatic approaches that transform volatility into opportunities for recalibrated growth, sustained influence, and resilient societies.

• In what ways are regional organisations, middle powers, or South-South alliances filling the vacuum left by faltering global governance, and what obstacles do they face?
• What pragmatic tools and planning frameworks allow countries to secure development gains and flexibility for SDGs, despite persistent or recurrent conflicts?
• Are there instances where countries have turned instability into catalysts for recalibrated growth and regional leadership? What mistakes should policymakers avoid?

Speakers

Renato de Castro, Distinguished Professor,Department of International Studies, De La Salle University, Philippines

Pamla Gopaul, Senior Programme Officer, Data Analyst, AUDA-NEPAD, South Africa

Moderator

Rami Desai, Distinguished Fellow, India Foundation, India

Session 4: Catalysing a Sustainable Blue Economy

The oceans' power trade feeds billions, stores vast carbon stocks, and hosts the fastest-growing frontiers in clean energy and biotechnology. However, unchecked extraction, climate change, and plastic pollution threaten to sink these benefits just as coastal and island states look to the sea for post-pandemic growth. The blue economy - covering everything from regenerative aquaculture and eco-tourism to offshore wind and digital shipping corridors - offers a pathway to prosperity that keeps marine ecosystems intact. This session will explore how the Indo-Pacific can scale ocean-based industries while safeguarding biodiversity and coastal livelihoods.

• How can regional partnerships harmonise standards and accelerate cross-border blue-economy corridors across the Indo-Pacific?
• What financing instruments can be leveraged for developing the blue economy?
• Which policy levers can mitigate the trade-off between conservation goals and economic growth?

Speakers

Teenah Jutton, Former Member of Parliament, Mauritius

Vene Seane Aljas, Legislative Staff Officer III, Office of the President, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, Philippines

Moderator

Jackline Kagume, Programme Officer, Constitution, Law and Economy Program, Institute of Economic Affairs, Kenya 

Session 5: Ore to Opportunity in the Indo-Pacific

From cobalt to rare earths, critical minerals form the backbone of global supply chains, but their extraction and processing remain dangerously concentrated. For the Indo-Pacific, this isn’t just a resource challenge; it’s a strategic imperative. As Indonesia brings scale in nickel, Australia leads in lithium, and India and Japan drive demand and downstream innovation, the region must forge tighter partnerships to secure, diversify, and democratise critical mineral flows. This session will unpack the possibilities on this front.

• How can these countries co-build resilient, transparent supply chains that not only power the energy transition but also anchor long-term economic security and regional stability?
• What are the institutional or cooperation frameworks needed to deepen cross-country Indo-Pacific collaboration in critical minerals? How can the QUAD critical minerals initiative contribute to this?
• What will it truly take for these countries to de-risk their critical minerals supply chains from China?

Speakers

Lisa Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Australia India Institute, Australia

Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Assistant Professor, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan

Moderator

Lavanya Mani, Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Session 6: The Great AI War Games

The AI arms race between the United States and China is not just about innovation; it’s about national power, market dominance, and ideological control. As models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek emerge as proxies for competing tech-industrial ecosystems, national strategies are increasingly defined by chip fabs, data routes, and AI capability - not just borders and bases. This panel will unpack how techno-nationalism is redrawing trade flows, digital governance, and geopolitical alignments - while countries like Taiwan, Indonesia, the UAE and India navigate strategic autonomy in a bifurcating AI world.

• How is tech nationalism - from chips to cloud infrastructure - reshaping alliances, markets, and investments?
• What hedging strategies are middle-power economies adopting in this AI Arms race to strike a balance between digital sovereignty and leveraging economic opportunities?
• How is the AI and chip race likely to evolve over the next decade? Will new players emerge to de-risk global dependencies - or will the space harden into a binary tech bloc divide?

Speakers 

Scott Cunningham, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, SDGuild, United States of America

Vikram Sinha, President and Chief Executive Officer, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Indonesia 

Grégoire Roos, Director, Political Dialogue & Policy Innovation, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, France

Moderator

Lavanya Mani, Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Session 7: Faster Routes, Stronger Trade

The majority of global trade is carried out by ships, yet many ports in emerging Indo-Pacific nations suffer from outdated infrastructure, congestion, and vulnerability to extreme weather events. Modernising these hubs and linking them via shorter sea lanes can shave days off transit times, cut freight costs, and create coastal jobs. A prime example is the planned upgrade of Sabang port in Indonesia’s Aceh province, which could bypass crowded chokepoints and accelerate India-Indonesia trade. Well-run ports are the critical hinges of Indo-Pacific connectivity corridors, stitching together production zones from the Bay of Bengal to the Java Sea. This session will explore how revamping old ports and building new ones can reinforce resilient, green supply chains across the region.

• How can countries in the Indo-Pacific collaborate to develop new maritime corridors that bypass traditional chokepoints and promote balanced regional trade?
• Against the hefty upfront costs of port development, what long-term economic and social dividends can countries expect through such port connectivity?
• Which financing mechanisms and policy frameworks can support resilient and green port modernisation across the Indo-Pacific? 

Speakers

Sinderpal Singh, Senior Fellow and Assistant Director of Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, RSIS and Coordinator of Regional Security Architecture Programme, and South Asia Programme, IDSS, Singapore

Michael C. Huang, Senior Research Fellow, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan

Moderator

Victoria Panova, Head, BRICS Expert Council; Vice Rector, HSE University; Russian W20 Sherpa, Russia

Session 8: Future-proofing Work and Workers

Automation, artificial intelligence, and the push toward net-zero are reshaping every job, from factory floors to boardrooms. Yet education systems and training markets remain tethered to outdated models, leaving fast-growing economies vulnerable to mass underemployment and widening inequality. This session will explore how governments, businesses, and civil society can craft skill strategies and ecosystems that anticipate disruption and unlock the full talent pool across the Global South.

• How can schools, TVET centres, and universities pivot from static curricula to modular, stackable ‘skill stacks’ that adapt to AI-driven disruption and industry demand? 
• How can public-private investment models link hiring to local skills transfer, ensuring tech-intensive sectors don’t widen inequality?
• What regional frameworks can enable seamless talent mobility across the Global South?

Speakers

Niven Winchester, Professor of Economics, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

Terri B. Chapman, Research Fellow,  The George Washington Institute of Public Policy, United States of America

Moderator

Arya Roy Bandhan, Junior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India 

Session 9: Smartopolis - Urban Planning for the Future

The Indo-Pacific’s urban population will swell by hundreds of millions in the next two decades, stretching infrastructure, land, and natural resources to their limits. Congestion, heat stress, and housing shortages already threaten economic dynamism and social cohesion. Yet this growth also offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity: to re-imagine cities, embed climate resilience, and harness smart technologies and digital tools that give every citizen a stake in shaping their neighbourhoods. This session will explore how planners, investors, and communities can turn rapid urbanisation into a catalyst for greener, smarter, and more liveable cities across the Indo-Pacific.

• What is the best “smart city” innovation you have seen and how has it changed the lives of the people living there? How can that be adopted in other cities? 
• How can cities make sure that smart city solutions don’t leave behind the most vulnerable and marginalised communities?
• How can newer and emerging cities tap blended finance and carbon markets to fund affordable, resilient and digitally-enabled infrastructure?

Speakers

Sixit Bhatta, Founder, Vriddhi, Nepal

Chhavi Rajawat, Secretary, NEISSS, India

Moderator

Pratnashree Basu, Associate Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Session 10: The Post-2030 Development Dilemma

When the SDG scoreboard resets in 2030, the real test begins - finding the funds to tackle climate shocks, digital divides, and widening inequality without plunging the Global South deeper into debt. The annual funding shortfall already tops US$ 4 trillion, while aid stagnates and borrowing costs climb. To keep ambition alive, the next development compact must rewrite the rules of global finance—leveraging multilateral balance sheets, private capital, and home-grown revenue in equal measure. This session will explore bold ideas, unlikely coalitions, and accountability hacks that can turn lofty goals into bankable projects from Jakarta to Johannesburg.

• What approaches could turn today’s debt burdens and financing gaps into springboards for resilience and sustainable growth?
• How must multilateral development banks reinvent their mandates, capital bases, and risk appetite to lead the next era of development finance?
• How do we ensure the next development compact is led by the Global South, not just designed for it?

Speakers

Aleksandra Chmielewska, Partnerships Specialist, UNICEF/ITU Giga programme, United Nations

Judith Mwaniki, Program Manager, Food Security, Kenya

Moderator

Sunaina Kumar, Director, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, Observer Research Foundation, India