On December 16, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and ORF America hosted its 2025 Annual Dinner with partners, friends, and leaders from the public and private sectors in Menlo Park, California.

Every year, the ORF America Annual Dinner brings together high-profile leaders from the public and private sector to discuss contemporary global governance issues impacting the current world order. The 2025 edition reflected on the past year’s pivotal moments as global leaders tackled shifting geopolitics, eroding old orders, and emerging power centers, and explored what lies ahead in 2026.

Speakers:

• Stephen Harper, Former Prime Minister Canada 

• Tadashi Maeda, Chairman of the Board, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)

• Marise Payne, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Australia

• Marietje Schaake, International Policy Director, Stanford University

• Moderator: Samir Saran, President, ORF

On December 16, Carnegie India, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), and ORF America convened a closed-door roundtable with international policymakers, technology leaders, and experts to shape India's approach to the February 2026 AI Impact Summit. 

The discussion centered on eight priority themes for the Summit: use cases, scale, Global South inclusion, collaboration, open-source sustainability, model assurance, AI sovereignty, and data governance. Participants emphasized that India should position the Summit with clear focus rather than attempting to address all AI issues comprehensively. Suggested focal areas included capacity building, access to computing infrastructure, use case deployment in healthcare and education, and democratizing AI safety tools.

Critical tensions emerged around several issues. While open-source models are valued, participants expressed concern about a widening performance gap with proprietary models that could leave Global South countries technologically disadvantaged. Data governance sparked debate between those advocating for monetization frameworks and others warning that overly restrictive approaches create 'local islands' cutting countries off AI benefits. The question of model assurance, guaranteeing continued access to APIs and models despite geopolitical shifts, surfaced as a practical sovereignty concern.

Infrastructure emerged as a central theme, with calls to prioritize data centers over semiconductor manufacturing in the near term, and to explore edge AI as a democratization pathway for resource-constrained deployments. Participants stressed the need for increased talent development through university investments, while entrepreneurs emphasized reducing bureaucratic barriers and increasing foreign capital access. The consensus pointed toward building on India's existing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) stack, focusing on agentic systems, and demonstrating leadership through specific, implementable use cases, particularly in critical infrastructure protection, child safety, healthcare, and education, rather than pursuing abstract governance frameworks or premature regulation.

Key Takeaways 

• Narrow the focus to demonstrate leadership: The Summit must choose specific priorities rather than trying to cover everything. This can be done by building on India's Digital Public Infrastructure strength by focusing on agentic systems and selecting high-impact sectors like healthcare, education, and critical infrastructure protection. This can be done by choosing concrete use cases that demonstrate "AI for good" and generate public buy-in.

• Invest in talent infrastructure, not just hardware: Prioritize data centers over semiconductors in the near term, but recognizing infrastructure means more than hardware. Invest heavily in universities and focus on reducing bureaucratic barriers and foreign investment constraints that force startups offshore. Focus on edge AI as a democratization strategy for resource-constrained environments rather than competing directly on frontier models.

• Address the open source dilemma and model assurance: The growing performance gap between open source and proprietary models threatens to leave the Global South building on potentially weaker models. Countries need concrete model assurances — guarantees that APIs and models remain accessible despite geopolitical shifts. Localization of model weights and edge computing can offer practical sovereignty pathways.

Speakers:

• Rudra Chaudhuri, Director, Carnegie India

• Rahul Matthan, Partner, Trilegal

• Amlan Mohanty, Fellow, Carnegie India

• Samir Saran, President, ORF

The Future of Energy Breakfasts series brings together senior leaders from government, industry, and technology for candid, closed-door discussions on the forces reshaping the global energy landscape. This edition examined the future of heavy industry, spotlighting innovation, competitiveness, and resilience — and how emerging technologies and new partnerships can transform the world’s most essential sectors.

The discussion examined the key drivers of global heavy-industry competitiveness, including policy, technology, markets, and emerging risks. 

• On the policy front, participants noted that the biggest impediment to long-term industrial transformation is policy instability, especially given that heavy-industry investments operate on longer horizons. While instruments such as Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), carbon contracts for difference (CCfDs), and a range of other carbon pricing schemes worldwide offer important signals, they remain insufficient on their own to catalyze investment at the scale required. Participants also underscored the challenges of establishing reliable product standards and carbon-accounting mechanisms. Concerns around double counting, methodological inconsistency, and poor international alignment continue to create uncertainty for investors and industry alike.

• Market dynamics featured prominently in the discussion, underscoring competitiveness as a central concern for heavy industry. Participants noted that success ultimately depends on either achieving cost-competitive production or securing markets willing to absorb higher prices for low-carbon materials. Demand-side differentiation is already emerging: in some sectors, such as textiles, consumers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for cleaner products. On the supply side, participants highlighted new regional investment opportunities, particularly in areas with strong renewable energy resources and favorable production costs. These regions are well-positioned to become green-commodity hubs for steel, ammonia, and other industrial products. Competitive industrial decarbonization is no longer theoretical. Several developing economies now have operational projects in sectors like steel and ammonia, backed by secured offtake agreements that demonstrate real commercial traction. In other markets, participants pointed to the rising importance of voluntary credit mechanisms, where low-carbon producers generate and sell credits to corporate buyers. Early examples include green fertilizer and certain food and beverage supply chains, where companies are eager to demonstrate progress toward sustainability commitments.

• Technological progress in industrial decarbonization has been steady but uneven, often advancing through cycles of experimentation across biomass use, CCUS, and green hydrogen. Participants emphasized that no single technology will deliver the transition; instead, a portfolio of solutions tailored to regional resource endowments is essential. Sectorally, green procurement offtake agreements are accelerating, particularly in Europe for green steel, low-carbon ammonia, and emerging bioplastics. These agreements are helping de-risk early projects and signal growing market confidence. Participants also highlighted that energy efficiency remains one of the most undervalued opportunities. New efficiency and low-carbon production technologies, including early electrochemical cement processes that can dramatically reduce emissions, offer major cost-effective mitigation potential but are still far from widespread adoption. In the aluminium sector, participants noted that production is increasingly integrating wind and solar power, supported by battery storage. However, the sector remains grid-inflexible, highlighting the need for improved grid integration technologies and demand-response mechanisms. Across heavy industry, high-efficiency motors and motor-driven systems — which account for a substantial share of industrial electricity use — represent a major, immediate area for improvement. Digitalization is another critical enabler that can reduce energy losses, stabilize operations, and unlock system-wide efficiency gains across steel, cement, aluminium and other production.

• In discussing risks to green industrialization, participants highlighted the strong link between geopolitical uncertainty and rising financing costs. Investors remain cautious about committing capital to long-horizon industrial projects, particularly those involving emerging decarbonization technologies. Concerns about carbon leakage also persist. Participants noted that mechanisms such as CBAM help at the margin but do not fully address the competitiveness challenges faced by producers in many markets. Another emerging pressure point is the competition for clean energy and infrastructure capacity. The rapid expansion of energy-intensive sectors, especially data centers, is straining grids in several regions and in some cases displacing planned green industrial projects. This dynamic underscores the need for integrated planning across sectors that increasingly rely on the same limited energy and infrastructure resources.

Overall, the discussion emphasized that transforming heavy industry will require coordinated global policy, innovative and patient financing, robust risk-mitigation tools, and market mechanisms that support long-term investment and competitiveness. Participants also stressed that demand creation is essential. Without reliable markets for low-carbon materials, even well-designed technologies and financing structures will struggle to scale. Public procurement, corporate offtake commitments, and harmonized standards were highlighted as key levers to build early demand and give industry the confidence to invest in new production pathways.

Speakers

• Welcome Remarks: Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America 

• Dolf Gielen, Senior Energy Economist and Hydrogen Lead, The World Bank

• Kyle Disselkoen, Senior Associate, Industrial Decarbonization, Bloomberg NEF  

• Moderator: Piyush Verma, Senior Fellow, ORF America

Participants

• Caroline Arkalji, ORF America

• Jeffrey D. Bean, ORF America

• Zachary Byrum, World Resources Institute (WRI)

• Sakshi Chandra, Sustainable Energy for All

• Milan Elkerbout, Resources for the Future (RFF)

• David Kelm, Silverado Policy Accelerator

• Minji Jeong, EFI Foundation

• Mahnaz Khan, Silverado Policy Accelerator

• Vikrum Mathur, Tata Group

• Colin McMillan, Industrious Labs

• Alan Mitchell, Clean Air Task Force

• Sheran Munasinghe, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)

• Ed Nichols, RRPT

• Suyog Padgaonkar, Climate Imperative

• Satvik Pendyala, American Enterprise Institute

• Medha Prasanna, ORF America

• Priscila Putzulu, McLarty Associates

• Abigail Regitsky, Blue Horizons Foundation

• Nayan Seth, Independent Consultant

• Eliza Sheff, Clean Air Task Force

• Neelam Singh, World Resources Institute (WRI)

• Bishal Thapa, CLASP

• Nora Todd, Independent Consultant

• Naoki Tsuji, Japan Bank for International Cooperation

On December 9, ORF America hosted a Briefings & Beer on trade policy and tariffs. The conversation broadly examined tariffs as a tool of purpose, the evolution of the legal basis for presidential authority (including powers derived from IEEPA), immediate economic impacts of recent tariffs, the differences between tariffs like section 232, 301, and 201, antidumping/countervailing duties, and ordinary tariff schedules. The discussion also looked at how major trading partners have responded thus far.

Speakers:

• Warren Maruyama, Senior Counsel, Global Regulatory, Hogan Lovells (former General Counsel USTR)

• Isabelle Icso, Executive Director, International Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

• Jeannette Chu, Vice President, National Security Policy, National Foreign Trade Council

• Moderator: Medha Prasanna, Program Coordinator and Junior Fellow, ORF America

On December 4, ORF America, in partnership with Plataforma CIPÓ, held a high-level hybrid discussion about the outcomes of COP30 in Belém and the priorities for global climate and energy governance in 2026 and beyond. Speakers reflected on the unprecedented political momentum generated by Brazil’s presidency, which led to multiple substantive decisions and a renewed focus on justice, implementation, and rebuilding trust in the multilateral system.

The discussion identified seven key takeaways, reflecting the transition, challenges, and shifting dynamics emerging from COP30 and informing the path "Belém to Beyond."

1. The centrality of implementation and the shift from text to tools: The overarching takeaway is that COP30 marked a definitive turning point, shifting the focus from negotiations (text) to implementation (tools). The Brazilian presidency framed the outcomes within the context of a new "decade of implementation". This shift resulted in the establishment of several new cooperation instruments and commitments, including the Global Implementation Accelerator and the Belém Mission to 1.5°C. The aim is to move down the spectrum from defining "the what" to developing "the how," making instruments like the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) and the Technology Implementation Program (TIP) operational.

2. Adaptation and survival reached a new level of urgency: Adaptation issues rose significantly in prominence, moving from what was previously considered a "lower track" to a central agenda item. The most significant breakthrough for developing countries was the decision to work towards tripling adaptation finance. While this commitment provides a structural signal of scale and predictability, developing countries still need clarity regarding the baseline from which the finance will be tripled. For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the message is clear: the 1.5°C limit remains a non-negotiable survival issue, as stated by "if we lose that 1.5, we're going to lose everything".

3. Geopolitical power is shifting towards the Global South: The COP took place amid turbulent multilateralism, where the process is "alive, but it needs to be resuscitated". The event showed a power shift from the Global North toward BRICS and the Global South. This shift means that future climate action is increasingly pursued outside the formal negotiating room in parallel forums such as the BRICS Summit, the G20, and "coalitions of the willing".

4. Justice, rights, and economic equity became key drivers of the agenda: The outcomes included the strongest rights-based language ever seen in a UNFCCC decision on just transition, recognizing the rights of Indigenous peoples, self-determination, and free prior and informed consent, and for the first time, recognizing the role of people of African descent. Furthermore, the conversation underscored that climate action is no longer solely an environmental issue but an economic, security, and equity discussion. This includes acknowledging the imperative of addressing energy poverty, particularly in Africa, where the 600 million people without electricity drive certain countries' interests in fossil fuel development.

5. Trade and fossil fuels were managed through voluntary roadmaps: Trade emerged as a formal and "big issue" for the first time in the negotiation process, leading to the launch of structured dialogues on climate and international trade. Countries like Brazil frame trade coordination as an opportunity for incentives and investment, arguing against protectionist measures (like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) that hinder development. Although fossil fuel phase-out was not formally in the negotiated text, the COP30 president announced that Brazil will voluntarily lead two roadmaps: one to phase out fossil fuels and another to end deforestation by 2030. These roadmaps are seen as processes that can be conducted outside the rigid constraints of the UN, offering a flexible path forward on these contentious issues.

6. Private finance is becoming central — but barriers persist for the most vulnerable: The discussion highlighted that private finance is now at the core of the climate implementation agenda. While the new two-year work program will improve transparency of public finance, much of the real momentum is happening outside formal negotiations, driven by investors, DFIs, and corporate coalitions. Instruments like the TFFF reflect this shift, designed to mobilize private capital through investment-style mechanisms rather than traditional concessional flows. Yet challenges remain: vulnerable regions, especially SIDS, continue to struggle with limited investor appetite and inflated risk perceptions, resulting in higher premiums and fewer bankable projects. Unlocking private finance at scale will require stronger risk-sharing tools, better project pipelines, and governance reforms to ensure capital reaches those who need it most.

7. Pacific priorities will shape the road to COP31: The Pacific perspective underscored that COP31 will be a defining moment for implementation and accountability, especially for climate-vulnerable regions. Pacific leaders will push for clear timelines on adaptation finance, stronger global mitigation ambition to protect the 1.5°C goal, and an agenda that keeps resilience and just transition at the center of global climate action — working closely with Australia and other regional partners to shape outcomes. The interventions also highlighted broader geopolitical and economic concerns: the need for equitable, flexible trade measures that do not hinder climate action; growing interest in nature-based solutions, including blue carbon; and the importance of coalition-building beyond SIDS, even as Pacific and Caribbean voices remain naturally aligned. The message was clear: for the Pacific, survival depends on ambition, justice,  and fairness holding the international system accountable to the 1.5°C of the Paris Agreement. 

Agenda

Welcome and Opening Remarks:

• Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America 

• Maiara Folly, Executive Director and Co-founder, Plataforma CIPÓ

Keynote Remarks:

• Counselor Fernando Perdigão, Energy, Environment, and Critical Minerals, Embassy of Brazil in Washington, D.C.

Panel 1 — Looking Back: Lessons and Insights from COP30 (Belém)

• Maria João C. P. Rolim, Partner, Rolim Goulart Cardoso; Deputy Coordinator, Energy Transition Committee, Brazilian Association of Basic Infrastructure (ABDIB)

• Sameer Kwatra, Senior Director, India Program, NRDC

• David Waskow, Director, International Climate Initiative, WRI

• Moderator: Piyush Verma, Senior Fellow, ORF America

Panel II — Looking Forward: From Belém to Beyond 

• Raul Alfaro-Pelico, Senior Research Fellow, Lancaster University

• Clarence Edwards, Executive Director, E3G

• Toiata Uili, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Renewable Energy, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa

• Moderator: Anit Mukherjee, Senior Fellow, ORF America

On November 24, ORF America convened a closed-door workshop on the sidelines of the Cape Town Conversation as part of the IBSA+ Indonesia Green Transitions Initiative, an effort launched in March 2025 to strengthen collaboration among India, Brazil, South Africa (IBSA), and Indonesia on clean energy transitions. Building on the momentum of consecutive IBSA+Indonesia G20 presidencies, this initiative seeks to embed Global South priorities in the global energy transition agenda and advance practical cooperation across climate finance, technology development, and industrial competitiveness.

The workshop brought together 25 senior policymakers, energy experts, civil society leaders, and government representatives from across the four countries. The discussion aimed to identify actionable strategies and pathways for institutional cooperation and long-term competitiveness. This workshop built on the takeaways from the initiative’s June 2025 convening in Washington, D.C., during which participants mapped shared ambitions, energy transition achievements, and identified key areas for cooperation. Insights from that convening were published in an ORF America report, IBSA+Indonesia Energy Transitions: Mapping Shared Ambitions and Challenges. The workshop at Cape Town marked a shift from identifying challenges to recommending practical pathways for cooperation. As the South African G20 presidency came to a close, IBSA+ Indonesia stakeholders gathered to articulate the need for continued coordination that can shape global standards, mobilize financing, and accelerate a more just and resilient green transition.

Participants agreed that the next phase of the IBSA+ Indonesia initiative must move beyond dialogue and towards sustained, coordinated implementation using existing tools and frameworks. A central priority emerged — balancing global commitments with the development of national needs. Attendees emphasized operationalizing existing mechanisms, such as multilateral development bank project pipelines, blended finance platforms, and relevant G20 workstreams, by aligning timelines, clarifying roles, and coordinating country-level action, rather than creating new structures. Strengthening trade and economic linkages across IBSA+ Indonesia was also highlighted, with practical steps including harmonizing standards, easing market access procedures, and consolidating investment promotion to reinforce emerging value chains and anchor longer-term collaborations. 

Another key theme was the need to set clear standards for technology and finance. Interoperable taxonomies, predictable ESG frameworks, and simplified certification processes were identified as essential to reducing transaction costs and unlocking affordable capital. Participants emphasized that IBSA+Indonesia could play a leading role by co-developing draft taxonomy modules aligned with common definitions of “green” activities, coordinating with stock exchanges to harmonize ESG disclosure standards, and piloting streamlined certification for renewable components across the four countries.

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) inclusion emerged as a clear priority. Participants highlighted practical mechanisms such as pooled procurement systems, shared supplier databases, and simplified compliance pathways that allow small firms to meet standards without excessive administrative burdens. Integrating MSMEs into supply chains is essential for making the energy transition both equitable and scalable.

Finally, participants emphasized that genuine co-creation depends on access to people, knowledge, and resources. Expanding people-to-people exchanges, building shared knowledge platforms, and facilitating joint investment initiatives were seen as essential for deepening trust and accelerating learning. Operational steps discussed included launching fellowships and technical exchanges, while reducing visa and mobility barriers that remain a major constraint among these countries. Streamlined visa processes for researchers, engineers, and officials involved in green transition cooperation were strongly recommended. Coordinated R&D efforts and targeted skills development — such as joint testing facilities and cross-country vocational training — were also highlighted as important ways to translate these energy transition ambitions into concrete outcomes.

Taken together, these priorities create a clear roadmap for action — empowering IBSA+Indonesia to influence global standards, accelerate reforms at home, and lead a more just, competitive, and resilient green transition across the Global South.

Drawing on the insights from these workshops and complementary consultations, ORF America will release a special report in February 2026 outlining key action priorities and concrete pathways for IBSA+Indonesia coordination on green transitions.

Participants 

• A'aron Adah John, Center for Climate Action, Innovation and Engagement

• Raul Alfaro-Pelico, Lancaster University 

• Caroline Vecci Arkalji, ORF America

• Armando Ayala, Southern Transitions

• Jenitha Badul, South Africa Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)

• Dimas Bangun Fiddiansyah, PLN - Indonesian Power Utility Company

• Tatiana Cymbalista, Manesco Law Firm

• Saliem Fakir, African Climate Foundation (ACF)

• Danielle Grave, African Climate Foundation (ACF)

• Lauren Hermanus, Southern Transitions 

• Adejoh Idoko Momoh, Kaduna State Government, Nigeria

• Prayank Jain, The Sustainability, Equity, and Diversity Fund (SED)

• Dhruva Jaishankar, ORF America

• Paul Katz, Jain Family Institute

• Tirthankar Mandal, World Resources Institute -India 

• Kenneth Milanzi, Absa Group

• Philani Mthembu, Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD)

• Medha Prasanna, ORF America

• Shuva Raha, Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW)

• Stefania Relva, E+ Energy Transition

• Mariana Rondon, Plataforma CIPÓ

• Nakul Sharma, Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G)

• Prabhat Upadhyaya, African Climate Foundation (ACF)

• Veda Vaidyanathan, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP)

• Piyush Verma, ORF America

• Julia Wanjiru Nikiema, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

On November 7, ORF America hosted a group of William & Mary University students to discuss Indian statecraft and its role in the world with Executive Director Dhruva Jaishankar.

On October 23, ORF America launched its Future of Energy Breakfasts series with a roundtable discussion on the energy and artificial intelligence nexus. 

AI is rapidly transforming how energy is generated, delivered, and consumed. By improving forecasting, enhancing grid performance, and enabling smarter demand management, AI can strengthen the security, resilience, and affordability of energy systems. At the same time, AI’s growth presents new challenges. Expanding data centers, cloud services, and advanced computing applications are driving unprecedented electricity demand. Managing this demand — without compromising reliability, affordability, or security goals — has become a critical policy issue. Beyond U.S. borders, there is also an opportunity to forge strategic partnerships — sharing American strengths in AI-energy applications while learning from global experiences. Collaboration with allies such as India and with partners across the Global South can ensure that AI’s promise in energy strengthens resilience, competitiveness, and security worldwide.

Key takeaways included:

• Convergence of Sectors. There is growing convergence between the energy and AI industries — major energy companies are investing in AI capabilities, while big tech firms are entering the power generation and supply space.

• Surge in Electricity Demand. AI-driven data centers are emerging as major energy consumers, contributing to the next big surge in global electricity demand alongside the electrification of transport, cooling, and industry.

• Emerging Private Power Ecosystems. In regions with weak or slow-moving utilities, hyperscalers are creating parallel ecosystems — building their own generation, transmission, and data infrastructure to ensure reliability.

• Short-Term vs. Long-Term Solutions. While advanced nuclear and other power options are gaining interest for AI workloads, large-scale deployment remains at least 5–7 years away, leaving current supply gaps unresolved.

• Equity and Global Access. The rapid growth in AI-related power demand risks leaving behind countries with underdeveloped grids. Expanding equitable access to both reliable electricity and AI capabilities is crucial for inclusive growth.

• Operational Efficiency through AI. AI applications in grid operations are already improving efficiency, reducing peak loads, and enhancing the integration of renewable energy — proving the technology’s value beyond consumption.

• Capacity and Governance. Building AI literacy among grid engineers and embedding AI–energy equity in forums like the G20 and MDB agendas will be essential to align innovation with sustainability and fairness.

• Policy Coherence. Achieving the full potential of the AI–energy nexus will require greater policy coherence — aligning energy, AI, critical minerals, and industrial strategies so that innovation, infrastructure, and supply chains evolve in sync rather than in silos.

Speakers

• Welcome Remarks: Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America

• Amb. Geoff Pyatt, Senior Managing Director, McLarty Associates and Former Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources

• Govind Shivkumar, Director, Omidyar Network

• Jennifer Schuch-Page, Managing Principal - Energy and Sustainability, The Asia Group

• Moderator: Piyush Verma, Senior Fellow, ORF America

Participants

• Jeffrey Bean, ORF America

• Gregory Bowman, Siemens Government Technologies

• Travis Brubaker, E3G

• Kashvi Chandok, Third Way

• Amy Conroy, Shell

• Trinisa Fung, FGS Global

• Noah Gordon, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

• Douglas Hengel, Johns Hopkins University

• Abigail Hunter, SAFE

• Gabby Hyman, World Resources Institute

• Dhruva Jaishankar, ORF America

• Tina Jeffress, Panasonic

• Lorin Kavanaugh-Ulku, Global Energy Alliance

• Camorah King, Clean Energy Buyers Association

• Shashwat Kumar, Center for Strategic and International Studies

• Tony Lodge, Independent 

• Jiwan Malik, World Bank Group

• Alex Maranville, Energy Futures Initiative

• Doug Miller, Energy Peace Partners

• Anamika Mishra, Embassy of India 

• Anindya Mishra, FICCI

• Parth Mulay, Johns Hopkins (SAIS)

• Tanya Nagrath, ITI

• Satvik Pendyala, AEI

• Matt Piotrowski, Climate Adviser

• Medha Prasanna, ORF America

• Priscila Putzulu, McLarty Associates

• Megan Roberts, United Nations Development Programme

• Adrian Rouse, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

• Sara Schonhardt, E&E News

• Matt Schubert, FGS Global

• Jennifer Schuch-Page, The Asia Group

• Akshat Sogani, Johns Hopkins (SAIS)

• Holly Stevens, McLarty Associates

• Ashwini Thakare, World Bank Group

• Telmen Altanshagai, ORF America

On October 14, ORF America hosted an in-person, closed-door roundtable on “Bridging the Sustainable Financing Gap: Role of Global South Cooperation.” The discussion gathered senior policymakers, development finance leaders, and scholars to explore how emerging economies can adjust international financing mechanisms to meet increasing sustainable development needs.

The event also featured the release of a new ORF America paper, “Breaking the Trap: Debt Dynamics and Sustainable Finance for the Global South,” which examines the financial reforms needed for developing economies to escape the debt trap, invest in sustainable development, and manage public debt.

Held alongside the World Bank–IMF Annual Meetings and before COP30 in Brazil, the roundtable considered how Global South nations can reshape financial cooperation, harness innovative tools, and strengthen institutional capacity to close widening financing gaps across climate, energy, and digital transformations.

Key insights included:

• Rethinking Global Finance Structures: Current financing systems are misaligned, with most climate and development funds provided as loans rather than grants, causing ongoing debt issues. Participants called for more grant-based financing, longer repayment periods, and the integration of sustainability criteria into credit evaluations to ensure fairer financial terms for developing economies.

• Innovative Approaches from the Global South: Brazil introduced the Tropical Forests Forever Facility and Mexico’s sustainable finance strategies were highlighted as leading examples of how Global South nations are pioneering new methods to mobilize private and public capital. These approaches aim to incentivize forest preservation, implement performance-based payments, and utilize blended finance to attract private investment while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

• Building Cooperation Beyond Funding: Financing alone is not enough to catalyze development cooperation. There is a need for coordinated investments in capacity building, institutional strengthening, and knowledge sharing across the Global South. Ideas such as leveraging digital public infrastructure, establishing borrower coordination platforms, and better utilizing the lending capacity of regional development banks to augment sustainable finance were mentioned as cost-effective ways to foster long-term resilience and independence for Global South countries.

Speakers:

• Diana Alarcón, Executive Director (EDS18), World Bank

• Udaibir Das, Distinguished Fellow, ORF America

• Scott Morris, Vice President, Asian Development Bank

• Marcos Vinicius Chiliatto, Executive Director (EDS15), World Bank

• Gabriel Yorio, Vice President, Inter-American Development Bank

• Moderator: Anit Mukherjee, Senior Fellow, ORF America

On October 9, ORF America hosted a closed-door, private roundtable with a delegation from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. The discussion focused on Vietnam’s assessment of the situation in the East Sea/South China Sea and recent developments in the U.S.-Vietnam relationship. Key points from the discussion included:  

• Political and military competition is intensifying in the South China Sea: China’s use of maritime militia and coast guards to not merely claim but “enforce” sovereign rights is destabilizing regional security in Southeast Asia. China sees this as integral to its objective of building a “Sino-centrical regional order” in Asia. Consequently, Vietnam and select ASEAN countries are seeking cooperation in new areas like maritime domain awareness including in the undersea domain and information sharing.

• U.S.-Vietnam relations are undergoing political and technological transitions: The United States is Vietnam’s largest trading partner, and the latter has also accorded the highest status of its diplomatic partnership to the former. Yet, relations are progressing not as rapidly as required. Unlike in the 1990s and 2000s, the U.S. political system no longer has Vietnam War veterans who were personally invested in building the relationship. Moreover, the proliferation of unmanned systems has forced countries to invest and build their own technology and defense industrial base. These transitions therefore provide new areas for U.S.-Vietnam cooperation.

• The scope for intra-ASEAN cooperation and burden sharing is increasing: While U.S. diplomatic and military attention is focused on the Indo-Pacific region, other actors like Japan and South Korea are taking the lead in supporting ASEAN countries to counter Chinese diplomatic policies, particularly in the South China Sea dispute.  Participants also provided examples of how ASEAN countries like Philippines and Vietnam are undertaking joint Coast Guard exercises to strengthen maritime cooperation.

Speakers:

• Nguyen Hung Son, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

• To Anh Tuan, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

• Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies

• Colonel Thomas Stevenson, Assistant Professor, U.S. National War College

• Moderator: Lindsey Ford, Senior Fellow for Foreign Policy and Security, ORF America

On October 7, ORF America hosted a Briefings & Beer to explore the present state of U.S.-China strategic competition. The discussion highlighted how U.S. officials continue to respond to China’s power and influence, both regionally and globally, and how this is driving U.S. policy on issues like critical minerals, emerging technologies, tariffs, foreign aid, and military competition in the Indo-Pacific. Additionally, the speakers explored possible scenarios of a U.S.-China grand bargain: what it would look like, how durable it would be, and what implications it might have for U.S. allies and partners.

Speakers:

• Peter Mattis, President, The Jamestown Foundation

• Lara Crouch Parker, former Director for Southeast Asia, The White House National Security Council

• Erin Walsh, Senior Vice President, American Global Strategies

• Miles Yu, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

• Moderator: Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America

On September 4, ORF America hosted a Briefings & Beer on the U.S. STEM talent pipeline and immigration policy with Julie Zaclis Antão of the Information Technology Industry Council, Akanksha Gupta of Google, and Simon Hankinson of The Heritage Foundation. The conversation focused on how U.S. immigration policy can address labor needs in AI and tech industries, and how international STEM talent supports U.S. innovation, economic resilience, and global competitiveness.

Speakers: 

• Julie Zaclis Antão, Manager of Policy Analysis,  Information Technology Industry Council

• Akanksha Gupta, Senior Corporate Counsel, Global Immigration, Google

• Simon Hankinson, Senior Research Fellow, Border Security and Immigration Center, The Heritage Foundation

• Moderator: Caroline Arkalji, Research Assistant, ORF America

On July 24, 2025, the Observer Research Foundation America and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, in partnership with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, hosted a virtual Global Cyber Policy Dialogue: Southeast Asia.

This invitation-only dialogue brought together ASEAN member state officials to analyze and socialize key takeaways from the eleventh and final substantive session of the 2021-2025 Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on the security of and in the use of information and communications technologies at the United Nations. This event focused on what the OEWG achieved in its core pillars of focus through reaching consensus on its final report, including emerging threats, norms implementation, international law, confidence-building measures, and capacity building, as well as the establishment of new Global Mechanism on ICTs. Discussions assessed how the latest developments and outcomes impact Southeast Asian governments and will shape the future of cyber cooperation in the region. Featured speakers for this event included experts from government and civil society:

• Benjamin Ang, Head, Centre of Excellence for National Security, Future Issues in Technology, Digital Impact, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

• Farhanah Hussin Bagharib, Assistant Director, International Cyber Policy Office, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

• Gatra Priyandita, Senior Analyst, Cyber, Technology and Security Program, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

• Shariffah Rashidah Syed Othman, Director, Policy and International Cooperation, National Cyber Security Agency of Malaysia; National Security Council, Prime Minister’s Department

• Moderator: Bruce W. McConnell, Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation America

These convenings were part of a larger Global Cyber Dialogue Series being organized by ORF America and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands which seeks to convene regional dialogues to address key cyber challenges, strengthen multistakeholder networks, and increase coordination of regional capacity building initiatives.

On July 22, ORF America and the Stimson Center co-hosted a private roundtable discussion titled, “Cyber Diplomacy: Assessing Outcomes from the UN Open-ended Working Group & the Future of Cyber Governance,” at Stimson’s Washington, D.C. offices bringing together cyber diplomats and experts. The roundtable examined the critical outcomes of the United Nations (UN) Open-ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies 2021-2025 (OEWG), which held its final session from 7-11 July 2025. It also explored the evolving landscape of international cybersecurity cooperation within the UN framework and the future of cyber governance. Discussions focused on what the OEWG achieved through consensus on its final report in its core areas of focus, including emerging threats, norms implementation, international law, confidence-building measures, and capacity building. Participants also discussed shortcomings in the final report and reflected on the challenges of compromise, while also underscoring the adoption of a final report and establishment of a new UN Global Mechanism on ICTs as a win for multilateralism and diplomacy. Attention was also given to concrete ways that the Global Mechanism can fulfill its promise of being action-oriented and inclusive.  

Anneleen Roggeman, Senior Program Manager, ORF America, provided welcoming remarks to the group. The session was moderated by Allison Pytlak, Senior Fellow and Director, Cyber Program, Stimson Center, and Jeffrey D. Bean, Program Manager, Technology Policy & Editor, ORF America.

Opening remarks were provided by:

• Madeline Murphy Hall, Tech Diplomacy Consultant

• Christopher Painter, Founding Partner, The Cyber Policy Group

• Katherine Prizeman, Political Affairs Officer, Science, Technology and International Security Unit, Office for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations

• Kim van der Sluis, First Secretary Political Affairs, Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations

• Catalina Vera Toro, Alternate Representative, Permanent Mission of Chile to the Organization of American States (OAS)

Learn about Stimson Center’s ongoing work in cyberspace here.

Learn about ORF America’s ongoing Global Cyber Policy Dialogues here.

On June 30, ORF America hosted a private roundtable on U.S. export control reform and implications for bilateral relations with India. The discussion focused on how the United States and India can make progress on bilateral initiatives to reform export controls. 

As artificial intelligence reshapes global governance, economic systems, and social frameworks, the urgent need for accessibility and inclusion has become a pivotal challenge in technology policy.

On June 26, ORF America hosted policy experts for a discussion on the critical intersection of artificial intelligence accessibility. The conversation emphasized the need for truly inclusive artificial intelligence, especially in the context of rising aging populations, increasing conflicts and mass disabling events, and the ongoing energy-accessibility paradox in our evolving digital landscape.

This was the 14th convening of ORF America’s Briefings & Beer series, which offers young professionals in D.C. the opportunity to informally engage with distinguished foreign policy experts and network with peers.

Speakers: 

• Ann Cody, Former Senior Advisor on Disability Rights, State Department

• Ariana Aboulafia, Project Lead, Disability Rights in Technology Policy, Center for Democracy and Technology

• Henry Claypool, Technology Policy Consultant, American Association of People with Disabilities

• Moderator: Katherine Salinas, Senior Program Coordinator, Technology Policy, ORF America

On June 16, ORF America co-hosted a closed-door workshop with Carnegie India on U.S.–India Technology Cooperation: Next Steps for TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology). The workshop convened representatives from government, academia, and private defense and technology firms to discuss how the United States and India can accelerate the development of AI infrastructure and advance defense industrial cooperation. The goal of the workshop was to discuss opportunities to build on these priorities — particularly through the Quad Leaders’ Summit later this year and the AI Summit in February next year, both hosted by India.

Session one focused on policies and regulations necessary to expand development of and access to AI infrastructure in India and the United States. Participants highlighted the value of leveraging India’s human capital, scale, local innovation ecosystem, and its position as a trusted partner in the Global South. Additionally, harmonizing differing approaches to AI access between the United States and India was raised as an important priority.

Session two explored next steps for U.S.-India defense cooperation through initiatives such as TRUST and ASIA (Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance). Participants emphasized the need to learn from past cooperation initiatives to understand what worked and what could be done differently. They discussed the need for new procurement mechanisms, better export control alignment, and greater clarity on operational requirements to help facilitate deeper industrial cooperation. The discussion also touched on the role for autonomous capabilities within India’s force modernization plans.

On June 11, ORF America hosted a closed-door workshop on Mapping Clean Energy Commitments and Ambitions in IBSA+Indonesia. This workshop marked the launch of a year-long dialogue series that leverages the momentum of the consecutive G20 presidencies of India, Brazil, South Africa (IBSA), and Indonesia, for an equitable green transition beyond 2025.

Starting with Indonesia’s G20 presidency in 2022, followed by India, Brazil, and South Africa, there has been a significant window of opportunity for the Global South to use the G20 agenda to elevate its concerns, needs, and ambitions. Brazil’s COP30 and BRICS presidencies in 2025 present additional opportunities to cement Global South priorities and leadership for a more equitable energy transition, furthering the policy continuity attained over the G20 presidencies into the COP process and IBSA format as well.

Even beyond the chairmanship of the G20, these countries - Brazil, India, Indonesia, and South Africa - have the potential to ensure the priorities of the Global South remain a part of the agenda in Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, respectively. IBSA+Indonesia holds great potential as a grouping not only because of G20 leadership, but also due to wider political acceptance, which allows for more flexibility and less pushback towards their agendas and initiatives.

The June 11th workshop gathered leaders in civil society, academia, the private sector, and international finance institutions to develop a roadmap for sustained Global South collaboration on clean energy transitions, climate finance, technological innovation, and diversification of clean energy supply chains, particularly in the lead-up to the 2026 U.S. G20 presidency. The discussion focused on:

• Mapping clean energy policies, commitments, and institutional synergies in IBSA+Indonesia

• Identifying opportunities and key challenges in current energy transitions

• Outlining actionable priorities to feed into solution-oriented dialogues later in the year

Participants identified common themes and narratives amongst the energy transitions in India, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia. In these countries, climate equity and justice across social groups and geographies are central to transition narratives. Meanwhile, Global North transition narratives are dominated by mitigation strategies that clash against Global South consensus that transitions must be integrated with development goals and energy access. Achieving these goals requires institutional harmony and a whole-of-government approach, which is difficult due to weak cross-ministerial alignment and federalism in some cases. As these Global South countries prepare to cede the G20 presidency to the United States in 2026, speakers argued for tactical implementation over reinvention—focusing on operationalizing and accelerating existing mechanisms like multilateral development bank pipelines and concessional loans, rather than pushing for new, politically non-viable commitments.   

Climate finance is increasingly understood not as aid, but as a geoeconomic tool intertwined with trade, security, and industrial transformation. In this context, participants agreed that the private sector actors are more important than ever, however, current climate finance mechanisms are too fragmented, conditionality-laden, and investor-averse to drive equitable transitions at scale. While country climate finance taxonomies are becoming increasingly available to investors, they are still lacking in clarity and interoperability—elements crucial for the participation of global investors. The politicization of corporate climate strategies is chilling private participation, especially where risk-adjusted returns are unclear. India, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia can do much more to set the agenda, shape ESG norms and define energy transitions on their own terms. Suggestions to counter this included setting up a joint IBSA+Indonesia sovereign fund to consolidate South-South financial sovereignty and climate investment.

To address challenges to secure low-cost climate technologies and diversify supply chains, participants recommended the following policy priorities for IBSA+Indonesia: 

1. Supply-Demand Alignment: Coordinated grid development, tariff design, and generation planning are essential to avoid stranded assets.

2. Regulatory Harmonization: Interoperable standards across countries are required to accelerate finance and reduce transaction costs.

3. Workforce Development: Technical training and local capacity must underpin technology diffusion.

4. Accessible Finance: Financial architectures must lower entry barriers, particularly for small firms and decentralized projects.

5. Strategic Industrial Policy: Countries must identify core value chains and deploy state capacity toward long-term competitive positioning.

Participants:

• Raul Alfaro-Pelico, Climate Investment Funds

• Himani Bhatt, Climate Policy Initiative 

• Travis Brubaker, E3G

• Alexander Csanadi, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

• Aude Darnal, Stimson Center

• Maiara Folly, Plataforma CIPÓ

• Kalina Gibson, Center for American Progress

• Meera Gopal, Asia Society Policy Institute

• Akanksha Golchha, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• Amangul Hydyrova, McLarty Associates

• Dhruva Jaishankar, Observer Research Foundation America

• Sakshi Kataria, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• Kate Logan, Asia Society Policy Institute

• Anamika Mishra, Embassy of India, Washington, DC

• Anit Mukherjee, Observer Research Foundation America

• Amitaksha Nag, Datamuse LLC

• Andreyka Natalegawa, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• Jide Olutoke, Climate Policy Initiative

• Jennifer Schuch-Page, The Asia Group

• Shayak Sengupta, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University

• Salvatore Serravalle, E3G

• Abidah Billah Setyowati, The World Bank 

• Yujie Shen, The World Bank

• Rahul Srinivasan, Sustainable Energy for All

• Carlos G. Sucre, Inter-American Development Bank

• Abhinav Subramaniam, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• Laird Treiber, Center for Strategic & International Studies

• Piyush Verma, United Nations Development Programme

• Emma Wong, Albright Stonebridge Group

• Courtney Weatherby, Stimson Center

On June 9, ORF America hosted a private lunch with Vinay Kwatra, Ambassador of India to the United States. The discussion explored areas of potential U.S.-India cooperation, with a focus on technology, defense, and energy security, as well as recent developments in bilateral relations.

Speakers:

• Vinay Kwatra, Ambassador of India to the United States

• Moderator: Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America

On the sidelines of the SCSP AI+ Expo for National Competitiveness, ORF America and the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) launched the U.S.-India Technology Cooperation Track 1.5 Dialogue. Over 60 senior participants and thought leaders from government, industry, civil society, and academia candidly discussed issues and opportunities tied to greater U.S.-India cooperation on AI and other technologies.

After welcome remarks from Samir Saran, President of ORF, Ylli Bajraktari, President & CEO of SCSP, and Mathew Oommen, Group CEO of Jio Platforms Limited, both spoke about deepening U.S.-India bilateral ties and the need to advance the agenda under the TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology) initiative announced by Prime Minister Modi and President Trump in February 2025. Through the lens of practical cooperation in four key areas — AI infrastructure and data centers, specific domains and applications, relevant policies and mechanisms, and talent — U.S. and Indian participants shared perspectives on meaningful actions in priority sectors such as semiconductors, defense tech, large language models and data, and energy.

The U.S.-India Technology Cooperation Track 1.5 Dialogue will be complementary to existing fora, leverage ORF America’s existing efforts on AI, and provide inputs to the U.S. and Indian governments and relevant industry ahead of the Fall 2025 Quad Summit and the 2026 AI Impact Summit, both to be hosted in India. The initiative aims to identify clear needs for each side and provide targeted recommendations for leveraging the United States and India’s respective strengths in bilateral cooperation on critical and emerging technologies.

On Monday, May 19, ORF America hosted a virtual launch of “A Blueprint to Advance the U.S.-India Energy Security Partnership”. This special report builds on the outcomes from closed-door workshops hosted by ORF America, which brought together Indian and American energy and climate experts, and proposes a U.S.-India Strategic Energy and Industrial Partnership.

To deepen bilateral collaboration on energy security, the report recommends:

• Research partnerships to leapfrog to next-generation technologies; 

• Trade missions and technology transfers in key sectors, such as automotive innovation and advanced battery manufacturing;

• Public-private partnerships to expand lithium-ion battery production and ancillary component industries; and

• Bilateral engagement between governments and financial institutions to fund and grow strategic sectors.

Drawing on the workshop outcomes, it is clear that the United States and India are best positioned to leverage their respective strengths and their bilateral relationship to: 1) develop and deploy energy technologies at scale at home and abroad; 2) reduce concentration in energy supply chains and manufacturing of new energy technologies of the future; and 3) continue to strengthen the both the domestic industrial base and the industrial corridor between the two countries.

Speakers:

• Opening Remarks: Medha Prasanna, Program Coordinator and Junior Fellow, ORF America

• Aditya Ramji, Director, Global South Clean Transportation Center, University of California, Davis

• Moderator: Anit Mukherjee, Senior Fellow, ORF America

On May 12, ORF America hosted a webinar about India's response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, and ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.

Speakers:

• Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.), former Commander, 15 Corps (Srinagar), Indian Army

• Ashok Malik, Partner and India Chair, The Asia Group

• Aparna Pande, Research Fellow and Director, Hudson Institute

• Moderator: Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America