Ahead of the World Bank – IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., ORF America and the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) will host a half-day conference. The conference will bring together thought leaders from the Global South to highlight the need for greater South-South cooperation and explore practical mechanisms for achieving it, especially in the rapidly changing development cooperation landscape. Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former Finance Secretary of the Government of India and Distinguished Fellow of CSEP, will deliver the keynote address.
The discussions will highlight the diversity amongst, and therefore the challenges of defining, the Global South, the existing opportunities and challenges of cooperation among countries of the Global South, and the role of multilateral groupings (both current ones such as G20, ASEAN, IBSA, and BRICS and potential newer ones) to foster greater cooperation going forward. The conference will gather leaders in government, civil society, academia, and the private sector.
Session 1: Institutional Reform and Debt Sustainability
Auguste Tano Kouamé, Country Director for India, The World Bank
Rakesh Mohan, President Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow, CSEP
Moderator: Udaibir Das, Distinguished Senior Fellow, ORF America
Session 2: Advancing SDGs, Food and Health Security
Eduardo Gonzalez-Pier, Former Deputy Minister for Health, Federal Government of Mexico
Diwa Samad, Health Economist, Global Financing Facility (GFF), The World Bank
Moderator: Sandhya Venkateswaran, Senior Fellow, Human Development and Health Policy, CSEP
Session 3: Increasing Just and Equitable Climate Finance
Rogério Studart, Senior Fellow, Brazilian Center of International Relations (CEBRI)
Ridhika Batra, Vice President, Corporate Affairs (Americas), The Mahindra Group
Moderator: Anit Mukherjee, Senior Fellow, ORF America