Thursday, November 21st, 2024

India is a global player, the voice of the Global South… USAID’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia explained the plan

‘We cannot solve global challenges alone, India is a global player, the voice of the Global South.’ USAID’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia Anjali Kaur was in India. Many issues were discussed with her.Question: There are elections in America in November, at such a time how important is this visit to South Asia, especially India, in view of both the countries?
Answer- Look, this visit is important, as co-chair of Women Economic Empowerment Alliance, our effort is to help more and more women enter the formal economy. Apart from financial awareness, we are also looking at how we can provide them child care. These are some of the obstacles related to the formal economy, which we are trying to remove. In such a situation, we are also working towards giving loans to enterprises run by women. In India, currently 37 percent of the people have access to the formal economy, but in the global economy this figure is 50 percent. We are also discussing how we can take help from private partners in this, apart from this, we have been working on the energy program for 20 years under the South Asia Energy Partnership. And this program is continuously moving forward, this project is not just with India but with the whole of South Asia.

We are also constantly trying to increase the engagement of women in the energy sector so that they have a role not only at the local level but also in policy decisions. The work that India is doing on energy connectivity in South Asia with the technical help of the US can be further expanded for countries like Nepal and Bangladesh. This is also being considered. We will work on increasing connectivity in South Asia. This is also an opportunity for other countries to take steps to achieve clean energy climate goals. India is our closest partner. We discussed clean energy solutions with the delegation from Tanzania, how India and America can together modernize the grid. India’s dynamic economy and strong workforce are very important from this point of view. Tanzania is a great example of this. The delegation from Tanzania came here and saw how they can use the experience and technical knowledge here in their country.

Question: You talk about bringing women into the formal economy, but what challenges did you face in this regard in a country like India?
Answer- Look, it is difficult for men to access the formal economy, not just in India but in the whole world. This includes financial awareness as well as access to credit. Networking and mentorship are very important for this. For example, the issue of child care is very important. In America too, there is this issue, how will women leave their children and go to work? When women enter the formal economy, the entire family benefits. We are working on a convergence model. Private and government sectors along with other sectors are all working together in this ecosystem.
Join us, we are working in this direction.

Question- PM Modi visited America last year, after that we have seen a rise in the relations. In such a situation, what initiatives were taken between the two countries, which deepened the relations?
Answer- Initiatives between the two countries have deepened. Especially Global Digital Development Partnership is one such initiative, regarding digital development challenge. We see it in such a way that in view of global development challenges, India and America can share the digital development challenge and in this regard we have helped together. Fiji witnesses a lot of natural disasters, in such a situation we have given them psycho-social support. We are trying to do something similar with Tanzania.

A few months ago, the US Africa Dialogue was held. We feel that both countries can do a lot together with third countries. Apart from digital development, we are also thinking of doing the same on energy and education. We develop programs for countries that need such initiatives and are taking India’s skill set and workforce development to other countries. Like we have done this with Korea. Our joint initiative with South Korea is an initiative with a developed country, not with a developing country. India is a global player, America cannot solve global challenges alone. In such a situation, we need a partner. India is the voice of the Global South.

Question: In this context, how important a role is the Indo-Pacific Quad group playing?
Answer- Quad is another important platform, especially when we see that these four countries of Indo Pacific are already doing a lot of programs. In such a situation, there is no doubt that many solutions will be found by facing the challenges of this region together. The idea behind Quad is that whether the challenges are related to digital or climate change, but everyone has their own solutions. Quad is another example of this cooperation.

Question – Your roots are Indian and presidential candidate Kamala Harris is also of Indian origin. During this time we saw that Donald Trump made statements on her identity. What do you think as an Indo-American?
Answer- First of all, it is very historic that any woman is contesting for any post in politics. Moreover, the first Black Indian woman being the candidate also means a lot. In such a situation, we always want to encourage such political participation which will inspire minority groups, non-white women to take part in politics. This is a step forward for us. In such a situation, making racist comments from anyone is not acceptable and it is against the basic protocol and etiquette of any society. In such a situation, using any kind of identity to insult is completely inappropriate.

Question – We have seen that many countries in South Asia are facing political instability. We have seen a lot of turmoil in Bangladesh in the past few days. This brings an atmosphere of uncertainty for the entire region. In such a situation, how is the Biden administration looking at this? Answer- The Biden administration wants stability everywhere. Economic progress and development go hand in hand. In such a situation, importance is given to economic growth and governance in all our programs. In such a situation, whether it is Bangladesh or other countries of South Asia, we are keeping an eye on the situation. In such a situation, we are always ready to provide technical assistance to all our missions. In such a situation, when a country is in trouble in stability and economic sector, then we can help.

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