Panel Discussion on 'Opportunities for India's Participation in Global Value Chains' Convened by BRIEF

The Asia Foundation partnered with, CII and BRIEF to convene a discussion on 'Opportunities for India's Participation in Global Value Chains' on March 24 in New Delhi. The convening brought together industry experts, policymakers, and academia to delve into three focus areas that can facilitate sustainable integration with the global value chains: gender dimensions of trade, trade facilitation, and intellectual property rights. The event provided valuable insights and recommendations for India to become a thriving hub for economic activity and support a flourishing global value chain.

Launch of the Policy Briefs

Mr. Aditya Mishra, Chairman, Land Ports Authority of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India made the keynote address and launched three policy briefs:

• "Global Supply Chains and Trade Facilitation: Identifying the contours of an Indian Approach" by Dr. Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics), Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore.

• "Womens Inclusion in Indias Trade Ecosystem: From Talk to Action" by Nikita Singla, Associate Director of BRIEF.

• "Intellectual Property Rights in Global Value Chains: The State of Play in India" by Arpan Banerjee, Assistant Professor and Executive Director, Centre for Intellectual Property and Technology Law.

The policy briefs were developed as part of The Asia Foundation's 'Think Tank Engagement on Indo-Pacific Issues' project supported by the U.S. State Department. Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) was the knowledge partner for this project.

Ms. Nandita Baruah, Country Representative, The Asia Foundation, reflected on India's potential to contribute to becoming an economic hub and providing opportunities for growth and employment. "This research aims to provide actionable recommendations to further India's intent to become an economic hub and global engine of growth. We hope the findings from the policy briefs can add value to the government's initiatives to expand India's engagement in global trade and inform policy and operational investment for enhancing the integration of India's economy into the global value chain, with a strong focus on gender-supportive trade mechanisms," she said.

Panel on Global Value Chain Trade Facilitation & IPR

The event held panel discussions focusing on: 'Gender Inclusiveness in Trade' and 'Global Value Chains: Trade Facilitation and IPR.' The panel discussion on 'Gender Inclusiveness in Trade' highlighted the importance of making trade policies gender inclusive. The panelists Mr. Aditya Mishra, Chairman, LPAI, Dr. Sanjay Kathuria, former Lead Economist, The World Bank, and Ms. Nikita Singla, Associate Director, BRIEF, and Shravani Prakash, Founder, ElleNomics, moderated the panel and discussed the role of trade policies in empowering women entrepreneurs and ensuring their access to finance, market, and technology while focusing on the importance of creating a conducive environment for women entrepreneurs to participate in international trade.

The 'Global Value Chains: Trade Facilitation and IPR' panel highlighted the challenges and opportunities for India's participation in the global value chains. The panel was moderated by Mr. Afaq Hussain, Director, BRIEF. The panelists included Dr. Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead, Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore, Mr. Arpan Banerjee, Assistant Professor and Executive Director, Centre for Intellectual Property and Technology Law, Ms. Audrey Slover, Indo-Pacific Strategy Officer, U.S. Embassy, New Delhi, and John Cabeca, the United States Intellectual Property Counselor for South Asia, who unpacked the role of strong intellectual property rights (IPR) regimes to enhance India's competitiveness in the global market and also touched on the importance of efficient trade facilitation measures to help Indian firms integrate into the global value chains.

"As Chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India and an advocate for gender inclusiveness in trade, I am happy to release the papers on Opportunities for India's Participation in Global Value Chains at this event. These papers shed light on the potential for India to expand its footprint in the region and promote its growth and leadership goals through gender-inclusive trade. In todays discussion, I emphasized the importance of bringing about gender positivity in the full process of trade facilitation, and I look forward to continuing this conversation and taking action towards a more inclusive trade landscape," said Mr. Aditya Mishra, Chairman, Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI), Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India.

Afaq Hussain, Director, BRIEF India said, "Trade facilitation is critical to enhancing India's role in the global supply chains, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. The authors of the research papers have provided a good base to initiate the process of engagement with multiple stakeholders and mainstream India's position in the global value chains with a more gender-inclusive approach."

About BRIEF
Bureau of Research on Industry and Economic Fundamentals (BRIEF) is a research and consulting organization with a focus on policy research, diagnostic studies, program implementation, industry, and market research as well as assessment of various schemes and interventions in the socio-economic domain. Its past engagements have spanned across areas such as international trade facilitation, infrastructure, and policy aspects among others, with special emphasis on India and other countries in South Asia and the MENA region.

About The Asia Foundation
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit international development organization committed to improving lives and expanding opportunities across Asia and the Pacific. Informed by decades of experience and deep local expertise, our work across the region is focused on good governance, women's empowerment and gender equality, inclusive economic growth, environment and climate action, and regional and international relations.

For more information, please visit www.asiafoundation.org.