Interviewed by: Ishani Sharma In the first episode of InterLinked's special series in collaboration with the Centre for G20 Studies, we invited the Centre's Founding Director, Dr Mohan Kumar. The conversation started off with examining how India's G20 presidency for the year 2023 helps it in projecting itself as a global leader in the international arena. Dr Kumar also shed light on how G20 can promote the safeguarding of labour rights along with bridging the global skills gap. He discussed the necessity of a strong agricultural value chain, underscoring how the G20, led by India, can work to boost the same in the coming years. Given the growing numbers of MSMEs, Dr Kumar talked about the need for the G20 to focus on their full integration into the global value chain. Concluding the conversation, Dr Kumar highlighted the position of G20 in facilitating dialogue and fostering efficient action by the member countries in an attempt to revive multilateralism. Ambassador Prof. (Dr.) Mohan Kumar has an outstanding career in the Indian Foreign Service lasting 36 years which culminated in his being India’s Ambassador to France based in Paris. He has enormous expertise in the area of international trade- he was India’s lead negotiator first at the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and then at the WTO (World Trade Organization) in crucial areas such as Intellectual Property Rights, Services, Dispute Settlement, Rules and Technical Barriers to Trade. He was a leading member of India’s delegation at the WTO Ministerial Conferences held in Marrakesh (1994), Seattle (1999) and Doha (2001). Ambassador Dr Mohan Kumar also serves as the Chairman of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) since June 2018 and is also the author of a book entitled “Negotiation Dynamics of the WTO: An Insider’s Account”, published by Palgrave Macmillan (2018). Image Source: Reuters/Willy Kurniawan/Pool

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