Talk on Future of WTO by Ambassador (Dr.) Mohan Kumar, Chairman, RIS

Title: Future of WTO

Speaker: Ambassador (Dr.) Mohan Kumar, Chairman, RIS

Chair: Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy, Director General, IDSA

Venue Room No. 005, Ground Floor

About The Speaker

Ambassador Mohan Kumar is the Chairman of Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) since June 2018.

He has had an outstanding career in the Indian Foreign Service lasting 36 years, which culminated in his being India's Ambassador to France based in Paris. Under his watch, the Indo- French strategic partnership was strengthened and consolidated further in spheres such as defense, space, nuclear & solar energy, smart cities and investment. Earlier, Mohan Kumar was India's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain where he witnessed and dealt with a strategically complex region characterized by events such as the "Arab Spring".

Ambassador Kumar 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 Kumar also has strategic understanding of India's ties with some of her key neighbours such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives. He oversaw India's ties with these countries as Joint Secretary and Head of the Division at the Ministry of External Affairs.

Ambassador Kumar’s specialization thus includes: diplomatic practice & foreign policy, strategic partnerships with India's neighbours, multilateral negotiations especially trade negotiations, climate change and globalization.

Ambassador Kumar holds a Master's In Business Administration (MBA) from the Faculty of Management Studies, University Of Delhi and a Doctorate (Ph.D) from Sciences Po University, Paris.

Ambassador Kumar also teaches at the Jindal School of International Affairs and is Vice-Dean & Professor of Diplomatic Practice.

Ambassador Kumar is author of a book entitled "Negotiation Dynamics of the WTO: An Insider's Account", published by Palgrave Macmillan (2018).