India can play role in IPR development in Global South, says MEA official Foreign Defense Security News

He noted that today the DPI model has emerged as a core value proposition of India and is being adopted and adapted by countries across the world.

“Based on our own experience during this period, for DPI-based solutions to work and produce the kind of results envisioned, we need three key things coming together: technology, governance and community. Technology creates digital systems, technical protocols. And applications that are important to facilitate user adoption by building trust in what the building blocks provide.”

According to him, governance frameworks can include rules of engagement, governance of stakeholder behavior, cross-cutting and domain-specific rules, laws and policies, and embedded governance in digital technologies. Finally, vibrant and broad community participation is essential to enable value creation.

This includes private sector and civil society actors who can collaborate to spark innovation and unlock value. ECD can play a transformative role in several fields. These include financial inclusion, empowering small businesses, transparent delivery of services to citizens, running blockchain-based financial services and unified lending platform, Kumaran said.

“Many of these ideas are already being implemented, but many more will emerge in the coming months and years. With the integration of AI to better understand the enormous amounts of data generated, DPI can become the backbone of an interconnected, more efficient and inclusive digital society,” he added.

Speaking about the intersection of IPR with international cooperation and the global impact it can create from MEA's perspective, Kumaran said, “As new technologies emerge at average rates, it benefits a select group and perpetuates various forms of digital exclusion , as India advances. on their ECD journey, we are committed to supporting other countries in adopting and scaling digital public infrastructure.”

It noted that DPI has considerable potential to drive global progress, if supported by the necessary level of international cooperation.

He also highlighted how India's success provides a solid foundation for us to help the Global South develop and scale its own ECD initiatives.

“India can play a role in helping the Global South develop IPR through technology transfer and knowledge sharing, promoting the adoption of open source technologies. Number two, consultation and capacity building on data governance, political and cybersecurity cooperation,” he said.

India can advocate for interoperable and open global digital standards in relevant forums, ensuring that IPR developed in the Global South is compatible with the global system. It could help cross-border cooperation, especially in trade finance and health, he said.

Kumaran shed light on digital innovation and startup engagement.

“We can encourage partnerships between India’s own digital research startup ecosystem and entrepreneurs from the Global South to develop IPR solutions. This could include accelerators, incubators and crowdfunding mechanisms,” he said.

Despite the enormous promise of DPI, he explained how challenges remain, ensuring privacy and data protection, tackling the digital divide and building trust in digital systems are key.

“Additionally, there are governance challenges such as ensuring transparency, accountability and inclusion in the development and implementation of IPR. However, these challenges also present opportunities. India's experience with large-scale digital transformation offers useful lessons for overcoming these obstacles, investing in efforts to foster cross-border cooperation, promote digital literacy and ensure that IPR systems remain open and inclusive can unlock the full potential of IPR for global development”, he explained.