Director/Senior Fellow @orfonline. Former Maitri Fellow @UNSW and Executive Director @T20 India. Policy nerd. Journalist.
New Delhi, India
Joined March 2016
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How can social protection keep pace with changing labour markets?
In my latest @orfonline piece, I examine emerging trends shaping labour market policy across Global South, and how systems respond to AI, climate risks, informality and future shocks.
orfonline.org/expert-speak/j…
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
Plenary 3 | Global South at the Table: Shaping Maritime Futures
Featuring: @Mehdi_Jomaa , Sanjeev Ranjan, Andrey Fasolko, @AmbNKarigithu, @sunaina_kumar
#Sagarmanthan2026 #GreatOceansDialogue
@orfonline @shipmin_india @OceansDialogue
In this issue brief for @orfonline, @soumyabh_swears and I examine how India's FTAs can link market access with jobs, growth and opportunity, especially for MSMEs, women workers and entrepreneurs.
orfonline.org/research/jobs-…
India has a growing educated unemployment challenge. But can cash transfers solve a jobs problem?
At least 10 states offer cash to educated youth. China & other emerging economies face a similar challenge.
My latest in @IndianExpress : indianexpress.com/article/op…
Glass ceiling broken — or glass cliff? The race for the UN top job is on and will it finally be a woman? The next SG inherits a UN facing deep geopolitical divisions and crisis of faith in multilateralism. My latest for @LowyInstitute’s The Interpreter:
lowyinstitute.org/the-interp…
Are India’s educated unemployed becoming the country’s next political constituency? Cash transfers can provide relief, but cannot substitute for jobs. At stake is the Indian Dream.
I spoke with @capitalcalculus @StratNewsGlobal. Watch: youtube.com/watch?v=fhkkEH4F…
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
You can't have it all
...but you can have August, and abundantly so
A tonic of a poem: themarginalian.org/2019/02/0…
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
The future of #India–#Africa cooperation lies in implementation-focused collaboration—particularly in digital public infrastructure (#DPI), #technology, human capital, #maritimesecurity, and #climateaction—rather than broad political declarations.
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
Partners for Progress: Africa and India in the Emerging Global Order | From Voice to Agency: Africa and India in a Changing World
Featuring: Abdeta Beyene, @kfayemi, Max Boqwana, @sunaina_kumar, Mustapha Ibrahim & @DrNilanjanG
Follow this thread for key insights from the discussions.
#ORFxCDRC
@orfonline @CDRCEthiopia
As the global order evolves so does the India-Africa partnership. To advance the dialogue @orfonline and @CDRCEthiopia are hosting “Partners for Progress: Africa and India in the Emerging Global Order” in Addis Ababa on 28 July 2026. Program highlights here!
@orfonline, in collaboration with Centre for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation (@CDRCEthiopia), is organising the Partners for Progress: Africa and India in the Emerging Global Order.
🗓️28 July, 2026 |📍Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Know more👉 or-f.org/39707
Follow this thread to know more about the panels!
#ORFxCDRC
@orfonline @CDRCEthiopia
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
.@orfonline hosted a webinar titled 'Going the Last Mile: Strengthening Financial Inclusion in Africa'.
The discussion explored the key institutional and financial inclusion drivers underpinning rural women's empowerment programmes, drawing lessons from India, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. It also examined how India's National Rural Livelihood Mission (#NRLM) model can strengthen women's access to formal financial systems across the Global South.
Follow the thread for the key takeaways. 👇
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
Brilliant from @krithikavaragur as she discovers an English-language gem of a journal from the Middle East most of you have never heard of.
Just delightful, a love letter to the world of letters and international exchange
theparisreview.org/blog/2026…
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
This is an amazing quote from Lindsey Graham about when he realized how politics works. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0…
"Africa by Africans" is not just a slogan. It is increasingly shaping how the continent engages with the world. In this conversation on ORF Golmez with @NaghmaSahar and @SamirApolitical, we discuss trends shaping the partnership in the 21st century.
youtube.com/watch?v=xBvkc5PZ…
One idea a day (OIAD) might be the solution to our crisis of attention.
I’m excited to share my essay in The New York Times this morning! “About 2000 years ago, the Roman philosopher Seneca warned of a crisis of attention.” With thanks to my editor, James Ryerson.
nytimes.com/2026/07/12/opini…
Could the Caribbean be a blueprint for India's development partnerships in Africa?
My latest @orfonline analysis explores how India's work in agriculture and local enterprise could be scaled across the Global South.
orfonline.org/expert-speak/s…
My latest for @LowyInstitute on India's prosperity paradox: strong headline growth alongside deep anxiety about employment, especially among young people.
lowyinstitute.org/the-interp…
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
#RaisinaDialogue2026 | Breaking the Curse
With the world’s youngest population, vast mineral wealth, and growing regional integration, #Africa could become a key engine of global growth.
But can its nations move up global value chains and build durable development models in a fragmenting world?
Watch @onduhungirehe, @MusaliaMudavadi, Gwendoline Abunaw, Karim El Aynaoui & @sunaina_kumar discuss.
@MEAIndia
youtube.com/watch?v=oxmeYJGg…
Sunaina Kumar retweeted
Expanding Social Protection in the Global South: Evidence from #India, #Brazil, and #SouthAfrica
Authored by @sunaina_kumar & @AmbarKumarGhos1, the paper examines the #socioeconomic & impacts and recommends measures to strengthen social protection
orfonline.org/research/expan…
