Event Highlight

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations discusses “The India Way

By Tarang Jain MIA ’25
Posted Dec 02 2024
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations discusses “The India Way”
L-R: Daniel Naujoks, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Rumela Sen. Photo by Agaton Strom


With 450 million people lifted out of poverty and significant advancements in physical, digital, and financial infrastructure, India has demonstrated the power of inclusive development. So argued Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, during a conversation introduced by SIPA Professor Mauricio Cárdenas, director of the Master of Public Administration in Global Leadership program, and co-moderated by Professor Daniel Naujoks, director of the International Organization & UN Studies Specialization (IO/UNS) and Professor Rumela Sen, director of the Master of International Affairs (MIA) program. 

In his remarks during the November 19 event, Harish emphasized India’s remarkable progress over the past decade. His comments outlined “The India Way,” the country’s unique approach to global challenges: a growing role in global governance and a focus on collaborative solutions to international issues, positioning itself as a bridge between the developed and developing worlds. 

As signs of India’s progress, Harish cited the Aadhaar biometric identity system, which has been instrumental to the transfer of over $350 billion directly to welfare beneficiaries. He also pointed to significant expansion of digital infrastructure (with an open-source approach that allows other nations to adapt India’s platforms for their own development needs) and improvements to health and education. 

Harish also highlighted India’s leadership in advocating for the Global South and climate action. During India’s G20 presidency, the country’s push to include the African Union in the G20 marked a “historic moment,” Harish said, one that reflected a longstanding commitment to decolonization and equitable global governance. On climate, Harish detailed India’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and meeting ambitious renewable energy targets.

After Harish’s remarks, students and faculty engaged him in a spirited discussion, with attendees raising critical questions about India’s global role, its demographic dividend, and its stance on multilateral reforms.

In his responses, Harish called for reforms to address the underrepresentation of developing countries in global negotiations and affirmed democracy as intrinsic to India’s identity. He argued for “taking democracy as a given and using it to enable development and opportunities for all citizens.”

“Calling the presentation ‘The India Way’—inspired by a recent book by India’s foreign minister—highlights India’s growing global influence,” said Sen after the event. “What I found very impressive was the encyclopedic coverage of issues, which offers a broad overview of India’s achievements in governance, development, and in foreign policy over the last ten years. Taking democracy as a given may be debatable in an era of global democratic backsliding. But I’m sure the students found the presentation useful and it was a good learning experience for them.” One student attendee said “the ambassador engaged deeply and thoughtfully with each of the questions posed by the faculty and students.”

Naujoks, who has worked and lived for several years in India and wrote a book on India’s foreign and diaspora policies, remarked afterward, “India has assumed important leadership roles, both regionally in Asia, as well as globally, including in the G20, BRICS, ASEAN, and at the UN. The discussion with Ambassador Harish shows that as the country with the world’s largest population, India has even bigger global geopolitical ambitions. However, India recognizes that the path to realize them through UN reforms is neither clear nor easy to walk.”