Space assets serve both civilian and military purposes, making them dual-use technologies. While they bring significant benefits, they can also be exploited for hostile activities. As space technologies become integral to statecraft and national security, the rise of Astropolitics—the geopolitical contest in space—has escalated the risk of conflicts, threatening space security. The rapid commercialization of space has introduced new actors, including private sector, driving innovation but also introducing new security challenges. These tech advancements have outpaced existing international space laws, creating uncertainties around the legality of many space activities. As a result, it is imperative for nations to collaborate on information-sharing, develop modern space norms, and build technologies that promote responsible behavior in space. Ensuring that space remains secure and sustainable for future generations requires a collective approach, leading countries to emphasize space security in their policies, bilateral partnerships, and multilateral engagements. In this context:

• What role do multilateral norms play in shaping international space security partnerships, and where do countries diverge on responsible behaviour in space? 
• How does the private sector impact space security, and what disruptions and opportunities does its growing role present? 

Digital Public Infrastructure is revolutionizing public services and creating economic opportunities globally, particularly in Global South countries. Aadhaar and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) have created seamless digital ecosystems for India—which successfully highlighted DPI during its G20 presidency. Nigeria has leveraged digital identity and payment systems and looks to build data exchanges next, Malawi is deploying DPI-as-a-packaged-Solution (Daas) on a pilot G2P project for post-disaster social support payments, Papua New Guinea is expanding digital connectivity despite cybersecurity vulnerabilities, Morocco has displayed digital transformation of administrative and educational services, while countries like Dominican Republic have committed to the UNDP led 50-in-5 campaign. However, challenges in DPI adoption remain—from data privacy concerns and cross-border information flows to uneven adoption and technical interoperability issues that may widen existing divides. In this context: 

• What are the lessons to be learnt from the successful DPI adoption journeys in the Global South, which could help inform broader digital transformation efforts across the globe?  
• What practical strategies and supportive policy frameworks can enable wider DPI adoption in nations facing resource constraints, limited technical capacity, or unique governance challenges? 

The recent draft rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 provide a framework towards a more accountable digital ecosystem – through transparency in data processing, mechanisms for protecting individual data rights, and data breach notifications. Further, consent managers could help manage personal information, and age-gating mechanisms are geared toward restricting children’s access to harmful content. However, the framework presents complex challenges – age gating requires sophisticated technological implementation, businesses lack clarity over the timeline of notifications of rules, and ambiguity looms large over conditions for international data flows to be specified by the government. In this context: 

• How can organizations harmonize regulatory compliance, including those on cross border data flows, with seamless customer experiences? 
• What technological innovations can bridge stringent data protection requirements with user-friendly digital interactions? 

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has had a transformational effect on economies across the globe, improving financial inclusion, governance, and public service delivery—as leading examples, India’s UPI and Brazil’s PIX have revolutionized digital payments, and Estonia’s X-Road enabling seamless and secure data sharing between government and private sector. Despite these successes, early private sector engagement with DPI remained limited—unclear value propositions and monetization opportunities, regulatory uncertainty, and the perception that DPI primarily served government functions made businesses hesitant to invest. However, the market sentiment is beginning to change as market players have begun identifying the innovation potential that DPIs can unlock. Several global technology firms like Microsoft, Google, and AWS recognize DPI as a driver of new markets, cost efficiencies, and cross-border scalability. Conversely, private sector participation in DPIs will be crucial for allowing rapid scalability for DPIs with cost-efficiencies. In this context: 

• How can the private sector boost the development, maintenance, and delivery of DPIs? 
• What are the challenges to private sector participation in DPI, and which policy reforms can address them? 

India prepares to host the next AI Summit in late 2025/early 2026, following the AI Safety Summit in Bletchley (2023), the AI Seoul Summit (2024), and the AI Action Summit in Paris, which India co-hosted with France. The meeting in Paris widened the summit's focus beyond AI safety issues to include public interest AI, the future of work, innovation, and global AI governance—and its concluding Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable AI was signed by about 60 countries, including India, China, and the EU yet the US, a leading AI superpower, abstained, prioritizing innovation and warning that regulations slow innovation. As a growing leader for the Majority World, India called for democratizing AI technology and developing people-centric AI applications. In this context: 

• In what ways can the India AI Summit advance progress beyond previous summits, particularly the recent AI Action Summit in Paris?  
• How can India leverage this opportunity to advocate the needs of the Majority World, which is catching up in the global AI race? 

As AI continues to transform industries—from healthcare and finance to smart cities and autonomous vehicles—it has become heavily reliant on powerful data centres and computational infrastructure. Currently, many of these AI applications are powered by conventional energy sources like fossil fuels, leading to significant carbon footprints and environmental challenges. Looking ahead, advances in machine learning, big data analytics, and neural networks will require even-greater computational power. This surge in demand invokes the urgent need to transition to green data centres, adopt cleaner and renewable energy sources to power AI applications, and explore innovative solutions such as edge computing wherever possible. In this context:  

• How can the transition to green data centres and renewable energy sources be achieved seamlessly to power AI applications without impeding industry innovation? 
• How best can innovative alternatives like edge computing help meet the increasing computational demands of advanced AI while reducing the environmental impact? 

Geopolitics today is defined by intensifying rivalries, shifting alliances, and emerging technological and economic power plays. Trump’s evolving stance on Russia has reopened diplomatic channels between Washington and Moscow but has strained U.S.-Europe relations, pushing the EU toward greater strategic autonomy. At the same time, China is leveraging transatlantic tensions to deepen ties with Europe, signalling a broader realignment of global alliances. The Trump administration’s new tariffs may boost U.S. manufacturing but do not eliminate dependence on global supply chains, particularly for rare earths, semiconductors, and green energy materials. With China dominating rare earth production, the U.S. is turning to alternative suppliers like Australia, Canada, Vietnam, and Brazil. Meanwhile, India is pursuing a multifaceted geopolitical strategy—strengthening EU ties, managing trade tensions with the U.S., maintaining strategic autonomy, enhancing defence capabilities, and expanding partnerships in Central Europe. In this context:  

• Is the world moving toward a multipolar order? If so, what strategic levers will nations use to assert influence in this shifting landscape? 
• How will unpredictable trade policies reshape the global business environment in the coming years?