External Affairs Ministry Is Setting Up New Division To Focus On Technology Diplomacy

The Ministry of External Affairs is setting up a new division called New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies (NEST) division, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar announced on January 1, the ET reported. This will act as the nodal division within MEA for collaboration with foreign partners in 5G and artificial intelligence.

NEST’s mandate reportedly includes:

• Evolving India’s external technology policy in coordination with domestic stakeholders; this policy will also align with India’s national security goal and developmental priorities.
• Recommending foreign policy choices by assessing foreign policy and international legal implications of new and emerging technologies
• Negotiating “technology governance rules, standards and architecture” in multilateral frameworks
• Creating HR capacity within MEA for technology diplomacy―Medianama