The slash and burn policy of the second Trump government is creating many opportunities. One of them is directly related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The other concerns India’s status and stature. There is, for example, an organisation called Gavi, or Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation. It works along with WHO in arranging vaccines for poor countries. It is based in Geneva. No one has heard of it in India even though it’s one of the biggest buyers from the Serum Institute of India, Pune. We are like that only. Thanks to Trump, American funding to many global institutions like Gavi is going to be drastically reduced or eliminated altogether. For Gavi’s operations, this cut will affect between 75-100 million children worldwide. Their plan is to vaccinate and inoculate 500 million children by 2031. This is where the opportunity for India arises. At present the US funding is around 15 per cent. India should make an offer to fill some of the gap before China does. Just a commitment of $2-3 billion to be paid over the next five years will do the trick by preventing a complete takeover by China. That in itself is desirable. The peace prize would be a bonus. Meanwhile, Western Europe is also likely to reduce funding. Together with the US the gap could be as much as 25-30 per cent. Gavi is currently funded to the tune of at least $1.5 billion by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Since 2000 the Foundation has committed around $6 billion. The EU funds it to the tune of $2.5-3 billion. Gavi probably needs $10 billion over the 2026-30 funding cycle. For China that’s a fully affordable sum. It is for India too — provided the ministries of health and external affairs recognise the huge goodwill opportunity for India. Far more importantly, India can go from being a recipient to a donor. That would be a massive change in status. It can have a say in formulating global health policies. A side benefit would be to tell the world that China isn’t the only show in town because quite honestly it isn’t. It has money and muscle but lacks goodwill. As is evident the American contribution is not overwhelming. It can easily be made up. The only question is by whom. India is an automatic choice. Beyond health But it’s not just the health institutions like the WHO and Gavi that need funds. Even the iconic UNICEF which needs no introduction needs money. Its funding has been decreasing steadily over the last few decades. Ironically this is when the number of children in the world has been growing. The sheer absurdity of this cannot be ignored. But like so much else it has become collateral damage of the end of the Cold War. UNESCO is another organisation that’s facing a funds crunch. So is UNCTAD which has been consistently warning against unfair trade. All these are unique opportunities for India and Modi. The sums involved are entirely affordable. Plus, the returns are immense in terms of global status, influence and diplomacy. Move to India Many would argue that all these institutions have too much permanent staff and that they really should not be based in what is probably the most expensive city in the world, Geneva. This is absolutely correct. That’s why UNICEF might be thinking of relocating to Africa. Here, too, India has an opportunity. It should invite UNICEF, UNCTAD, UNESCO, ILO and WHO to India. All are people-facing and poverty alleviation organisations. They fit in perfectly with India’s agendas. India has over 300 million children between 0-14 years. It has thousands of cultural heritages to protect. It has been at the forefront of the global efforts to mitigate the ill-effects of unfair trade. It has the largest number of trades unions and a whole body of law to protect labour. These are powerful reasons to offer a UN city to the world. Geneva is far too costly. It makes no sense for these organisations to be spending as much as 25 per cent of their funding on rent and other establishment costs, not to mention employee benefits. If UNESCAP can be headquartered in Bangkok, why not all or some of these in India? In fact, instead of the Olympics and such like, it’s these UN organisations that India should bid for. Stadia and the accompanying razzmatazz are ephemeral. These will stay for years.