Anjali Kaur

Anjali Kaur is a senior associate (non-resident) with the India and Emerging Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She brings more than 20 years of experience in global health, economic development, and governance, with expertise in Asia and the Global South at the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and inclusive development. From 2021 to 2025, she served as deputy assistant administrator in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Asia Bureau, overseeing strategy and programming across South and Central Asia and directing technical assistance in 34 countries. She led the USAID Asia Covid-19 Cell and launched major regional frameworks, including the first South Asia Regional Strategy, India Global Strategy, and Tibet Development Strategy. She also established the U.S.-Bangladesh Development Task Force and co-founded the U.S.-India Women’s Economic Empowerment Alliance. Previously, Kaur was strategy lead for global policy and advocacy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2018–2020), directing foundation-wide advocacy for HIV and TB programs. At Malaria No More (2016–2018), she was the inaugural senior director for Asia Pacific, establishing the India office and advancing public-private partnerships across the region. At UNICEF, she developed the first integrated advocacy and resource mobilization strategy for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and began her career with the World Bank and UN Population Fund. Her expertise spans innovative financing, technology integration for development impact, and building strategic partnerships across public, private, philanthropic, and multilateral sectors in emerging markets. Kaur was a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil and holds both an MA and a BA from Johns Hopkins University. She is fluent in English, Hindi, Portuguese, Punjabi, and Spanish.