Developing countries should join hands to redesign global political and financial governance to ensure they are not excluded from development and can remove inequalities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday as he hosted a virtual summit of leaders of the Global South.
The Voice of Global South Summit, a new initiative of the Indian government months after it took on the presidency of the G20, brought together the leaders of Bangladesh, Cambodia, Guyana, Mozambique, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The Indian leadership has emphasised that it will act as the representative of the Global South during its G20 presidency.
Modi, in his televised opening remarks, said most of the challenges facing the world – such as climate change and the Ukraine conflict – were not been created by the Global South, and yet the developing countries were also excluded from finding solutions to such problems.
“People of Global South should no longer be excluded from the fruits of development. Together, we must attempt to redesign global political and financial governance. This can remove inequalities, enlarge opportunities, support growth, and spread progress and prosperity,” he said.
Modi proposed a new global agenda based on “respond, recognise, respect and reform” to re-energise the world.
“Respond to the proud needs of the Global South by framing an inclusive and balanced international agenda, recognise that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities applies to all global challenges, respect the sovereignty of all nations, rule of law and peaceful resolution of differences and disputes, and reform international institutions, including the UN, to make them more relevant,” he said.
“Most of the global challenges have not been created by the Global South but they affect us more. We have seen this in the impact of the Covid pandemic, climate change, terrorism and even the Ukraine conflict. The search for solutions also does not factor in our role or our voice,” he added.
In contrast, he said, India will work to highlight the priorities and challenges of developing countries. “As India begins its G20 presidency this year, it is natural that our aim is to amplify the voice of the Global South. For our G20 presidency, we have picked the theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” he said.
The world, he added, is in a “state of crisis” after turning the page “on another difficult year” that saw war, conflict, terrorism and geo-political tensions, rising food, fertiliser and fuel prices, climate change-driven natural disasters and the persisting economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It is difficult to predict how long this state of instability will last,” he added.
The Global South has the “largest stakes in the future” as it accounts for three-fourths of humanity and it should also have an “equivalent voice”. He added, “Hence, as the eight-decade-old model of global governance slowly changes, we should try to shape the emerging order.”
India has shared its development experience with the Global South and the country’s development partnerships cover all regions and diverse sectors. “We supplied medicines and vaccines to over 100 countries during the pandemic. India has always stood for a greater role for developing countries in determining our common future,” he said.
Modi said: “Despite the challenges the developing world faces, I remain optimistic that our time is coming…The need of the hour is to identify simple, scalable and sustainable solutions that can transform our societies and economies. With such an approach, we shall overcome the difficult challenges, whether it is poverty, universal healthcare or building human capacities.”
He added, “In the last century, we supported each other in our fight against foreign rule. We can do it again in this century to create a new world order that will ensure the welfare of our citizens. As far as India is concerned, your voice is India’s voice, your priorities are India’s priorities.”
The discussions between the leaders at the inaugural session were held behind closed doors. The Voice of Global South Summit will have eight ministerial sessions on priority areas. The Indian side plans to channel the ideas and inputs generated by the summit into the G20 process. Modi will chair another session of heads of state and government at the conclusion of the summit on Friday.
Source- Hindustan Times.
