EAM S Jaishankar
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday addressed the High-Level Meeting of Like Minded Global South Countries in New York, where he called for stronger cooperation among developing nations and reforms in multilateral institutions.”We meet in increasingly uncertain times when the state of the world is a cause for mounting concern for member states. The Global South in particular is confronted with a set of challenges which have heightened in the first half of this decade,” Jaishankar said in the meeting that took place on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) in New York.He listed challenges as “the shocks of the Covid pandemic, two major conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, extreme climate events, volatility in trade, uncertainty in investment flows and interest rates and the catastrophic slowing down of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) agenda.” He added that “the rights and expectations of developing countries in the international system which has been so assiduously developed over many, many decades, are today under challenge.” “In face of such proliferation of concerns and multiplicity of risks, it is natural that the Global South would turn to multilateralism for solutions,” Jaishankar said.Highlighting weaknesses in international platforms, Jaishankar said: “Unfortunately, there too we are presented with a very disappointing prospect. The very concept of multilateralism is under attack. International organizations are being rendered ineffective or starved of resources. The building blocks of the contemporary order are starting to come apart and the costs of delaying much-needed reforms is today starkly visible.”Laying out broad principles for cooperation among Global South countries, Jaishankar said these should include:
- Fair and transparent economic practices that democratize production and enhance economic security.
- A stable environment for balanced and sustainable economic interactions, including more South-South trade, investment and technology collaborations.
- Resilient, reliable and shorter supply chains that would reduce dependence on any single supplier or on any single market.
- An urgent resolution of conflicts that are impacting food, fertilizer and energy security, and protection of global commons including maritime shipping, disaster relief, and environmental challenges.
- A collaborative leveraging of technology for development, including digital public infrastructure and a fair and level playing field that reflects the concerns of the Global South.
Jaishankar also put forward specific proposals. “Excellencies, friends, to get there, India would propose the following points for your collective consideration,” he said.He listed:
- “We utilize existing forums to strengthen consultations among Global South with a view to enhance solidarity and encourage collaboration.”
- “Bring to the table specific strengths, experiences and achievements that we may have individually developed but which can actually benefit fellow Global South members. Some good examples of these are vaccine production, digital capabilities, education capacities, agro practices and SME culture.”
- “In areas like climate action and climate justice, come up with initiatives that serve the Global South rather than justify the Global North.”
- “Discuss the promise of technologies on the horizon, especially AI.”
- “Reform the United Nations and multilateralism as a whole.”
