India, for the first time ever, held a summit meeting of those countries that comprise the Global South. The Voice of Global South Summit, held virtually, was aimed at giving voice to the unheard, thereby leveraging India’s role as the current G20 president. It was held under the theme — Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose — and attracted over 120 countries. Needless to say, the summit was truly grandiose, with 29 Latin American and Caribbean countries, 47 African countries, 31 Asian countries, 11 Oceanian countries, and seven European countries in participation.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra stated that India’s objective with the Voice of the Global South Summit was to create a shared platform to deliberate on such concerns, interests, and priorities that affect the developing countries as well as to exchange ideas and solutions, and most importantly, to unite in voice and purpose in tackling the aspects of shared concerns and priorities.
This endeavour is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas" and has its foundation in India’s philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
In his opening remarks at the summit, PM Modi stated that the world is in crisis and told developing-country leaders that their voice is India’s voice and their priorities are India’s priorities, thereby projecting India as a key stakeholder in Global South affairs.
The intent of India becoming the voice of the Global South, that is otherwise under-represented in international forums, is well documented with the Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirming the same when India assumed the G20 presidency.
What is the Global South?
While the phrase ‘Global South’ has been used in international relations discourse since the late 1900s, little is known about what it actually represents.
The conception of the Global South can be traced back to the Brandt Report of 1980, which proposed a division between North and South countries based on their technological advancement, GDP, and standard of living. Historically, global North-South disparities have been characterised by significant gaps in access to resources essential for crucial growth outcomes.
Global South and Global North are just another broad categorisation used to easily study international political systems. Such categorisation have also manifested in the form of – East/West divide, the First/Second/Third world countries, etc.
The genesis of the Global North/South discourse is grounded principally on the commonality experienced by the South countries since they had a history of colonisation, largely at the hands of European powers. These countries have similar wealth, education and healthcare metrics, and so on. In the current international world order, certain countries have also been deliberately excluded from significant international organisations that make crucial economic and political decisions with global implications, such as the UN Security Council’s P5 or the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As a result of such deliberate isolation, the countries of the Global South have banded together to campaign for common issues in various aspects of life. This is known as ‘South-South Cooperation,’ which is a partnership of developing and least-developed countries on a bilateral, regional, intraregional, or interregional basis in the political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and technical areas, as defined by the United Nations.
The term Global South has been used numerous times by our EAM S Jaishankar. According to him, “polarisation may occur elsewhere, the people who suffer most are the Global South." Furthermore, he added that the “Global South now is experiencing crucial difficulties including an unabated rise in the prices of energy, food and fertilisers, coupled with increasing debt and rapidly deteriorating economic growth." Jaishankar also noted during his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow that the “Global South feels the burden of rising (oil and gas) prices."
Many believe that the Global South’s purpose is to challenge the North’s supremacy and positions in various international organisations, consequently perpetuating a cycle in which a few countries accumulate critical resources. Another criticism levelled at the concept is its inclusion of relatively, economically prosperous countries such as India and China. Since the term Global South was coined to refer to countries that were left out of the industrialisation phase and are essentially poor, the inclusion of some of the world’s fastest growing economies muddies the essence of the grouping.
Here, we should consider an LSE (London School of Economics) paper that claims that the “Global South does not refer just to the hemispheric south. It has been a general rubric for decolonised nations located roughly south of the old colonial centres of power."
The experience of different countries dealing with the Covid-19 epidemic is a modern-day example of the North-South divide.
Positioning India at the Helm of Global South
India has a lot to offer to the world, especially to the countries of the Global South. With its enormous population and enormous economic capabilities, India, through the Voice of Global South Summit is working to unite the nations of the Global South into a powerful front so as to adopt an action-oriented approach for the betterment of the region.
While addressing the summit, Prime Minister Modi stated, “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."
Regardless of whether it was at the UNSC or multilateral forums, India has always addressed and voiced the needs of the Global South. India has always shared its developmental experience with the nations of the Global South. PM Modi stated that “As India begins its G20 presidency this year, it is natural that our aim is to amplify the Voice of the Global South."
According to C. Raja Mohan, “India has the material power and political will to lead the Global South. We are entering an era of renewed great power competition for the Global South. The developing world too is looking ahead and not looking back to the old scripts; its leaders want concrete options and are adept at bargaining with multiple suitors."
India’s global stature has risen in the international sphere, and it now occupies a prominent position at the high table of international politics, playing a significant role in mitigating global crisis situations. Scholars argue that India’s goal is not to rally against the North or to establish an alternative Asian-dominated international order, but rather to serve as a bridge between the North and the South by concentrating on practical outcomes rather than reinstating a bipolar world order.
Aside from having one of the largest diasporas, other factors such as technological advancements, economic potential, and improvements in social indicators have helped the country establish itself as a strong contender for the voice of the global south.
Furthermore, during the Covid pandemic, India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative provided medicines and vaccines to over 100 countries. While developed countries of the Global North were indulging in vaccine hesitancy the world watched as India played a critical role in providing much-needed assistance to its extended neighbourhood.
In recent years, India’s digital payment infrastructure has made significant advancements. Its digital public assets, such as UPI, RuPay, and the India stack, have the potential to be a powerful model for the digital transformation of other developing and emerging countries in the Global South.
As the voice of the Global South, India can make significant advances in the fight against terrorism and serve as a powerful counterbalance to China’s hegemonic rise.
Conclusion
PM Modi announced the ‘Aarogya Maitri’ initiative during the first Voice of the Global South Summit, in which the country will provide essential medical supplies to any developing country affected by natural disasters or humanitarian crises. It was also announced that India would establish the Global South Centre of Excellence and launch the Global South Science and Technology Initiative to share its expertise in areas such as space technology and nuclear energy.
These initiatives demonstrate India’s determination and ambition to become the voice of the Global South. India’s approach to the global south is comprehensive, multifaceted, and multi-sectoral, encompassing everything from finance to health to the environment.
However, championing the cause of the Global South today would necessitate more active and tailored Indian engagement with the region. India must also accept that the Global South is a scattered group of countries with fractious, and sometimes conflicting agendas. However, if India can translate its ambition into effective governance, it will emerge as a natural choice to lead the Global South.
Esha Banerji is presently associated with a premier think-tank in India, specialising in defence, security, and strategic studies. Her research interest and focuses of analysis are defence strategy, geo-economics, foreign affairs, and the implications of Chinese security developments on the region, especially India. Views expressed are personal.
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