In an attempt to balance the west and with an eye on the north, India is hoping to rally the ‘south’. The theme of the two-day virtual Voice of the Global South 2023 Summit - “Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose” - is India’s attempt to add another note to the chorus of the global order.
“India has always stood for a greater role for developing countries in determining our common future,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his opening statement at the summit. “In the 21st century, global growth will come from countries of the South.”
Modi stressed on “human-centric globalisation’’ in his address. “We, the developing countries, are concerned about increasing fragmentation of the international landscape," he said.
With 125 countries, including 47 from Africa, seven from Europe and 29 from Latin America and Caribbean region, the summit has been dubbed a success. In a press conference post the summit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said: “One thing that came across clearly from the summit was the need for articulating the voice of the Global South in international institutions and for reforming them for a balanced representation for the developing world.”
While China was not invited, a statement by the Chinese foreign office said that India had informed Beijing of its consideration and plan.
“We greatly value the solidarity, cooperation and common development of developing countries,’’ a Chinese foreign ministry statement said. Asked why India informed China about the summit, Kwatra chose his words carefully and said India had “robust cooperation” with other members of the G20.
In a post-pandemic world rocked by the conflict in Ukraine, energy and food security have been challenges for the developing world. “We have turned 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 lasting economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
And beyond the turbulence in the world, the special summit also comes at a time when India is the president of the G20 and is determined to have a stronger voice in shaping the world. The countries, Kwatra said, wanted India to carry their voice to the G20.
Responding to questions on whether the forum was going to be a bigger movement than the Non Aligned Movement, Kwatra said each platform has its own objective practice, processes and membership. “This summit does not dilute in any way how India engages proactively and robustly with other fora, whether it is the Non Aligned Movement or the G-77.
"But, given the current global context, we felt that it is important for us to shape a platform which captures this voice of the Global South in a purposeful and meaningful way and carry it forward to other international institutions including to the G20,” he said.
