Jaishankar says Global South bears crises but lacks a voice in key decisions
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the Global South is facing the worst effects of multiple global crises while remaining excluded from key decisions, and called for stronger solidarity among developing countries. Speaking at a high-level meeting of like-minded Global South countries and friends on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, he said the current moment demanded a united response.
Jaishankar said the world was going through "considerable global uncertainty", marked by conflicts, geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, rising trade barriers, fragmented investment flows, climate shocks and pressure on international law and rules. He said reform of the UN and multilateralism was essential so that the priorities of the Global South were properly addressed.
"The Global South today may be in the front row of the global crisis, but is in the back row of decision-making," Jaishankar said, adding that institutions created for a different era still reflected the power structures of that time. "The Global South needs to be part of decision-making structures that deliberate on issues that directly pertain to our future," he said.
He said the number of active conflicts had risen over the past year and this posed a significant risk to the global economy, especially for developing countries. "At a time when we needed to turn to multilateralism, we actually witnessed its dismantling. International organisations that we hope would deliver solutions have instead become a problem for us to solve," he said, stressing that there had never been a more critical moment for solidarity among Global South countries.
Jaishankar outlined a set of priorities for cooperation. He said Global South countries must "not accept or legitimise" chokepoints in supply chains, finance or connectivity. "Energy security is at the heart of development. Availability and prices should not be manipulated for political ends," he said. He added that food security was a shared goal and that challenges related to the supply of grains and fertilisers must be addressed quickly. He also called for fair economic and trade practices that strengthened production capacities, saying, "Our right to industrialise must not be denied."
Referring to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Jaishankar said maritime commons must be secured, international law observed, and the safety and security of seafarers and commercial shipping guaranteed. On Artificial Intelligence, he cautioned that the transformation driven by the technology must not create new divides. India also called on Global South nations to use existing platforms to "highlight the concerns of the Global South, with a view to ensure that our concerns do not get deprioritised". He said closer economic cooperation among Global South countries was needed to shield developing nations from the effects of overlapping crises.
On AI, Jaishankar said, "we should share indigenous-developed tools and frameworks for the benefit of Global South members and ensure that AI remains human-centric." He also said that, rather than relying only on the Global North, frameworks such as the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure could help deliver needed progress on climate action.
Jaishankar, who is leading the Indian delegation for the high-level UNGA session, also held a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings on the first day of his engagements in New York and continued them on Tuesday. He described his first meeting with Uganda Foreign Minister Adonia Ayebare as "cordial", saying they agreed to "cooperate closely to strengthen our bilateral relations, focusing on development partnership, capacity building, defence training and agriculture. Appreciate our close multilateral cooperation." He said his talks with Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani "focused on the Gulf situation, IMEC, and the Ukraine conflict", referring to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
Jaishankar also said he was privileged to meet Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. He said they noted progress on commitments made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, including laptop supply, limb fitments, academic chairs, solarisation and Quick Impact Projects, and discussed deepening the development partnership. He also appreciated the close cooperation in the multilateral domain. Modi had paid an official visit to Trinidad and Tobago in July last year.
In his UN remarks and meetings on the sidelines of the session, Jaishankar underlined India's call for a stronger voice for the Global South, greater cooperation among developing countries, and reforms in global institutions, while also reviewing bilateral ties with several partner nations.
