Initiating a vibrant and energized approach towards geopolitics, India launched the Voice of Global South Summit on January 12, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering the inaugural address. Numerous conversations at the ministerial level are a part of the summit, which is being conducted virtually. Regardless of whether it was at the UNSC or multilateral forums, India has always addressed and voiced the needs of the Global South.
The term Global South in common parlance is used for the countries which have low levels of economic and industrial development, which are mainly located in the southern part of the world and are located to the south of the industrialized, developed nations. Another way one can understand Global South is the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Additionally, the phrase ‘Global South’ paints a vision of the world with the historically neglected and minor geopolitical players at its center.
India, with its enormous population and enormous economic capabilities, is working to unite the nations of the Global South into a powerful front so that an action oriented approach can be adopted for the countries of the global south. Tracing a connection between the nations, one may explain how the global south has suffered greatly yet contributes relatively little to global crises. The industrialization consequences, food crisis, and climate change among others have had a significant negative influence on the developing world.
“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,” said Prime Minister Modi while addressing the Voice of Global South summit.
The world is fully aware of the untapped potential that exists in the growing economies of the Global South. The countries will witness significant progress if they cooperate in areas like technical exchanges, ideas exchanges, exchanging best practices in manufacturing, and other areas.
India the powerhouse of the Global South
India has successfully positioned itself as a 21st-century powerhouse during the course of its 75-year journey. The country’s global stature has continuously expanded and has played a crucial role in mitigating global crisis situations. Aside from having one of the largest diasporas, other factors such as technical breakthroughs, economic potential, and improvements in social indicators have helped the country to establish itself as a strong global leader.
India: Capable leader for the Global South
India has a lot to offer to the world, especially to the countries of the global south. In addition, to India’s Vaccine Maitri, which provided medicines and vaccines to over 100 countries during the pandemic, the world has seen how the nation played a significant role in evacuating citizens from Afghanistan and Ukraine during the times of hostilities in those countries.
Notably, India’s digital public assets like UPI, RuPay, and India stack, which are supporting such a large portion of the Indian population, can be a powerful instrument for the digital transformation of other developing and emerging countries. The first nation to implement the Bharat Interface for Money – Unified Payments Interface (BHIM-UPI) was Bhutan, which is a direct neighbor of India. Various other nations, like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, also permit the use of the RuPay card system.
Another example of India’s assistance to other nations is its hospital system, which treats thousands of foreign patients and has proved to be one of the most efficient and effective healthcare systems worldwide. If the Global South and India worked together, they could make significant advancements in the fight against terrorism, maritime policy, and other fields.