PM ’s Remarks at the Concluding Leaders’ Session of the Voice of Global South Summit

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PM’s Opening Remarks

Excellencies,

Namaskar!

I welcome you to the Voice of Global South Summit.

Over the past 2-days, this Summit has seen the participation of more than 120 developing countries – the largest-ever virtual gathering of the Global South.

I am privileged to have your company in this concluding session.

Excellencies,

The last 3 years have been difficult, especially for us developing nations.

The challenges of the COVID pandemic, rising prices of fuel, fertilizer and foodgrains, and increasing geo-political tensions have impacted our development efforts.

However, the start of a new year is a time for fresh hope. So let me first extend my good wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy, peaceful, secure and successful 2023.

Excellencies,

We all appreciate the principle of globalisation. India’s philosophy has always seen the world as one family.

However, developing countries desire a globalization that does not create Climate Crisis or Debt Crisis.

We want a globalisation that does not lead to unequal distribution of vaccines or over-concentrated global supply chains.

We want a globalisation that brings prosperity and well-being to humanity as a whole. In short, we want a ‘human-centric globalisation’.

Excellencies,

We developing countries are also concerned about the increasing fragmentation of the international landscape.

These geopolitical tensions distract us from focusing on our development priorities.

They cause sharp swings in international prices of food, fuel, fertilizers and other commodities.

To address this geopolitical fragmentation, we urgently need a fundamental reform of the major international organisations, including the United Nations Security Council and the Bretton Woods institutions.

These reforms should focus on giving voice to the concerns of the developing world, and reflect the realities of the 21st Century.

India’s G20 Presidency will attempt to voice the views of the Global South on these important issues.

Excellencies,

In its development partnerships, India’s approach has been consultative, outcome oriented, demand driven, people-centric, and respectful of the sovereignty of partner countries.

I firmly believe that countries of the Global South have a lot to learn from each other’s development experiences.

I am happy to announce that India will establish a “Global-South Center of Excellence”.

This institution will undertake research on development solutions or best-practices of any of our countries, which can be scaled and implemented in other members of the Global South.

As an example, the digital public goods developed by India in fields like electronic-payments, health, education, or e-governance, can be useful for many other developing countries.

India has also made great strides in areas like space technology and nuclear energy. We will launch a ‘Global-South Science & Technology initiative’ to share our expertise with other developing nations.

During the COVID pandemic, India’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative supplied made-in-India vaccines to over a 100 nations.

I would now like to announce a new ‘Aarogya Maitri’ project. Under this project, India will provide essential medical supplies to any developing country affected by natural disasters or humanitarian crisis.

Excellencies,

For synergising our diplomatic voice, I propose a ‘Global-South Young Diplomats Forum’, to connect youthful officers of our foreign ministries.

India will also institute ‘Global-South Scholarships’ for students from developing countries to pursue higher education in India.

Excellencies,

The theme of today’s session is inspired by the ancient wisdom of India.

A prayer from the Rig Veda – the oldest text known to humanity – says:

संगच्छध्वं संवदध्वं सं वो मनांसि जानताम्

which means: Let us come together, speak together, and may our minds be in harmony.

Or in other words, ‘Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose’.

In this spirit, I look forward to listening to your views and suggestions.

Thank you!

PM’s Closing Remarks

Thank you for your inspiring words! This has truly been a useful exchange of views and ideas. It reflected the common aspirations of Global South.

It is clear that on several important issues facing the world, developing countries have similar perspectives.

This was seen not just in tonight’s discussions, but also over the past two days of this ‘Voice of the Global South Summit’.

Let me try to summarise some of these ideas, which are important for all countries in Global South.

We all agree on the importance of South-South Cooperation, and collectively shaping the global agenda.

In the field of health, we share an emphasis on promoting traditional medicine, developing regional hubs for healthcare, and improving mobility of health professionals. We are also conscious of the potential of quickly deploying digital health solutions.

In the area of education, we can all benefit from sharing our best practices in vocational training, and in the use of technology to provide distance education, especially in remote areas.

In the area of banking and finance, deployment of digital public goods, can increase financial inclusion in developing countries at great scale and speed. India’s own experience has shown this.

We all agree on the importance of investing in connectivity infrastructure. We also need to diversify global supply chains, and find ways to link developing countries to these value chains.

Developing countries are united in believing that the developed world has not fulfilled their obligations on Climate Finance and Technology.

We also agree that apart from controlling emissions in production, it is equally important to move away from ‘use and throw’ consumption, towards more environment friendly sustainable lifestyles.

This is the central philosophy behind India’s ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ or LiFE initiative – which focuses on mindful consumption and circular economy.

Excellencies,

All these ideas, shared by the wider Global South, will provide inspiration to India as it tries to shape the agenda of the G20, as well as in our own development partnerships with all of your nations.

Once again, I would like to thank you for your gracious presence in today’s concluding Session of the Voice of Global South Summit.

Thank you. Dhanyavaad.