The Global South should work towards self-reliance to
mitigate various vulnerabilities as the Covid-era was a stark reminder of the “perils”
of dependence for basic necessities on far away geographies, said External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday.
Though, Jaishankar did not make any specific
references while making the remarks at the second virtual Voice of Global South
summit, the comments are largely seen as a veiled dig at China as he also
talked about the reliability of supply chains and the challenges of economic
concentration.
He said there continues to be a “resistance” to a
greater role for the Global South in shaping solutions for the key contemporary
issues.
“We also need to work towards self-reliance to
mitigate our vulnerabilities vis-a-vis economic concentrations. The Covid-era
is a stark reminder of the perils of dependence for basic necessities on far
away geographies,” he said.
“We need to not only democratise and diversify
production, but build resilient and reliable supply chains and promote local
solutions. Only then can the Global South secure its future,” he said.
In the last few years, India has been positioning
itself as a leading voice flagging concerns, challenges and aspirations of the
Global South.
As the G20 President, India has been focusing on
issues like inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and
equitable global health access with an aim to benefit the Global South or the
developing countries.
Jaishankar also talked about the growing stress on the
global economy and the long-standing structural inequities.
“All of us are acutely aware of the growing stress on
the international economy and global society. Longstanding structural
inequities have been seriously aggravated by the devastation of the Covid
pandemic,” he said.
“This has been made still worse by the fuel, food and
fertiliser crises emanating from the Ukraine conflict and its responses.
Resource challenges, financial constraints, disrupted trade and climate events
have added to our burdens,” he said.
“As a result, growth prospects are as daunting as the
SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) landscape is grim,” he added.
The External Affairs Minister highlighted India’s
development projects in 78 countries.
“India, for its part, reaffirms its commitment to the
Global South through an extensive range of development projects in 78
countries. These projects are demand-driven, outcome-oriented, transparent and
sustainable,” Jaishankar said.
“I assure you that this will only expand in its scale
and scope in the times ahead,” he said.
He said India has “walked the talk” in pushing the
priorities of the Global South.
Jaishankar noted that PM Modi firmly believes that the
success of India’s G20 Presidency is the success of the Global South.
“As we mark the end of this year, we urge you to keep
our collective voices robust as we take our mission forward,” he said.
“The endeavours undertaken during India’s G20
presidency, under our theme of ‘one earth, one family, one future’ will not end
on November 30,” he said.
India’s G20 Presidency will continue till the end of
November.
“With your support it will continue to be heard as we
work to realize our vision for a world where truly no one is left behind
anywhere in the world,” he said.
India hosted the first Voice of Global South Summit in
January.
“At the first summit, we heard your concerns about the
rising impact of climate change, tightening global markets and an increasingly
conditional and narrowing global resource mechanisms. As we speak today,
conflicts around the world have only further exacerbated humanitarian
challenges,” Jaishankar said.
He noted that climate change continues to have a
disproportionate impact on the least developed countries and small island
developing states.
“Prospects for a global economic recovery remain
challenging,” he said.
PTI
