On 17 August 2024, India hosted the Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS) under the overarching theme of "An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future”. This was the third in the series of VOGSS hosted by India; the first and the second summits were held on 12-13 January 2023 and 17 November 2023 respectively. All three summits were held in virtual format and over 100 countries from the global South participated in the deliberations of each of these summits.
What is the Global South and how is it important in India’s geo-political calculus?
The term “Global South” has evolved from the term “third world countries” which was in vogue in the post-colonial and Cold War periods to collectively describe poor, low-income, least developed, less developed and developing countries and to differentiate them from the Second World countries (essentially communist countries) and First World countries (essentially industrially and technologically developed and advanced rich countries with capital economy).
Since the collapse of the communist USSR and its satellite communist countries, the contemporary world, based on the level of development, is now divided into the Global North (advanced, rich and developed countries) and the Global South (backward, poor or developing countries). The divide is not based on geography as countries such as Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand etc. belong to Global North, irrespective of their geographic location.
One qualitative difference exists between the “Third World” of the past and the “Global South of present times. Global South now also includes a certain number of fast-developing and emerging economies e.g. India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa etc. India which has set for itself the goal of becoming a developed country by 2047, can be said to be in the initial phase of its transition from the Global South to Global North.
In the past, India had promoted the political and security interests of the “Third World” through its leadership of NAM; it has also promoted the trade and economic interests of the developing world through its initiatives at G77 within the framework of the UN institutions. The leadership of the Global South is now more competitive, with the main competition for India coming from China.
In India’s geopolitical calculus, it is time to take the lead so as not to be left behind. India’s reputation as the largest functioning democracy, fast-growing and emerging economy, highly skilled workforce, excellent track record as a development partner whose development assistance is non-prescriptive and benign and many other similar factors give India an edge over others when it comes to becoming the voice of underprivileged Global South. The initiative also fits into the overarching ambitions of India to emerge as an important global player capable of making positive contributions to shaping the global agenda.
With this in mind, India hosted its first Voice of Global South Summit in January 2023 the same year it hosted G20 Summit. The objective was to bring together countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform across a whole range of issues and project them at the G20 Summit- one of the most influential global forums. The outcome was positive. Based on the inputs, India forcefully put forth the concerns of the Global South at the G20 Summit. The topics included inter-alia the issues related to food/nutrition and energy security, transition to green energy, climate finance, digital and technological divide, the democratisation of global financial governance and fast-tracking the reform of the institutions of global governance to reflect contemporary realities and cater for larger representation from the developing word etc.
The unanimous acceptance of India’s initiative to admit the African Union in G20 was a significant achievement as it would enhance the participation of the global South in an influential global grouping.
Besides being a work in progress, the 3rd VOGSS was held in the run-up to the Summit of the Future being held on September 22-23, 2024, by the UN General Assembly. The Summit is tasked to adopt an action-orientated Outcome Document, a Pact for the Future that will address global challenges and opportunities for a better tomorrow. The 3rd VOGSS thus provided an opportunity to unite the global South in placing their concerns and solutions at the Summit of the Future in a concerted manner.
One of the important takeaways from the 3rd VOGSS was India’s announcement of a comprehensive four-fold Global Development Compact comprising four elements: Trade for development, Capacity building for sustainable growth, Technology sharing, project-specific concessional finance and grants. India also announced significant initiatives to advance its development partnership with countries of the Global South, including a USD 2.5 million fund to boost trade promotion activities, as well as a USD 1 million fund for capacity building in trade policy and trade negotiation.
It is widely believed that the Global Development Compact is designed to serve as a model to counter China’s model which usually ends up in debt traps for the countries, which are the recipients of China’s development aid under BRI or otherwise with serious consequences,
India has wisely refrained from projecting itself as a leader of the Global South and has instead chosen the more acceptable phrase “Voice of the Global South”. However, the lack of cohesiveness and unity in the Global South is a significant challenge that India should be prepared to deal with in future.
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