Global South: From the ‘Front Row’ of Crises to the ‘Front Row’ of Decision-Making

Syllabus: GS2/International Relations

Context

• Recently, At the 81st UNGA, the External Affair Minister (EAM) of India highlighted the Global South’s disproportionate exposure to global crises and called for greater representation in international decision-making.

About the Global South & India’s Perspective

• The Global South broadly refers to developing and emerging countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Oceania. 
• It is not a homogeneous political bloc; its members differ in economic capacity, strategic interests and political systems.
• The developing countries are increasingly important to the world economy, but the principal institutions of global governance continue to reflect the power distribution of the post-World War II era.
• India views the Global South through the principles of strategic autonomy, developmental partnership, inclusive multilateralism and South-South cooperation.
  • The Voice of Global South Summit (2023) was attended by representatives of 125 countries and was an opportunity for the developing countries to voice issues before India’s G20 Presidency.
• India advocates ‘reformed multilateralism’, a system that is more representative, inclusive and responsive.

Significance of the Global South

• Global Governance: Developing countries constitute the numerical majority of UN members, but the UN Security Council (UNSC) has only five permanent members, all reflecting the geopolitical realities of 1945.
  • Greater representation of Africa, Asia and Latin America is therefore central to making global institutions more legitimate.
  • The G4 (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan) continue to advocate UNSC reform.
• Global Economy: Developing economies are increasingly important drivers of global growth, commerce and investment.
  • South-South trade and investment has increased dramatically in recent decades and has generated new economic ties outside traditional North-South relationships.
• Development and Global Public Goods: The Global South has a major stake in areas including climate change, energy security, food security, health, digital public infrastructure, AI and technology access.
  • For example, climate shocks might be more costly to development for fragile economies.

Major Issues Facing the Global South

• Geopolitical Conflicts: Wars and geopolitical tensions are disrupting food, fertiliser, oil and shipping lines, and disproportionately impacting import-dependent developing countries.
• Fragmented Globalisation: Developing countries can find their access to markets, technology and essential inputs restricted by rising trade barriers, sanctions and supply-chain disruptions.
• Energy Insecurity: Industrialisation requires cheap and reliable energy, which developing countries lack. Development can be undermined by political manipulation of energy supplies and costs.
• Climate Vulnerability: Much of the developing world has contributed little to past emissions but is exposed to significant developmental risks from climate change.
• Weak Representation: Institutions like UNSC and Bretton Woods institutions were designed in a totally different geo-political background.
  • Reform moves slowly, despite changes in the global economic and demographic situation.
• Fragmentation Within South: Divisions between large developing economies, least-developed countries, small island states and commodity exporters can make collective bargaining difficult.

Role of UNGA in South-South Cooperation

• The UN General Assembly (UNGA) provides a global platform for developing countries to together voice their interests and deepen South-South Cooperation (SSC).
  • The United Nations observes International Day for South-South Cooperation on September 12.
• Collective Voice: Platforms like the G77 and China allow developing countries to coordinate positions on development, trade, climate and global governance.
• Norm-Setting: UNGA resolutions have increasingly acknowledged SSC as a vital tool for development and international cooperation.
• Institutional Support: The UN system, especially the UN Office for South-South collaboration (UNOSSC), supports information transfer, capacity building and technical collaboration among poor nations.
• BAPA Framework: The Buenos Aires Plan of Action (1978) and its follow-up, BAPA+40 (2019) are major frameworks for technical cooperation among developing countries.
• Development Agenda: The UNGA is a platform for promoting common priorities, such as the SDGs, climate justice, food and energy security, access to technology and development finance.
• Greater Representation: Developing countries use the large membership of the UNGA to argue for reformed multilateralism including reformation of the UNSC and international financial institutions.
• Coalition-building: Groups such as G77, NAM, BRICS and regional groupings can utilise UNGA negotiations to generate wider support for Global South agendas.

Role of G20

• The G20 provides an important platform linking developed and developing economies.
• During India’s 2023 Presidency, the African Union was admitted as a permanent G20 member, strengthening representation of the developing world.

BRICS

• BRICS has emerged as a major platform for South-South cooperation. Its New Development Bank (NDB) provides an alternative source of development finance, while BRICS expansion has widened participation from emerging economies.

India’s Efforts for the Global South

• India has increasingly tried to function as a bridge between the developing world and global institutions.
• At the virtual inauguration of the Voice of Global South Summit in 2023, representatives from 125 countries came together to define common developmental priorities.
• During its G20 Presidency in 2023, India secured the permanent inclusion of the African Union in the G20, therefore bolstering the voice of developing countries.
• India has used platforms like BRICS, IBSA, G20 and the G4 to push for a larger voice for the developing countries.
• India has facilitated South-South cooperation through development partnerships, Lines of Credit, capacity-building and technology cooperation.
• India’s focus on Digital Public Infrastructure, inexpensive pharmaceuticals, climate-resilient development, and disaster-resilient infrastructure gives possible blueprints for larger collaboration.
• The ongoing diplomatic interaction includes AI, space, health sciences, energy and connectivity through initiatives like the India-UAE-France trilateral and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

Way Forward: Towards a More Representative Global Order

• Reform Global Institutions: Reform of the UNSC should increase permanent and non-permanent representation and make the Council more representative of current geopolitical circumstances.
• Strengthen South-South Cooperation: Developing nations should strengthen cooperation in technology, healthcare, food security, energy, finance and resilient supply chains.
• Democratisation of Global Finance: The IMF, World Bank and other multilateral financial institutions need to be reformed to better represent current economic weights and the developmental requirements of poorer countries.
• Safeguard Strategic Independence: Diversify supply chains, energy sources, financial channels and communication networks to minimise over-reliance on individual geopolitical chokepoints for the Global South.
• Build Solidarity Without Demanding Uniformity: A stronger Global South doesn’t need to become an exclusive bloc, but may make multilateralism more representative, equitable and successful.

Conclusion

• The problem is not just to give the Global South a louder voice, but to make sure that its concerns convert into agenda-setting and decision-making power.
• India contends that a stable and lawful international order needs institutions that reflect the realities of the 21st century and not the balance of power of 1945.

Source: IE