{"id":85473,"date":"2026-09-24T18:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T12:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=85473"},"modified":"2026-09-24T18:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T12:30:11","slug":"global-south-decision-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/24-09-2026\/global-south-decision-making","title":{"rendered":"Global South: From the \u2018Front Row\u2019 of Crises to the \u2018Front Row\u2019 of Decision-Making"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/International Relations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, At the 81st UNGA, the External Affair Minister (EAM) of India highlighted the Global South\u2019s disproportionate exposure to global crises and called for greater representation in international decision-making.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Global South &amp; India\u2019s Perspective<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Global South<\/strong> broadly refers to developing and emerging countries of <strong>Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Oceania<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is not a homogeneous political bloc; its members differ in economic capacity, strategic interests and political systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>developing countries<\/strong> are increasingly important to the world economy, but the <strong>principal institutions<\/strong> of global governance continue to reflect the <strong>power distribution of the post-World War II era<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India views the Global South through the principles of <strong>strategic autonomy, developmental partnership, inclusive multilateralism and South-South cooperation<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Voice of Global South Summit (2023)<\/strong> was attended by <strong>representatives of 125 countries<\/strong> and was an opportunity for the developing countries to voice issues before <strong>India\u2019s G20 Presidency.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India advocates <strong>\u2018reformed multilateralism\u2019<\/strong>, a system that is more representative, inclusive and responsive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of the Global South<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global Governance: <\/strong>Developing countries constitute the numerical majority of UN members, but the <strong>UN Security Council (UNSC) has only five permanent members<\/strong>, all reflecting the geopolitical realities of 1945.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Greater representation of <strong>Africa, Asia and Latin America<\/strong> is therefore central to making global institutions more legitimate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>G4 (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan)<\/strong> continue to advocate UNSC reform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Economy: <\/strong>Developing economies are increasingly important drivers of global growth, commerce and investment.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>South-South trade and investment <\/strong>has increased dramatically in recent decades and has generated new economic ties outside traditional North-South relationships.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Development and Global Public Goods: <\/strong>The Global South has a major stake in areas including <strong>climate change, energy security, food security, health, digital public infrastructure, AI and technology access.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, climate shocks might be more costly to development for fragile economies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Issues Facing the Global South<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Geopolitical Conflicts:<\/strong> Wars and geopolitical tensions are disrupting food, fertiliser, oil and shipping lines, and disproportionately impacting import-dependent developing countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fragmented Globalisation:<\/strong> Developing countries can find their access to markets, technology and essential inputs restricted by rising trade barriers, sanctions and supply-chain disruptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Energy Insecurity:<\/strong> Industrialisation requires cheap and reliable energy, which developing countries lack. Development can be undermined by political manipulation of energy supplies and costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Vulnerability:<\/strong> Much of the developing world has contributed little to past emissions but is exposed to significant developmental risks from climate change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Representation:<\/strong> Institutions like <strong>UNSC and Bretton Woods institutions <\/strong>were designed in a totally different geo-political background.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reform moves slowly, despite changes in the global economic and demographic situation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fragmentation Within South:<\/strong> Divisions between large developing economies, least-developed countries, small island states and commodity exporters can make collective bargaining difficult.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Role of UNGA in South-South Cooperation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>UN General Assembly (UNGA)<\/strong> provides a global platform for developing countries to together voice their interests and deepen <strong>South-South Cooperation (SSC).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The United Nations observes <strong>International Day<\/strong> for South-South Cooperation on <strong>September 12.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Collective Voice: <\/strong>Platforms like the <strong>G77 and China<\/strong> allow developing countries to coordinate positions on development, trade, climate and global governance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Norm-Setting:<\/strong> UNGA resolutions have increasingly acknowledged SSC as a vital tool for development and international cooperation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional Support: <\/strong>The UN system, especially the <strong>UN Office for South-South collaboration (UNOSSC)<\/strong>, supports information transfer, capacity building and technical collaboration among poor nations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>BAPA Framework:<\/strong> The <strong>Buenos Aires Plan of Action (1978)<\/strong> and its follow-up, <strong>BAPA+40 (2019)<\/strong> are major frameworks for technical cooperation among developing countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Development Agenda:<\/strong> The UNGA is a platform for promoting common priorities, such as the <strong>SDGs, climate justice, food and energy security, access to technology and development finance.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Greater Representation:<\/strong> Developing countries use the large membership of the UNGA to argue for <strong>reformed multilateralism<\/strong> including reformation of the UNSC and international financial institutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coalition-building:<\/strong> Groups such as <strong>G77, NAM, BRICS<\/strong> and regional groupings can utilise UNGA negotiations to generate wider support for Global South agendas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Role of G20<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The G20 provides an important platform linking developed and developing economies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>During <strong>India\u2019s 2023 Presidency,<\/strong> the <strong>African Union was admitted as a permanent G20 member<\/strong>, strengthening representation of the developing world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>BRICS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BRICS has emerged as a major platform for South-South cooperation. Its <strong>New Development Bank (NDB) <\/strong>provides an alternative source of development finance, while BRICS expansion has widened participation from emerging economies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Efforts for the Global South<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has increasingly tried to function as a <strong>bridge between the developing world and global institutions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the virtual inauguration of the <strong>Voice of Global South Summit in 2023,<\/strong> representatives from 125 countries came together to define common developmental priorities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>During its <strong>G20 Presidency in 2023<\/strong>, India secured the permanent inclusion of the <strong>African Union in the G20<\/strong>, therefore bolstering the voice of developing countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India has used platforms like <strong>BRICS, IBSA, G20 and the G4<\/strong> to push for a larger voice for the developing countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India has facilitated South-South cooperation through development partnerships, <strong>Lines of Credit, capacity-building and technology cooperation.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India\u2019s focus on <strong>Digital Public Infrastructure, inexpensive pharmaceuticals, climate-resilient development, and disaster-resilient infrastructure<\/strong> gives possible blueprints for larger collaboration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ongoing diplomatic interaction includes <strong>AI, space, health sciences, energy and connectivity<\/strong> through initiatives like the India-UAE-France trilateral and the <strong>India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward: Towards a More Representative Global Order<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reform Global Institutions:<\/strong> Reform of the UNSC should increase permanent and non-permanent representation and make the Council more representative of current geopolitical circumstances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen South-South Cooperation:<\/strong> Developing nations should strengthen cooperation in technology, healthcare, food security, energy, finance and resilient supply chains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Democratisation of Global Finance:<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safeguard Strategic Independence:<\/strong> Diversify supply chains, energy sources, financial channels and communication networks to minimise over-reliance on individual geopolitical chokepoints for the Global South.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Build Solidarity Without Demanding Uniformity:<\/strong> A stronger Global South doesn\u2019t need to become an exclusive bloc, but may make multilateralism more representative, equitable and successful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The problem is not just to give the Global South a louder voice, but to make sure that its concerns convert into <strong>agenda-setting and decision-making power.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Daily Mains Practice Question<\/strong><br><strong>[Q] <\/strong>Examine the challenges faced by the Global South and discuss India\u2019s role in making the global order more representative, inclusive and responsive.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/global-south-crises-decision-making-unga-jaishankar-us-10890961\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: IE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Published on:<\/strong> 24 September, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Recently, At the 81st UNGA, the External Affair Minister (EAM) of India highlighted the Global South\u2019s disproportionate exposure to global crises and called for greater representation in international decision-making.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85473"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85474,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85473\/revisions\/85474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}