120 Nations Virtually, Voice of Global South Summit
India will host the virtual Voice of Global South summit on January 12-13, which will bring together world leaders from countries in the Global South, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Mozambique, Senegal, and Vietnam, to discuss global and regional issues. The summit will be spread over ten sessions, with four sessions taking place on January 12 and six on January 13. Each session will feature leaders and ministers from 10-20 countries. The summit will focus on issues such as the economy, health, climate, food and energy security, trade and commerce, and education. It will also address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the Global South. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the inaugural and concluding sessions, which will be attended by heads of state.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar has underlined the pressure on the Global South in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war during his statements at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine in September. “In a globalised world, the impact of the conflict is being felt even in distant regions. We have all experienced its consequences in terms of surging costs and actual shortages of food grains, fertilisers, and fuel. On this score too, there are good grounds to be worried about what awaits us. The Global South, especially, is feeling the pain very acutely,” the minister had said.
