New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for globalisation that brings well-being and prosperity to humanity as a whole and said India will establish a global south centre that will undertake research on development solutions of the countries which can be scaled and implemented in other members of the global south.
Speaking on the second day of the ‘Voice of Global South Summit’, PM Modi said, “We appreciate principle of globalisation. However, developing countries desire globalisation that doesn't create climate crisis or debt crisis, that doesn't lead to unequal distribution of vaccines or over-concentrated global supply chains.”
PM Modi said that the world needs reforms at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and that the developing countries are concerned about the increasing fragmentation of the international landscape.
“These geopolitical tensions distract us from focusing on our development priorities. To address this geopolitical fragmentation, we urgently need a fundamental reform of the major international organisations, including the United Nations Security Council and the Bretton Woods institutions. These reforms should focus on giving voice to the concerns of the developing world and reflect the realities of the 21st century," he said.
"We all agree on the importance of south-south cooperation and collectively shaping the global agenda. In the field of health, we share an emphasis on promoting traditional medicine, developing regional hubs for healthcare and improving the mobility of health professionals," PM Modi said.
“We will launch a Global South Science and Technology initiative to share our expertise with other developing nations. I would like to announce a new Aarogya Maitri project. Under this project, India will provide essential medical supplies to any developing country affected by natural disasters or humanitarian crises,” he added.
PM Modi also suggested a Global South Young Diplomats Forum that will help connect youthful officers to the Foreign Ministries.
“India will also institute Global South scholarships for students from developing countries to pursue higher education in India,” he said.
The Prime Minister further said that the last three years have been difficult, especially for the developing nations, in view of the Covid pandemic, rising fuel, fertiliser and foodgrain prices, and increasing geo-political tensions have impacted the development efforts.
He thanked the countries that took part in the global summit and said in the last two days, 120 developing countries have taken part in the summit, making it the largest-ever virtual gathering of the global south.
"This has truly been a useful exchange of views and ideas. It reflected the common aspirations of the global south. It is clear that on several important issues facing the world, developing countries have similar perspectives," he said.