Second Voice of Global South Summit

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• Global South
• What constitutes the Global South?
• India Emerged As The Voice Of Global South
• News Summary: Second Voice of Global South Summit
• Key highlights of the summit

Why in news?

• The second Voice of Global South summit took place in virtual mode. This was the second time that India hosted the summit since January 2023.
  • The first summit was themed as "Energy Security and development: Roadmap to Prosperity".
  • It brought together 125 countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform in the run up to G20 Leaders Summit that was held in September 2023 in New Delhi.

What constitutes the Global South?

• Not a geographical line
  • Despite how it sounds, it is not really a geographical term.
  • Many countries included in the Global South are in the northern hemisphere, such as India, China and all of those in the northern half of Africa.
  • Australia and New Zealand, both in the southern hemisphere, are not in the Global South.
• Brandt Line as the border
  • Many people refer to the Brandt Line as the border.
    • The line was proposed by former German Chancellor Willy Brandt in the 1980s as a visual depiction of the north-south divide based upon per-capita GDP.
  • It starts in the north of Mexico, goes across the top of Africa and the Middle East, makes a loop around India and China, and then goes down to include most of East Asia. It doesn't include Japan, Australia, or New Zealand.
  • 
• Global South as a concept
  • The Global South is a geographical, geopolitical, historical and developmental concept, all at the same time — with exceptions.

India Emerged As The Voice Of Global South

• One of the various visions of G20 presidency
  • When India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022, it set out various visions for the nation's year-long presidency and the Global South was one of them.
  • India organized eight ministerial-level thematic segments to address the most pressing concerns of the developing world.
• Raised the issues concerning Global South
  • On the international forums and at UN meetings and conferences.
• During Covid-19 pandemic
  • Made-in-India vaccines were sent to about 100 countries. And about 150 nations imported medicines during this period from the Pharmacy of the World.
• Hosted the Voice of Global South Summit
  • India hosted the Voice of Global South Summit virtually in January 2023 with representatives from 125 countries.
  • India even ensured that the region remained centre stage at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year.
• African Union as a full member of the G20 under India’s presidency.
• The 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa
  • During this summit, PM Modi said that the Global South is not just a diplomatic term but represents the shared history of these countries against colonialism and apartheid based on which modern relations are being reshaped.
• Two-day event on international taxation
  • In an attempt to voice the views of the Global South on important international issues, India held a two-day event on International Taxation at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT).
  • This event was an initiative of the Indian Presidency to bolster capacity building for Indian tax officials in the area of International Taxation, with a global south perspective.
• India-UN Capacity Building Initiative
  • In September 2023, the “India-UN Capacity Building Initiative” was announced at the event India-UN for the Global South-Delivering for Development.
  • The initiative aims to share the country's best practices with partner countries in the Global South.

News Summary: Second Voice of Global South Summit

• India hosted the second Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS) in virtual mode.
• The theme of the inaugural leaders’ session was ‘Together, for Everyone’s Growth, with Everyone’s Trust’ and that of the concluding leaders’ session was ‘Global South: Together for One Future’.
• Summit would focus on sharing with countries of the Global South the key outcomes achieved in various G20 meetings over the course of India's Presidency.

Key highlights of the summit

• Inauguration of DAKSHIN
  • PM Modi inaugurated a global centre for excellence for the Global South countries called DAKSHIN.
  • PM had proposed setting up the centre during the first Voice of Global South Summit in January.
• Proposal to launch a satellite
  • During the G20 Summit, India proposed to launch a satellite for monitoring weather and climate monitoring for Global South.
  • During this summit, PM assured that India is working on it at a fast pace.
• PM coined 5 ‘Cs’ for the Global South
  • 5 ‘Cs’: consultation, cooperation, communication, creativity & capacity building.
• On Israel-Palestine conflict
  • PM noted that India has condemned the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7.
    • India also sent humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine.
  • At the same time, India also strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Q1) What is G20 Summit?

The Group of 20 (G20) is an intergovernmental forum that meets annually to discuss global economic and political issues. The G20 includes 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). 

Q2) What is a Global Centre for Excellence?

The Global Centre for Excellence (GCE) provides strategic consulting and project management services. GCE collaborates with regional and international experts to deliver professional advisory services.

Source: PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Global South Centre of Excellence | PIB | Indian Express