India hosted “Voice of Global South Summit”
Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Voice of Global South Summit’ on 12 January under the theme ‘Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose’ . The “Voice of Global South Summit” brought together countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform. More than 120 countries have joined in this Summit.
The initiative was inspired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Development for all, with trust and efforts of all” and was underpinned by India’s philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘The world is our family’.
India’s ongoing Presidency of the G20 provides a special and strong opportunity for those countries that are not part of the G20 process to share their ideas and expectations from the G20. Prime Minister Modi said that India’s G20 Presidency will be shaped in consultation with not just our G20 partners, but also our fellow-travellers in the Global South, whose voice often goes unheard.
The Voice of Global South Summit included ten sessions spread over 12-13 January with each session witnessing the participation of Leaders and Ministers from around 15 countries.
The inaugural and concluding sessions was at Head of State / Government level, and hosted by the Prime Minister. The theme of the Inaugural Leaders’ session was “Voice of Global South – for Human-Centric Development” and that of the Concluding Leaders’ session was “Unity of Voice-Unity of Purpose”.
In addition, there were 8 Ministerial sessions, with the following themes:
• Finance Ministers’ Session on “Financing People-Centric Development”
• Environment Ministers’ Session on “Balancing Growth with Environment Friendly Lifestyles (LiFE)”
• Foreign Ministers’ Session on “Priorities of the Global South – Ensuring a Conducive Environment”
• Energy Ministers’ Session on “Energy Security and Development- Roadmap to Prosperity”
• Health Ministers’ Session on “Cooperation to Build Resilient Healthcare Systems”
• Education Ministers’ Session on “Human Resource Development and Capacity Building”
• Commerce and Trade Ministers’ Session on “Developing Synergies in the Global South – Trade, Technology, Tourism and Resources”
• Foreign Ministers’ Session on “G-20: Suggestions for India’s Presidency”
India will work to ensure that the valuable inputs generated from partner countries in the Voice of Global South Summit deliberations receive due cognizance globally.
Source: Embassy of India, Sofia, Bulgaria