External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called for greater solidarity among Global South countries, saying they were bearing the brunt of global crises while having limited influence over decisions shaping their future.
“The Global South today may be in the front row of the global crisis, but is in the back row of decision-making,” Jaishankar said at a high-level meeting of Like-Minded Global South Countries and Friends on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.
He said the meeting was taking place amid “considerable global uncertainty”, marked by conflicts and geopolitical tensions, disrupted supply chains, rising trade barriers, fragmented investment flows and climate shocks.
Jaishankar said institutions created for a different era continued to reflect the power structures of that time.
“The Global South needs to be part of decision-making structures that deliberate on issues that directly pertain to our future,” he said, calling UN and multilateral reforms essential to address the region’s priorities.
He said the past year had seen an increase in active conflicts, posing significant risks to the global economy, particularly developing countries.
“At a time when we needed to turn to multilateralism, we actually witnessed its dismantling. International organisations that we hope would deliver solutions have instead become a problem for us to solve,” he said.
Jaishankar called for greater cooperation among Global South countries on energy, food security, trade, connectivity, climate action and emerging technologies.
He said countries must “not accept or legitimise” chokepoints in supply chains, finance or connectivity, and stressed that energy availability and prices should not be manipulated for political ends.
On food security, he called for greater attention to the supply of grains and fertilisers, while stressing that developing countries’ right to industrialise should not be denied.
On the West Asia conflict, Jaishankar said maritime routes must be secured, international law observed and the safety of seafarers and commercial shipping guaranteed.
He also cautioned that artificial intelligence should not create new divides and called for sharing indigenous AI tools and frameworks among Global South countries.
Jaishankar urged developing countries to use existing platforms to ensure their concerns were not “deprioritised” and called for closer economic cooperation to cushion them against overlapping global crises.
He also highlighted initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure as platforms that could advance climate action without relying solely on the Global North.
Jaishankar, who is leading the Indian delegation at the UNGA, also held bilateral meetings with counterparts from Uganda, Italy and Trinidad and Tobago.
His talks with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani covered the Gulf situation, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and the Ukraine conflict.
With Uganda Foreign Minister Adonia Ayebare, Jaishankar discussed development partnership, capacity building, defence training and agriculture.
He also met Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and discussed the implementation of commitments made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country last year, including laptop supplies, solarisation, academic chairs and other development projects.
(With inputs from PTI)