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Under PM Modi, India continues to champion the cause of Global South
Under PM Modi, India continues to champion the cause of Global South

Hans India

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Hans India

Under PM Modi, India continues to champion the cause of Global South

New Delhi: India continued to address the priorities of the Global South even as it engaged actively with the world in advancing its national interests amid a rapidly evolving global landscape, the 2024 annual report released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) details. Indian foreign policy demonstrated vibrancy and pragmatism, yielding significant achievements that also enhanced India's global stature and goodwill. The MEA highlighted the third edition of the 'Voice of Global South Summit' hosted by India in virtual format under the overarching theme 'An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Heads of State/Government session and in his address proposed a "Global Development Compact" to serve as a comprehensive framework to promote sustainable development in the Global South. The compact focuses on trade, capacity building, technology sharing, and financial support, and aims to empower the Global South and ensure that development is both balanced and sustainable. The Leaders' session was followed by 10 Ministerial sessions: Health Ministers, Youth Ministers, Commerce/Trade Ministers, Information & Technology The Summit saw the participation of 173 dignitaries from 123 Global South countries, including 21 Heads of State/Government and 34 Foreign Ministers. The event was the first plurilateral Summit hosted by the Prime Minister after winning a historic third term and swearing-in of a new government. "Having held within the first 100 days of the new Government, the Summit reflected India's sincerity and commitment in advancing the collective developmental journey of the Global South, and the priority accorded by the Prime Minister to engaging with the leaders and countries of the Global South," the MEA stated. Another highlight of 2024 was the 'Summit of the Future', a high-level event held during the High-level Week of the 79th UNGA in September, bringing different world leaders together. Prime Minister Modi addressed the Summit and presented India's human-centric approach to sustainable development. The Prime Minister also expressed solidarity with countries of the Global South and called for balanced regulations to promote safe and responsible use of technology. He noted that India is open to sharing its digital public infrastructure for greater public good. The Prime Minister had intervened that 'reform is the key to relevance' and that 'global action must match global ambition'. The MEA mentioned that bilateral engagements with like-minded partners were complemented by India's proactive initiatives and leadership in plurilateral and multilateral platforms. "India remained steadfast in expanding its strategic autonomy, championing meaningful reforms of multilateral institutions, addressing the priorities of the Global South, and safeguarding its security within the framework of the rules-based international order. These efforts underscored India's commitment to shaping a more equitable and inclusive global governance framework," it mentioned. Earlier in June 2024, PM Modi, while participating in the Outreach Session of the G7 Summit in Italy, had emphasised that technology must be guided by a human-centric approach, highlighting India's success in leveraging digital advancements for public service delivery. He underscored India's commitment to "AI for All" advocating for AI's role in fostering global progress and well-being. He also stressed the importance of prioritising the concerns of the Global South, particularly Africa, recalling India's role in securing the African Union's permanent membership in the G20.

"Pragmatism": Foreign Ministry Report 2024 Highlights Key Diplomatic Achievements
"Pragmatism": Foreign Ministry Report 2024 Highlights Key Diplomatic Achievements

NDTV

time3 days ago

  • Politics
  • NDTV

"Pragmatism": Foreign Ministry Report 2024 Highlights Key Diplomatic Achievements

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has released its annual report for 2024, highlighting India's key diplomatic engagements and achievements. According to the report, India's foreign policy demonstrated "vibrancy and pragmatism" in advancing national interests amid a rapidly evolving global landscape. In the year 2024, India engaged actively with the world in advancing its national interests amid a rapidly evolving global landscape. Indian foreign policy demonstrated vibrancy and pragmatism, yielding significant achievements that also enhanced India's global stature and goodwill, the Ministry of External Affairs wrote in its annual report 2024 on Friday. Bilateral engagements with like-minded partners were complemented by India's proactive initiatives and leadership in plurilateral and multilateral platforms. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) played a pivotal role in steering India's foreign policy and global diplomacy towards pragmatic goals, it added. India remained steadfast in expanding its strategic autonomy, championing meaningful reforms of multilateral institutions, addressing the priorities of the Global South, and safeguarding its security within the framework of the rules-based international order. These efforts underscored India's commitment to shaping a more equitable and inclusive global governance framework. The year witnessed continuing economic fluctuations, climate change impacts, geopolitical tensions, and social disruptions, with persistent challenges on global health and environmental fronts. India remained actively engaged on the global stage, addressing major global challenges through high-level discussions and collaborations. This included strengthening partnerships bilaterally and active participation in notable regional and global groupings such as the UN, G20, G7, Quad, SCO, and BRICS. By virtue of being the preceding G20 President, India continued to work with Brazil under the Troika grouping (India, Brazil, and South Africa). Building on the work done during India's G20 Presidency, Brazil identified three priorities for 2024, which broadly involved social inclusion, energy transition, and the reform of multilateral governance institutions. The report notes that India remained actively engaged on the global stage, addressing major global challenges through high-level discussions and collaborations. The MEA report highlighted PM Modi's participation in the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November. Prime Minister's interventions were widely appreciated across the spectrum of developed and developing countries for being human-centric, constructive, and development-oriented. This was also the first G20 Summit in which the African Union participated as a permanent member, following its inclusion at the New Delhi G20 Summit in September 2023. In August, India hosted the 3rd edition of the Voice of Global South Summit in virtual format under the overarching theme 'An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future,' MEA stated. India also hosted the 3rd edition of the Voice of Global South Summit, which saw the participation of 173 dignitaries from 123 Global South countries. During the summit, PM Modi proposed a "global development compact" to promote sustainable development in the Global South--the compact focuses on trade, capacity building, technology sharing, and financial support. The report highlights India's commitment to combating terrorism, with the country collaborating actively with the global community to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. India also reinforced its credentials as a reliable "first responder" in crises, undertaking three major Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations during the year. Earlier in June, the Prime Minister participated in the Outreach Session of the G7 Summit in Italy, where he engaged with global leaders on key global challenges. At the summit, PM Modi emphasised that technology must be guided by a human-centric approach, highlighting India's success in leveraging digital advancements for public service delivery. He underscored India's commitment to "AI for All," advocating for AI's role in fostering global progress and well-being. He also stressed the importance of prioritising the concerns of the Global South, particularly Africa, recalling India's role in securing the African Union's permanent membership in the G20, as per the report. PM Modi also held discussions with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni on further strengthening the India-Italy Strategic Partnership. Throughout the year, India collaborated actively with the global community to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and worked with partner countries towards capacity-building, best practices exchange, and information sharing in the counter-terrorism domain. During the year, India participated in various Counterterrorism Working Groups, engaging with its partners on combating the menace of terrorism, including within the Quad grouping and with France, Kazakhstan, and Australia. The FATF (Financial Action Task Force) Mutual Evaluation of India culminated with the FATF Plenary at Singapore in June, wherein India's report was finalised, and the FATF Plenary concluded that India had reached a high level of technical compliance with the FATF requirements. This indicated that India's anti-money laundering, counter terror financing, and Counter Proliferation Financing (CPF) regime was achieving effective results. India reinforced its credentials as a reliable 'first responder' in crises, both in its neighbourhood and beyond, by undertaking three major Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations during the year. These operations included Operation Indravati in Haiti, a special Humanitarian Airlift Operation in Kuwait, and Operation Sadbhav in Myanmar. Apart from these operations, India provided HADR assistance to more than 20 countries during the year. The report further emphasised that Operation Indravati, which was launched in March to evacuate Indian nationals from Haiti amidst civil unrest. In June, a special Humanitarian Airlift Operation was conducted in Kuwait to repatriate the bodies of 45 Indian nationals. In September, Operation Sadbhav was launched to extend emergency humanitarian assistance in the wake of the floods caused by Typhoon Yagi in Myanmar. Apart from these operations, India provided HADR assistance to more than 20 countries during the year. In 2024, India also continued to provide its humanitarian assistance to conflict zones in West Asia. India supplied anti-cancer medicines to Syria and coordinated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to supply 30 tons of humanitarian aid and essential life-saving drugs for the people of Palestine. In July, India rescued nine crew, including eight Indians, in a joint search and rescue operation with the Omani authorities from MT Prestige Falcon, a Comoros-flagged vessel that capsized off the coast of Oman. During the year, India also marked several significant diplomatic milestones, celebrating decades of ties with partner countries. These milestones reflected India's continued commitment to nurturing historic and evolving partnerships. Overall, the MEA report highlights India's growing global stature and goodwill, with the country's diplomatic efforts yielding significant achievements in advancing national interests and promoting global cooperation.

MEA report 2024 highlights India's key diplomatic engagements, achievements
MEA report 2024 highlights India's key diplomatic engagements, achievements

India Gazette

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • India Gazette

MEA report 2024 highlights India's key diplomatic engagements, achievements

New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has released its annual report for 2024, highlighting India's key diplomatic engagements and achievements. According to the report, India's foreign policy demonstrated 'vibrancy and pragmatism' in advancing national interests amid a rapidly evolving global landscape. In the year 2024, India engaged actively with the world in advancing its national interests amid a rapidly evolving global landscape. Indian foreign policy demonstrated vibrancy and pragmatism, yielding significant achievements that also enhanced India's global stature and goodwill, the Ministry of External Affairs wrote in its annual report 2024 on Friday. Bilateral engagements with like-minded partners were complemented by India's proactive initiatives and leadership in plurilateral and multilateral platforms. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) played a pivotal role in steering India's foreign policy and global diplomacy towards pragmatic goals, it added. India remained steadfast in expanding its strategic autonomy, championing meaningful reforms of multilateral institutions, addressing the priorities of the Global South, and safeguarding its security within the framework of the rules-based international order. These efforts underscored India's commitment to shaping a more equitable and inclusive global governance framework. The year witnessed continuing economic fluctuations, climate change impacts, geopolitical tensions, and social disruptions, with persistent challenges on global health and environmental fronts. India remained actively engaged on the global stage, addressing major global challenges through high-level discussions and collaborations. This included strengthening partnerships bilaterally and active participation in notable regional and global groupings such as the UN, G20, G7, Quad, SCO, and BRICS. By virtue of being the preceding G20 President, India continued to work with Brazil under the Troika grouping (India, Brazil, and South Africa). Building on the work done during India's G20 Presidency, Brazil identified three priorities for 2024, which broadly involved social inclusion, energy transition, and the reform of multilateral governance institutions. The report notes that India remained actively engaged on the global stage, addressing major global challenges through high-level discussions and collaborations. The MEA report highlighted PM Modi's participation in the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November. Prime Minister's interventions were widely appreciated across the spectrum of developed and developing countries for being human-centric, constructive, and development-oriented. This was also the first G20 Summit in which the African Union participated as a permanent member, following its inclusion at the New Delhi G20 Summit in September 2023. In August, India hosted the 3rd edition of the Voice of Global South Summit in virtual format under the overarching theme 'An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future,' MEA stated. India also hosted the 3rd edition of the Voice of Global South Summit, which saw the participation of 173 dignitaries from 123 Global South countries. During the summit, PM Modi proposed a 'global development compact' to promote sustainable development in the Global South--the compact focuses on trade, capacity building, technology sharing, and financial support. The report highlights India's commitment to combating terrorism, with the country collaborating actively with the global community to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. India also reinforced its credentials as a reliable 'first responder' in crises, undertaking three major Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations during the year. Earlier in June, the Prime Minister participated in the Outreach Session of the G7 Summit in Italy, where he engaged with global leaders on key global challenges. At the summit, PM Modi emphasised that technology must be guided by a human-centric approach, highlighting India's success in leveraging digital advancements for public service delivery. He underscored India's commitment to 'AI for All,' advocating for AI's role in fostering global progress and well-being. He also stressed the importance of prioritising the concerns of the Global South, particularly Africa, recalling India's role in securing the African Union's permanent membership in the G20, as per the report. PM Modi also held discussions with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni on further strengthening the India-Italy Strategic Partnership. Throughout the year, India collaborated actively with the global community to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and worked with partner countries towards capacity-building, best practices exchange, and information sharing in the counter-terrorism domain. During the year, India participated in various Counterterrorism Working Groups, engaging with its partners on combating the menace of terrorism, including within the Quad grouping and with France, Kazakhstan, and Australia. The FATF (Financial Action Task Force) Mutual Evaluation of India culminated with the FATF Plenary at Singapore in June, wherein India's report was finalised, and the FATF Plenary concluded that India had reached a high level of technical compliance with the FATF requirements. This indicated that India's anti-money laundering, counter terror financing, and Counter Proliferation Financing (CPF) regime was achieving effective results. India reinforced its credentials as a reliable 'first responder' in crises, both in its neighbourhood and beyond, by undertaking three major Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations during the year. These operations included Operation Indravati in Haiti, a special Humanitarian Airlift Operation in Kuwait, and Operation Sadbhav in Myanmar. Apart from these operations, India provided HADR assistance to more than 20 countries during the year. The report further emphasised that Operation Indravati, which was launched in March to evacuate Indian nationals from Haiti amidst civil unrest. In June, a special Humanitarian Airlift Operation was conducted in Kuwait to repatriate the mortal remains of 45 deceased Indian nationals. In September, Operation Sadbhav was launched to extend emergency humanitarian assistance in the wake of the floods caused by Typhoon Yagi in Myanmar. Apart from these operations, India provided HADR assistance to more than 20 countries during the year. In 2024, India also continued to provide its humanitarian assistance to conflict zones in West Asia. India supplied anti-cancer medicines to Syria and coordinated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to supply 30 tons of humanitarian aid and essential life-saving drugs for the people of Palestine. In July, India rescued nine crew, including eight Indians, in a joint search and rescue operation with the Omani authorities from MT Prestige Falcon, a Comoros-flagged vessel that capsized off the coast of Oman. During the year, India also marked several significant diplomatic milestones, celebrating decades of ties with partner countries. These milestones reflected India's continued commitment to nurturing historic and evolving partnerships. Overall, the MEA report highlights India's growing global stature and goodwill, with the country's diplomatic efforts yielding significant achievements in advancing national interests and promoting global cooperation. (ANI)

India, Ghana elevate ties to Comprehensive Partnership as PM Modi holds talks with President Mahama in Accra
India, Ghana elevate ties to Comprehensive Partnership as PM Modi holds talks with President Mahama in Accra

United News of India

time02-07-2025

  • Business
  • United News of India

India, Ghana elevate ties to Comprehensive Partnership as PM Modi holds talks with President Mahama in Accra

Accra/New Delhi, July 2 (UNI) India and Ghana have decided to elevate their bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today after holding talks with President John Dramani Mahama in Accra. PM Modi said that India is not just a partner in Ghana's journey of nation-building but a co-traveller. Addressing the media in the Jubilee House in Accra, after the bilateral talks, PM Modi said that after a gap of three decades, an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Ghana, and it is a matter of immense pride for him to have been given this opportunity to visit Ghana. He congratulated President Mahama for his victory in the December 2024 general elections, being elected for a second term. He said the victory reflects the deep trust of the people of Ghana in his leadership and vision. 'President Mahama and I have decided to elevate our bilateral partnership to the level of a 'Comprehensive Partnership'. In Ghana's journey of nation-building, India is not just a partner but a co-traveler,' he said. PM Modi said that the magnificent Jubilee House, the Foreign Service Institute, the Komenda Sugar Factory, the India–Ghana Kofi Annan ICT Centre, and the Tema–Pakadan Railway Line are symbols of the bilateral partnership. The bilateral trade has crossed USD 3 billion. Indian companies have invested nearly USD 2 billion across around 900 projects. 'Today, we have set a target to double our mutual trade over the next five years,' the PM said. He said in the field of FinTech, India is ready to share its UPI digital payment experience with Ghana. Stressing that development partnership is a foundational pillar of the bilateral ties, he assured India's full support for President Mahama's efforts toward economic restructuring. India has decided to double the ITEC and ICCR scholarships for Ghana. 'To promote vocational education for youth, we will work to establish a Skill Development Centre.' 'We are pleased to cooperate in President Mahama's "Feed Ghana" agricultural programme. Through Jan Aushadhi Centres, India proposes to offer Ghana's citizens affordable and reliable healthcare,' the PM said. The two countries also discussed collaboration in vaccine production. 'In defense and security, we will move ahead with the mantra of 'Security through Solidarity'. Cooperation will be strengthened in military training, maritime security, defense supplies, and cyber security,' he added. Indian companies will collaborate in exploration and mining of critical minerals. India and Ghana already cooperate in platforms like the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. To support Ghana's renewable energy efforts, especially in clean cooking gas, we have invited them to join the Global Biofuels Alliance, he added. 'We are both members of the Global South and remain fully committed to its priorities. We thank Ghana for its positive participation in the Voice of Global South Summit.' 'India is proud that during our G20 Presidency, the African Union was granted permanent membership in the G20,' the PM said. Both sides also held discussions on regional and global matters, including the Sahel region. 'We are in complete agreement that terrorism is a threat to humanity. We thank Ghana for its cooperation in our fight against terrorism. Accordingly, we have decided to strengthen our collaboration in counter-terrorism,' the PM said. 'Our views on UN reforms are aligned. We have expressed deep concern over the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe. We believe this is not an era of war. Problems must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,' the PM said. On the vibrant Indian community, the PM said they comprise a special link in our people-to-people relations. Indian teachers, doctors, and engineers have long served in Ghana and contributed positively to its social and economic progress. "I look forward to meeting the Indian community tomorrow." 'You are a dear friend of India and well-acquainted with our country. I extend an invitation to you to visit India, and I hope you will give us the opportunity to welcome you there,' the PM said. Earlier in the speech, the PM said: 'At the heart of India–Ghana friendship lie our shared values, struggles, and dreams for an inclusive future. The freedom struggles of our countries have inspired many others. 'Even today, Ghana stands in West Africa as a vibrant democracy and a "Beacon of Hope" for other nations.' He thanked the Ghanaian President for the warm welcome. Notably, the President had come to the Kotoka International Airport to welcome PM Modi on his arrival, in a special gesture. The PM was accorded a ceremonial welcome and a 21-gun salute at the airport. UNI RN

Rephasing global development finance
Rephasing global development finance

The Hindu

time02-07-2025

  • Business
  • The Hindu

Rephasing global development finance

India's development cooperation with the Global South has been showing a rising trend for the last several years. India has made consistent efforts to expand the facets of these engagements and has also almost doubled the flow of quantum — from around $3 billion in 2010-11 to around $7 billion in 2023-24. While capacity building programmes and the initiatives for technology transfer and duty-free access to India markets have been important modalities of this engagement, the main instrument has been the extension of lines of credit (LoC) under the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS). If budgetary provisions for 2025-26 are any indication, the red flag from the Ministry of Finance on credit lines, as a modality of engagement, is absolutely clear. At the G-20, India expressed serious concerns over rising sovereign debt levels across the Global South. During the third Voice of Global South Summit (VoGS) in 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated the concept of a Global Development Compact (GDC), thereby implying a harmonious balance between all the modalities of engagement with the Global South. It is worth noting that there are five modalities of engagement, viz., capacity building, technology transfer, market access, grants and concessional finance. This balanced approach on modalities may be supplemented by India by having wider and deeper partnerships with countries that can work across third countries. In this backdrop, under the modalities of engagement, India has to refocus on LoCs as an instrument of engagement. India was largely borrowing from global capital markets and providing the resources to the partner countries at a concessional rate of interest. The difference in the rates of interest was being absorbed by the Government of India. With a rising global liquidity crisis, such schemes have lost their relevance as capital market predictability and the repaying capabilities of partner countries have become severely constrained. India should take full advantage of this new reality. Shrinking ODA and debt crisis The traditional official development assistance (ODA) providers are going through their own budgetary crisis while the partners of the Global South have challenges in coping with the debt crisis. With rising geopolitical complexities, the flow of global development finance in any case is witnessing a profound decline. The collapse of USAID and the decline of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have highlighted the emerging crisis in development finance. The availability and leveraging of resources have been hampered further by the declining trend in ODA, which is likely to be close to $97 billion. This proposed slashing of foreign aid is a near 45% reduction from the levels of ODA in 2023, which stood at around $214 billion. At the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), its Development Assistance Committee (DAC) has been an elite club for ODA providers, dictating the terms and conditions for the economic and political programmes for the South. Shrinkage in the resource flow is likely to affect several development programmes, across least developed economies, particularly at a time when several of them are passing through an unprecedented debt crisis. Over the last 20 years, a series of overlapping crises and major geopolitical and economic transformations have reshaped the global financial environment, leaving many developing countries struggling to access funding. This has posed a risk to development progress at risk and jeopardised achievements. The investment needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030 has also surged from $2.5 trillion in 2015 to over $4 trillion in 2024. Without a major increase in financing, progress toward the SDGs (already derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and other global shocks) will remain elusive. Simultaneously, borrowing has become costlier and less predictable. Rationale for triangular cooperation A ray of hope lies in the possibility of evolving a new mechanism of pooling resources with like-minded countries. The flows from the 19 non-DAC countries that report to the OECD rose from $1.1 billion in 2000 to $17.7 billion in 2022. Some of these countries such as Indonesia and Brazil have evolved a rich global experience with Japan and Germany of working in third countries. Japan and Indonesia have worked together in several Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economies to implement development projects. Similarly, Germany and Brazil have worked together in Mozambique in multiple development areas. Triangular Cooperation (TrC) has emerged as a powerful mechanism to bridge the divide between the Global North and the Global South. The beauty of the TrC is that it brings together a traditional donor from the Global North, a pivotal country from the Global South, and a partner country (often from the Global South), creating inclusive platforms for shared learning, mutual respect and the co-creation of solutions tailored to local needs. Comprehensive TrC data is still being compiled at the global stage. However, the efficacy and the success of the model has been well established. Some preliminary data collection suggests TrC to be between $670 million to $1.1 billion. Partnerships with results The TrC has shown that addressing physical infrastructure can advance social progress. For instance, improving regional energy grids expands digital connectivity and provides access to opportunities in education and health. In this context, in 2022, Germany and India signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on the implementation of TrC projects in third countries (during the sixth India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations), with a focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since then, TrC projects are being implemented in several countries which include Cameroon, Ghana and Malawi in Africa, and in Peru in Latin America. These offer clear examples as to how to rephase global development finance in a manner that ensures assured and efficacious outcomes in a cost-effective manner. Engagement in TrC was further emphasised during India's G-20 presidency, with expanded collaborations involving countries such as Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and France. These partnerships span a variety of sectors and modalities, from grant-based projects to investment-driven initiatives such as the Global Innovation Partnership (GIP) with the U.K. These efforts illustrate how leveraging technical, financial, and human resources can deliver results in third countries. Sachin Chaturvedi is Vice-Chancellor, Nalanda University, Rajgir, Bihar, and Director-General at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi-based think-tank. The views expressed are personal

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