Key for Global south to be active participants in shaping decisions: Kamboj

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj, has said that it is important for the Global South to actively participate in shaping global decisions as most of the global challenges are not created by the Global South but they influence it to have.

“As Prime Minister Narendra Modi eloquently expressed at the Voice of the Global South Summit in India in January 2023, most global challenges are not created by the Global South, but rather impact us. This statement underlines the need for the Global South to be actively involved in shaping global decisions,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN said while addressing the ‘South Rising: Partnerships, Institutions and Ideas’ event in New York.

Kamboj said: “In our ever-evolving world order, we find ourselves amid a dynamic landscape. Old conflicts in Europe have resurfaced, sparking crucial discussions. The Indo-Pacific, with its vision of openness and freedom, faces complex challenges.”

She further said that the global response to the health crisis has cast shadows on multilateral cooperation, impacting not only on global health, but also on the broader domains of development and climate change, and that multilateral institutions, once bastions of cooperation, are struggling with effectively tackling contemporary challenges.

Meanwhile, Kamboj, while addressing the India-UN for Global South: Delivering for Development event in New York, said: “…As far as India is concerned, our engagement with the Global South is not just a matter of policy, it is “It is deeply rooted in the fabric of our culture and philosophy. Earlier this month, the G20 leaders’ statement in New Delhi reinforced our commitment to the comprehensive development of fellow developing countries.”

Kamboj recalled that India extended a helping hand during the Covid-19 pandemic by supplying Indian-made vaccines to nearly 100 countries and medicines to 150 countries.

“Many of you will recall that India had lent a helping hand during the Covid pandemic by supplying Indian-made vaccines to nearly 100 countries and medicines to 150 countries, earning us the nickname ‘The Pharmacy of the World’ .” said Ruchira Kamboj.

Kamboj said India’s development partnerships have expanded significantly. She said that the India-UN Development Partnership Fund at the United Nations has successfully developed a portfolio of 75 projects in 56 developing countries in six years.

“Meanwhile, our development partnerships have also expanded significantly, reaching 78 countries across regions, and we have initiated 600 projects over the past decade that are a testament to our goodwill towards our friends,” Kamboj said.

“Capacity building is also at the heart of our development philosophy, and we have provided training to 200,000 people from more than 160 countries, prioritizing the needs of our partners. At the UN, the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, a single country in South Africa, The South Initiative has successfully developed a portfolio of 75 projects in 56 developing countries in just six years,” she added.