Jason Hickel, Salmaan Keshavjee, Maxine Burkett and Eugene T. Richardson, “Structural adjustment: damages, reparations and pathways to non-recurrence”, BMJ Global Health, March 2026.

The 1970s were a good decade for the global South. Between 1960 and 1980, real per capita income grew across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Countries that had recently thrown off colonial rule were investing in public healthcare and education, protecting their industries, and organising production around national development.

Then, beginning in the 1980s, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank began structural adjustment programmes across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Decades later, many countries in the impact regions continue to struggle with weak public health systems, stagnant incomes and high levels of poverty.

In a recent paper published in BMJ Global Health, economists and public health researchers Jason Hickel, Salmaan Keshavjee, Maxine Burkett, and Eugene T. Richardson argue that the institutions that implemented these programmes now owe reparations.

The repayment burden

Structural adjustment programmes emerged during the debt crises of the late 1970s and 1980s. Many developing countries had borrowed heavily in foreign currencies to finance imports and industrial development. When the United States Federal Reserve raised interest rates in the late 1970s, debt repayments became far more expensive for poorer countries, causing decades-long progress to unravel.

Countries that had borrowed in U.S. dollars suddenly faced ballooning repayments in a currency they had no control over. To prevent governments in the global South from defaulting on loans owed to American banks, the U.S. worked through the IMF and World Bank to roll over those debts, attaching a set of sweeping economic reforms as conditions that would come to be known as structural adjustment programmes, or SAPs.

SAPs typically demanded three things. First, austerity: slash public spending on healthcare, education, food subsidies, and social security, so that the money saved could flow back to creditors. Second, privatisation; by transfering public services and state-owned industries to private capital. And, third, by deregulating industrial policy, tariffs, capital controls, and labour protections.

Countries had limited room to refuse. Defaulting on loans was risky, and the institutions pushing these conditions controlled international finance.

These SAPs should also be viewed in a longer historical context. After independence, many governments in the global South had used industrial policy and public investment to break away from colonial economic arrangements that kept labour and resources cheap for Western firms. The SAPs effectively reversed these gains, re-cheapening southern labour and re-opening vulnerable markets to the global North.

Social and economic setback

Economic growth in the global South before SAPs averaged around 3.2% annually. But growth slowed sharply, falling to a mere 0.7% during the era of structural adjustment in the 1980s and 1990s. The South collectively lost an average of $480 billion per year in potential national income during this period.

In Latin America, real income per adult fell nearly 15% after 1980 and did not recover to previous levels until 2006. In Sub-Saharan Africa, incomes fell nearly 20% before eventually recovering decades later. In Jamaica, trade and exchange-rate liberalisation in the early 1990s caused food prices to rise sharply after currency depreciation. In China, extreme poverty rose during a phase of market-oriented reforms linked to World Bank adjustment policies.

The effects on health were also severe. A 2017 review found that SAPs imposed by the IMF, World Bank, and African Development Bank had a strong negative impact on child and maternal health. Studies on Sub-Saharan Africa linked adjustment to an additional 85.62 child deaths per 1,000 children and an additional 360 maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births. In Kenya, the authors calculate, 3,05,000 excess infant deaths occurred between 1986 and 2010 relative to the pre-adjustment trend.

The mechanisms are not hard to trace. SAPs cut government spending on health, led to the closure of facilities, and limited the hiring of doctors and nurses. Currency devaluation made imported drugs and medical supplies more expensive. Privatisation and user fees reduced access to essential services, and wage losses made families more vulnerable to disease in the first place.

Structural adjustment also enabled large financial outflows from the global South. The removal of capital controls allowed foreign companies to repatriate profits at up to $250 billion a year. Trade deregulation enabled further outflows exceeding $1 trillion per year, mostly to evade taxes. These were surpluses generated within developing countries that were no longer available for reinvestment in public services or domestic development.

Responsibility for repair

The IMF and World Bank, as the primary architects of these programmes, should bear responsibility for repair. One approach the authors outline would be to quantify wage losses, cuts to public services, and capital outflows attributable to SAPs, adjusted for inflation and due interest. Another mechanism would be to calculate losses to national income against a counterfactual in which the adjustments were never imposed. A third would focus specifically on welfare impacts, such as poverty and mortality, to provide compensation that restores people to the social indicators they would have reached had SAPs never existed.

But reparations face procedural obstacles, put in place by design. The IMF and World Bank enjoy sovereign immunity, shielding them from lawsuits through normal channels. Their governance structure compounds the problem. The Global North, with a mere 15% of the world’s population, controls nearly 60% of the voting power in both institutions. The U.S. alone holds a veto.

Beyond reparations, the paper calls for a guarantee of non-recurrence by abolishing structural adjustment conditions on all future lending, democratising both institutions so that aid recipients have a meaningful say in policy, and ending their sovereign immunity status.

If such transformative changes cannot happen from within, these institutions should be replaced entirely. Alternatives are already emerging, including the BRICS New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, established by and for the global South. Neither attaches structural adjustment conditions to finance.

Published – May 13, 2026 08:00 am IST

New Delhi:

The term of the current UN Secretary General has entered its final two years and names of candidates are emerging to see who will hold the top UN post next. With the emergence of the Global South, names of several candidates representing it are being heard at the top global body.

There are reports of two leaders from the Caribbean that have emerged as frontrunners – Mia Amor Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, and Denzil Douglas, former Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The Caribbean, a region which has faced much neglect over the years from the developed world, has emerged as a significant group of nations contributing to the future of sustainability, economic reforms, and climate resilience.

Since its formation in 1945, the leadership of the United Nations has been held by major global powers, often called the developed world or ‘first-world nations’. The growing prominence of the Global South is now offering a different and new perspective of how common global challenges must be viewed in order to consider the concerns of nations who till now went unheard.

The common challenges the world faces as a whole, often has the greatest impact on the Global South. Be it climate change or global economic volatility, getting a holistic view is crucial to addressing these issues. A massive part of global sustainable development goals and eradicating poverty and battling malnutrition are also linked to nations of the Global South.

The names of Ms Mottley and Mr Douglas – both influential figures – are being welcomed. The two leaders from the Caribbean are widely respected and have supported each other in their part of the world. In the race to the top UN post, should either leader support the other, it will greatly boost the chance of the other to secure the seat.

The Caribbean Community, which has a grouping called the CARICOM, has support from rising global powers like India too. India also holds an annual summit with Caribbean nations called the India-CARICOM Summit – the most recent one being held in Georgetown in November, 2024.

It is not known yet if India is planning to field a candidate of their own for the top post, but should they decide not to, and instead, support the Global South in its representation at the top, it would be a huge boost for the Caribbean leader to have support of the world’s fastest-growing major economy and the most populous nation.

The term of the current United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will end on December 31, 2026.
 

The Hague, Netherlands:

As marathon climate change hearings wrapped up Friday at the world’s top court, a representative for vulnerable nations voiced “huge disappointment” at the attitude of top polluters and urged judges to make them legally accountable for historic emissions.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has played host to history over the past 10 days, with a record number of nations and organisations addressing the court.

More than 100 speakers have presented, ranging from diplomats of the world’s top economies to representatives of tiny island nations making a debut appearance before the UN’s top court.

In what many experts have painted as a “David Vs Goliath” scrap, stark divisions have emerged between top polluters and those suffering most from climate change.

Major powers such as the United States, China, and India have warned the judges not to go beyond the existing legal framework for combating climate change.

But smaller states argue this blueprint, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is insufficient to mitigate the devastating effects of the changing climate.

Representing a group of 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific states, Cristelle Pratt told AFP there was “huge disappointment” at developed countries but that it was “quite unsurprising.”

“We cannot just rely on the climate treaties to address this global crisis,” said Pratt, from the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.

“We need to look to the full body of international law. And we do need to do this because of equity and justice. Every human being on this planet has a right to live a worthwhile life,” she added.

‘Reverberate across the world’

The 15-judge ICJ panel has been tasked with crafting a so-called advisory opinion to answer two questions.

Firstly, what legal obligations do nations have to prevent climate change? Secondly, what are the legal consequences for countries whose emissions have harmed the environment, especially that of developing states?

This second question is where many vulnerable countries hope the ICJ will clarify a legal requirement for historic emitters to stump up for the damage caused.

“We do need to look at historical responsibilities and hold those emitters, mainly colonial powers, to account,” said Pratt.

“That certainly is something that we from the global south will be hoping to hear,” she added, mentioning that many of her member countries were servicing “unsustainable debt.”

The ICJ’s advisory opinion is non-binding and will take many months to emerge.

Nikki Reisch, Director of the climate and energy programme at the Center for International Environmental Law, said the ruling would “reverberate across the world.”

“This is the world’s highest court and their opinion will carry weight…. there is an opportunity for this court to break through the impunity that we’ve seen for decades and to affirm the basis for accountability,” she told AFP.

“It’s not just about paying compensation for the mounting cost of climate change. It’s about structural reforms, debt cancellation, ecosystem restoration,” she added.

‘Life and death’

The countries Pratt represents have a population of 1.3 billion but produce three percent of global emissions, she noted.

After bitterly fought COP29 climate talks, wealthy polluters agreed to find at least $300 billion a year by 2035 to help poorer countries’ transition to clean energy and prepare for an increase in extreme weather.

“The pledges are really quite insignificant,” said Pratt.

Several top polluters have argued it is impossible to enshrine into international law a responsibility for past emissions and the damage caused.

“We’ve seen time and again here in these halls that the fossil fuel giants… have urged this court to ignore history, to sweep their historical conduct, the decades of conduct that has brought the world to the brink, under the rug,” said Reisch.

The hearings have also been notable for representatives of tiny island states, often in colourful national dress, recounting searing stories of the devastation suffered by their people.

“These hearings have put into stark relief that this is a matter of life and death for so many people,” Reisch told AFP.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India has become the voice of the Global South in a strategic and robust way, and the world saw that in the most-recent G20 Summit which happened in New Delhi, said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness in an exclusive interview to NDTV.

Prime Minister Holness, who is in India to strengthen ties between the two nations, held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1, during which India and Jamaica signed four agreements, including one on the possible roll-out of UPI payment systems in the Caribbean country.

The two leaders also discussed greater cooperation in energy, defence, and climate change, among several key issues. Jamaica has also strongly backed India’s bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council and has called for urgent reforms in this regard.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV, the Jamaican prime minister praised India’s global role, especially as the voice of the Global South. He praised PM Modi for his role, saying “India has become the voice of the Global South in a strategic and robust way, and the world saw that in the most-recent G20 Summit which happened in New Delhi. The theme – One Earth, One People – resonated with all. I feel India, and Prime Minister Modi in particular, has played that role. It is important that a large country like India, with significant resources can represent the Global South.”

He also recalled how India helped during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Prime Minister Modi was one of the first world leaders to reach out to assist with vaccines,” Prime Minister Holness said.

DIGITAL ECONOMY

Praising India’s efforts to make the economy a digital one, Prime Minister Holness said, “”India has created the roadmap for developing countries and nations from the Global South to follow its path to step into the world of digitalisation, and how to create digital societies”

He went on to say that Jamaica is interested in India’s UPI payments system, saying, “People who have benefited most from the Aadhaar and UPI platforms are those who are poor as these have facilitated seamless, effective and efficient transfer of funds to the weaker sections of society.”

SECURITY AND DEFENCE

The two leaders, had on Monday, discussed the security framework between India and Jamaica. “We have engaged with India on support for security and defence, particularly in training of our defence officers,” he said.

“But more than training, we have looked to build on technology. In today’s global environment, it is important to be ahead of the curve on technology and security – both for the economy and for the society, and India is a leader in the sphere of technology,” he said.

CLIMATE CHANGE

The Jamaican PM said that his country has already been working with India to combat climate change. “India has been leading efforts in developing global solar energy technology, and then making it available to developing countries. We are also part of the International Solar Alliance, which is led by India.

INDIANS IN JAMAICA

Praising the Indian community in Jamaica, Prime Minister Holness said, “The Indian diaspora has been in Jamaica for centuries. The first Indians arrived in Jamaica in 1845. Since then the Indians have integrated into Jamaica. You can see Indians in all spheres of life in Jamaican society – in business, commerce, education, healthcare – in almost every aspect, and they have contributed very significantly to society.”

In his concluding remarks, the prime minister said, “India and Jamaica have a lot in common. Our relationship has a long history, we have the Commonwealth, we have the diaspora connection, we have sport, especially cricket, we have a common legislative system, we are both strong democracies, but India has significantly created a pathway for development – in technology, in pharma, in agriculture – all that can be beneficial to smaller countries. And the beauty of our relationship is that India is willing to share all this… after all, that is the essence of the global fraternity.”

In his media statement, PM Modi had said that India has always been a reliable partner in Jamaica’s development journey and it is ready to share its expertise with that country in areas such as digital public infrastructure, small industries, biofuel, innovation, health, education and agriculture.

PM Modi also said that the India-Jamaica partnership is characterised by the four Cs — Culture, Cricket, Commonwealth, and CARICOM.

The CARICOM (Caribbean Community) is a grouping of 20 island nations which are home to approximately 16 million people.

“India and Jamaica may be separated by vast oceans, but our minds, our cultures and our histories are deeply intertwined,” PM Modi had said with Prime Minister Holness by his side.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New York:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today highlighted the growing stature of India at the global platform and said that “the world listens when India speaks.”

Addressing the Indian diaspora in New York, PM Modi said, “We are also a strong voice of the Global South. Today, when India says something on a global platform, the world listens. Some time ago when I said that this is not the era of war, its severity was understood by all…”

This vision was recently exemplified through the Voice of Global South Summit, hosted by India in January 2023. The summit, themed “Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose,” brought together leaders from the Global South to discuss shared challenges and opportunities. By providing a platform for these nations to unite and speak with one voice, India demonstrated its commitment to fostering cooperation and driving positive change.

He said that for India, power and potency means – “knowledge is for sharing, wealth is for caring, power is for protecting.”

By hosting the Voice of Global South Summit and promoting unity among developing nations, India has reaffirmed its position as a key player on the global stage. As PM Modi emphasised, when India speaks, the world listens – a testament to India’s increasing influence and leadership in shaping a more equitable and prosperous world.

PM Modi said that now India does not lag behind, it creates new systems and leads. India has given the new concept of digital public infrastructure (DPI) to the world.

“Today our partnership is growing with the whole world. Earlier, India followed the policy of equidistance. Today, India follows the policy of equidistance. Today, India’s 5G market has become bigger than America, and this has happened in just two years. Now India is working on ‘Made in India’ 6G,” said PM Modi.

He said that now India is a land of opportunities. “Now, India doesn’t wait for the opportunities, it creates them,” the PM asserted.

Speaking about the sea changes brought in last decade regarding opportunities and bringing 25 crore people out of poverty, PM Modi said, “In the last ten years, India has created opportunities for new launching pads in every sector. In just a decade, 25 crore people were lifted out of poverty. This was possible because we changed the old thoughts and approach. We focussed on empowering the poor. We connected more than 50 crores with the banking system…”

“In a decade, India has become the 5th largest economy from the 10th position. Now every Indian wants that India should soon become the 3rd largest economy. Today, India is a land of opportunities. Now India does not wait for opportunities, it creates opportunities,” PM Modi added.

Regarding the demographic dividend, the PM said, “Today, India is one of the youngest countries in the world. India is filled with energy and dreams. Every day, new records and news are being made. Today, India has won gold in the Chess Olympiad (Men and Women). This has happened for the first time in a century. Our entire country is proud of our chess players. We have AI driving India, and the other AI – Aspirational India – is a new force driving the growth of Indians.”

He also set goals for Modi 3.0, moving ahead with three times the power and strength asked the people remember the word ‘PUSHP’. P-Progressive Bharat, U-Unstoppable Bharat, S-Spiritual Bharat, H-Bharat committed to Humanity and P-Prosperous Bharat

“We will build Viksit Bharat, combining the five petals of PUSHP,” added PM Modi.

Regarding the conflict ongoing around the world, the PM said, “This 2024 is crucial for the entire world. On one hand, there is conflict and tension among some countries. In some countries, however, there is a celebration of democracy.”

He further said that India’s priority is not to increase its pressence in the world but to increase its impact.

‘”Hum aaag ki tarah jalaane waale nahin, Suraj ki kiran ki tarah roshani dene waale hain’. We don’t want our supremacy in the world, but to increase cooperation in the prosperity of the world,” said PM Modi

The Prime Minister said that India and America are together in this celebration of democracy.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New York:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today highlighted the growing stature of India at the global platform and said that “the world listens when India speaks.”

Addressing the Indian diaspora in New York, PM Modi said, “We are also a strong voice of the Global South. Today, when India says something on a global platform, the world listens. Some time ago when I said that this is not the era of war, its severity was understood by all…”

This vision was recently exemplified through the Voice of Global South Summit, hosted by India in January 2023. The summit, themed “Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose,” brought together leaders from the Global South to discuss shared challenges and opportunities. By providing a platform for these nations to unite and speak with one voice, India demonstrated its commitment to fostering cooperation and driving positive change.

He said that for India, power and potency means – “knowledge is for sharing, wealth is for caring, power is for protecting.”

By hosting the Voice of Global South Summit and promoting unity among developing nations, India has reaffirmed its position as a key player on the global stage. As PM Modi emphasised, when India speaks, the world listens – a testament to India’s increasing influence and leadership in shaping a more equitable and prosperous world.

PM Modi said that now India does not lag behind, it creates new systems and leads. India has given the new concept of digital public infrastructure (DPI) to the world.

“Today our partnership is growing with the whole world. Earlier, India followed the policy of equidistance. Today, India follows the policy of equidistance. Today, India’s 5G market has become bigger than America, and this has happened in just two years. Now India is working on ‘Made in India’ 6G,” said PM Modi.

He said that now India is a land of opportunities. “Now, India doesn’t wait for the opportunities, it creates them,” the PM asserted.

Speaking about the sea changes brought in last decade regarding opportunities and bringing 25 crore people out of poverty, PM Modi said, “In the last ten years, India has created opportunities for new launching pads in every sector. In just a decade, 25 crore people were lifted out of poverty. This was possible because we changed the old thoughts and approach. We focussed on empowering the poor. We connected more than 50 crores with the banking system…”

“In a decade, India has become the 5th largest economy from the 10th position. Now every Indian wants that India should soon become the 3rd largest economy. Today, India is a land of opportunities. Now India does not wait for opportunities, it creates opportunities,” PM Modi added.

Regarding the demographic dividend, the PM said, “Today, India is one of the youngest countries in the world. India is filled with energy and dreams. Every day, new records and news are being made. Today, India has won gold in the Chess Olympiad (Men and Women). This has happened for the first time in a century. Our entire country is proud of our chess players. We have AI driving India, and the other AI – Aspirational India – is a new force driving the growth of Indians.”

He also set goals for Modi 3.0, moving ahead with three times the power and strength asked the people remember the word ‘PUSHP’. P-Progressive Bharat, U-Unstoppable Bharat, S-Spiritual Bharat, H-Bharat committed to Humanity and P-Prosperous Bharat

“We will build Viksit Bharat, combining the five petals of PUSHP,” added PM Modi.

Regarding the conflict ongoing around the world, the PM said, “This 2024 is crucial for the entire world. On one hand, there is conflict and tension among some countries. In some countries, however, there is a celebration of democracy.”

He further said that India’s priority is not to increase its pressence in the world but to increase its impact.

‘”Hum aaag ki tarah jalaane waale nahin, Suraj ki kiran ki tarah roshani dene waale hain’. We don’t want our supremacy in the world, but to increase cooperation in the prosperity of the world,” said PM Modi

The Prime Minister said that India and America are together in this celebration of democracy.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday proposed the creation of a human-centric “Global Development Compact” for the Global South to facilitate trade, sharing of technologies and concessional financing based on India’s growth journey, in a move that came amid concerns over many countries falling into the Chinese ‘debt trap’.

The needy countries will not be burdened with debt in the name of development finance, PM Modi said announcing the new initiative at the third India-hosted virtual Voice of the Global South Summit.

PM Modi said the ‘Compact’ will be in line with the priorities of developing countries even as he urged the Global South to work unitedly in confronting food and energy security crises and the challenge of terrorism and extremism.

India hosted the third edition of the summit in sync with its commitment and priorities for the Global South or the developing countries.

“I would like to propose a comprehensive ‘Global Development Compact’ on behalf of India. The foundation of this Compact will be based on India’s development journey and experiences of development partnership,” PM Modi said at the closing session of the Summit.

“It will be human-centric, and multi-dimensional for development and will promote a multi-sectoral approach. It will not burden the needy countries with debt in the name of development finance,” he said.

The summit was joined by 123 countries including heads of state and government of 21 nations. A total of 34 foreign ministers attended the deliberations while 118 other ministers also joined other ministerial sessions, according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Head of Bangladesh’s interim government Mohammad Yunus, Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay, his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth were among those who attended the summit.

Top leaders of Belarus, Chile, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Lao PDR, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Oman, Suriname, Tajikistan, Timor Leste, Uruguay and Vietnam also joined the deliberations.

In his address, PM Modi said the ‘Compact’ will help in the balanced and sustainable development of partner countries.

“Under this Compact we will focus on trade for development, capacity building for sustainable growth, technology sharing, project-specific concessional finance and grants.

“To strengthen trade promotion activities, India will start a special fund of 2.5 million dollars. Training will be provided in trade policy and trade negotiation for capacity building,” he said.

A fund of USD one million will be provided for this, PM Modi said.

At a media briefing, S Jaishankar said a range of issues including climate change, debt burden, challenges of new technologies, the situation in Gaza and the need for reform of the multilateral institutions figured in the deliberations.

Some of the leaders also talked about sovereignty, strategic autonomy and interference and expressed concerns in that regard, he said.

To a question, S Jaishankar said China and Pakistan were not invited to the summit.

In his remarks, the prime minister also said that the solution to various conflicts and tensions around the world lies in inclusive global governance.

“You have also raised concerns related to tensions and conflicts. This is a serious issue for all of us. The solution to these concerns depends on just and inclusive global governance,” PM Modi said.

“Steps should be taken to reduce the gap between the Global North and the Global South. The Summit of the Future to be held in the UN next month can become an important milestone for all this,” he said.

In his address at the opening session of the summit, PM Modi called on the Global South to work unitedly in dealing with food and energy security crises and challenges of terrorism, amid concerns over the consequences of “uncertainties” across the world.

PM Modi said India will make an initial contribution of USD 25 million to the ‘Social Impact Fund’ that aims to develop digital public infrastructure (DPI) in the Global South.

There has been an “atmosphere of uncertainty” around the world and it has not yet fully come out of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said adding new challenges to development are being faced due to wars.

“We are already facing the challenges of climate change, and now there are also concerns about health security, food security, and energy security,” he said.

“Terrorism, extremism and separatism remain a serious threat to our societies. Technology divide and new economic and social challenges related to technology are also emerging,” he said.

The prime minister said the global governance and financial institutions formed in the last century have been unable to fight the challenges of this century.

“It is the need of the hour that the countries of the Global South unite, stand together in one voice and become each other’s strength. Let us learn from each other’s experiences,” PM Modi said.

“Let us share our capabilities. Let us together take our resolutions to fruition. Let us together get recognition for two-thirds of humanity,” he noted.

In the last few years, India has been positioning itself as a leading voice, flagging concerns, challenges and aspirations of the Global South or the developing nations, especially the African continent.

As the G20 president last year, India focused on issues like inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and equitable global health access with an aim to benefit the Global South.

The prime minister also elaborated on the importance of cooperation in the area of DPI.

“The contribution of Digital Public Infrastructure that is DPI, in inclusive development is no less than a revolution. The Global DPI Repository, created under our G-20 presidency, was the first ever multilateral consensus on DPI,” he said.

“We are happy that agreements have been signed to share the ‘India Stack’ with 12 partners from the Global South. To accelerate DPI in the Global South, we have created a Social Impact Fund. India will make an initial contribution of USD 25 million to it,” he said.

PM Modi also listed various frameworks for cooperation with the Global South.

“In the last few years, our cooperation has been boosted in areas of infrastructure, digital and energy connectivity,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi highlighted the priority India attached towards the Global South during its G-20 presidency.

“In 2022, when India assumed the G-20 presidency, we had resolved that we would give a new shape to the G-20. The Voice of Global South Summit became a platform where we openly discussed the problems and priorities related to development,” he said.

PM Modi said India prepared the G-20 agenda based on the hopes, aspirations and priorities of the Global South and took forward the grouping with an inclusive and development-focused approach.

“The biggest example of this was the historic moment when the African Union assumed permanent membership in the G-20,” he said.

In a significant milestone under India’s G20 presidency, the African Union became the new permanent member of the grouping in the first expansion of the influential bloc since its inception in 1999.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Beijing:

Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted the relevance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which gained traction with the Non-Aligned Movement, to end the present-day conflicts and sought to expand influence in the Global South amid its tussle with the West.

Xi Jinping, 71, invoked the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, termed as ‘Panchsheel’ by India, at a conference in Beijing to mark its 70th anniversary and also sought to juxtapose them with his new concept of Global Security Initiative envisaging a shared future for mankind.

The ‘Panchsheel’ pointers were first formally enunciated in the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet region of China and India signed on April 29, 1954, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

‘Panchsheel’ or The five principles formed part of the legacy of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in their unsuccessful quest to find a solution to the vexed boundary issue.

“The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence answered the call of the times, and its initiation was an inevitable historic development. The Chinese leadership in the past specified the Five Principles in their entirety for the first time, namely, ‘mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity’, ‘mutual non-aggression’, ‘mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs’, ‘equality and mutual benefit’, and ‘peaceful coexistence’,” Xi Jinping said.

“They included the Five Principles in the China-India and China-Myanmar joint statements which jointly called for making them basic norms for state-to-state relations,” Xi said at the conference where the invitees included former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several political leaders and officials from various countries closely associated with China over the years.

‘Panchsheel’, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were born in Asia (India) but quickly ascended to the world stage. In 1955, more than 20 Asian and African countries attended the Bandung Conference, Xi Jinping recalled in his address.

The Non-Aligned Movement, founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, that rose in the 1960s adopted the ‘Panchsheel’ or Five Principles as its guiding principles.

“The Five Principles have set a historic benchmark for international relations and international rule of law,” he said, highlighting their relevance to ending the present-day conflicts.

They fully conform with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with the evolving trend of international relations of our times, and with the fundamental interests of all nations, Xi said and sought to juxtapose them with his new concepts of Global Security Initiative (GSI) which advocates for joint security of nations and the ‘Vision of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind’.

Xi, who commenced his unprecedented third five-year term in power last year, has been advocating several initiatives, including his billion-dollar pet project the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to enhance China’s global influence.

Under the BRI, Beijing has made huge investments in infrastructure projects in smaller countries which in subsequent years attracted allegations of debt diplomacy as many countries struggled to pay back loans taken from China.

Also, facing increasing strategic competition from the US and EU, China in recent years jostled with India and other developing countries to consolidate its influence in the Asian, African and Latin American countries, largely termed as Global South.

China will establish a Global South Research Centre to better support Global South-South cooperation, Xi said.

China will provide 1,000 ‘Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Scholarship of Excellence,’ 1,00,000 training opportunities to Global South countries in the next five years, and also launch a ‘Global South Youth Leaders’ programme, he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Beijing:

Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted the relevance of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which gained traction with the Non-Aligned Movement, to end the present-day conflicts and sought to expand influence in the Global South amid its tussle with the West.

Xi Jinping, 71, invoked the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, termed as ‘Panchsheel’ by India, at a conference in Beijing to mark its 70th anniversary and also sought to juxtapose them with his new concept of Global Security Initiative envisaging a shared future for mankind.

The ‘Panchsheel’ pointers were first formally enunciated in the Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet region of China and India signed on April 29, 1954, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

‘Panchsheel’ or The five principles formed part of the legacy of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in their unsuccessful quest to find a solution to the vexed boundary issue.

“The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence answered the call of the times, and its initiation was an inevitable historic development. The Chinese leadership in the past specified the Five Principles in their entirety for the first time, namely, ‘mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity’, ‘mutual non-aggression’, ‘mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs’, ‘equality and mutual benefit’, and ‘peaceful coexistence’,” Xi Jinping said.

“They included the Five Principles in the China-India and China-Myanmar joint statements which jointly called for making them basic norms for state-to-state relations,” Xi said at the conference where the invitees included former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several political leaders and officials from various countries closely associated with China over the years.

‘Panchsheel’, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were born in Asia (India) but quickly ascended to the world stage. In 1955, more than 20 Asian and African countries attended the Bandung Conference, Xi Jinping recalled in his address.

The Non-Aligned Movement, founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, that rose in the 1960s adopted the ‘Panchsheel’ or Five Principles as its guiding principles.

“The Five Principles have set a historic benchmark for international relations and international rule of law,” he said, highlighting their relevance to ending the present-day conflicts.

They fully conform with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with the evolving trend of international relations of our times, and with the fundamental interests of all nations, Xi said and sought to juxtapose them with his new concepts of Global Security Initiative (GSI) which advocates for joint security of nations and the ‘Vision of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind’.

Xi, who commenced his unprecedented third five-year term in power last year, has been advocating several initiatives, including his billion-dollar pet project the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to enhance China’s global influence.

Under the BRI, Beijing has made huge investments in infrastructure projects in smaller countries which in subsequent years attracted allegations of debt diplomacy as many countries struggled to pay back loans taken from China.

Also, facing increasing strategic competition from the US and EU, China in recent years jostled with India and other developing countries to consolidate its influence in the Asian, African and Latin American countries, largely termed as Global South.

China will establish a Global South Research Centre to better support Global South-South cooperation, Xi said.

China will provide 1,000 ‘Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence Scholarship of Excellence,’ 1,00,000 training opportunities to Global South countries in the next five years, and also launch a ‘Global South Youth Leaders’ programme, he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)