NEW DELHI: A cohort of young diplomats, concurrently holding pivotal roles in their respective nations, has expressed profound admiration for the perspective on Global South affairs put forth by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar.
Sharing their experience from the interaction with the EAM at the first Global South Young Diplomats Forum, the participants acknowledged their admiration for Jaishankar’s vision for issues affecting the Global South. They said they were looking forward to more cooperation in the future.
Manfred Manalo, Foreign Service Officer, Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippines, told ANI that he learned a lot about Indian foreign policy at the forum being held in the national capital.
“I got to learn about Indian foreign policy. I also enjoyed talking to EAM S Jaishankar. I got to learn about his perspective regarding development and how countries may help each other achieve development and sustainable progress,” Manalo said.
Meanwhile, a Kenyan diplomat, who was very happy with his experience in India, said that it was “amazing” experience meeting more people from the Global South.
“My experience in India has been very fantastic. It was amazing to meet young people from the Global South. He (EAM S Jaishankar) talked about issues that have affected the Global South,” said Moses Mwenda, Second Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya.
Upon her participation and on interaction with Jaishankar, Sheila Ananta Ully, Third Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia, said, “It has been a very good experience. He (EAM S Jaishankar) mentioned the importance of the Global South, and we, as a part of the Global South, have the same voice. We are looking forward to more cooperation in the future…”
Shakeita Agard, Foreign Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guyana, said, “.He shared with us the vision of India for the Global South… It was a very good interaction…”
Jaishankar on Tuesday interacted with participants of the first Global South Young Diplomats Forum, stressing the need for the Global South to make its voice heard and shape outcomes on key issues of the day.
“Delighted to interact with participants of the first Global South Young Diplomats Forum today. Discussed why it is imperative for the Global South to make its voice heard. And shape outcomes on the key issues of the day,” EAM Jaishankar posted from his official X handle. “Shared recent experiences relating to our G20 Presidency and from our development partnerships. Happy to note @SSIFS_MEA delivering on the commitment made by PM Modi during VoGSS,” he added in his post.
At the Concluding Leaders’ Session of the Voice of Global South Summit in January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the Global-South Young Diplomats Forum.
“For synergising our diplomatic voice, I propose a ‘Global-South Young Diplomats Forum’, to connect youthful officers of our foreign ministries,” PM Modi had said.
“India will also institute ‘Global-South Scholarships’ for students from developing countries to pursue higher education in India,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jaishankar on Friday said India’s G20 Presidency advocated finding solutions from within the Global South. He said India walked the talk by hosting the first Voice of the Global South Summit in January, this year, adding that the participating nations were able to hold discussions on the key concerns and priorities of the Global South.
Addressing the Foreign Ministers Session of the Second Voice of the Global South, Jaishankar said, “As we took over the G20 presidency last year, Prime Minister Modi declared that and I quote “Our G20 priorities will be shaped in consultation with not just our G20 partners, but also our fellow travellers from the Global South, whose voice often goes unheard.”
“India has since walked the talk by hosting the first voice of the Global South Summit in January this year. By doing so, we were able to elicit and deliberate on the key concerns and priorities of the Global South. This, in turn, informed our approach to the G20 discussions throughout the year,” Jaishnakr added.
The External Affairs Minister noted that long-standing structural inequities have been seriously aggravated by the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jaishankar stressed that the crises were rendered far worse due to the fuel, food and fertiliser crises emanating from the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and its response. He stated that India is hosting the Second Voice of the Global South to report on key outcomes from the New Delhi G20 Summit.
Jaishankar highlighted that the New Delhi Leaders Declaration of the G20 Summit will be remembered for bringing back the G20’s focus on the “real and serious concerns of the Global South.”
He also said that the declaration is a comprehensive message on promoting strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth. (ANI)