Under its G20 presidency, India voiced concerns of Global South: MEA

Baku [Azerbaijan], July 7 : The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) includes large parts of the Global South and India under its ongoing G20 Presidency has placed the concerns of the Global South at the forefront, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (West) Sanjay Verma said.

The MEA Secretary made the remarks at the NAM Ministerial in Baku on Thursday, wherein he also gave best wishes to Uganda as the next NAM Chair.

"Honour to participate in the 18th NAM Ministerial in Baku. India urged return to First Principles of NAM and foregrounding member's interests over others. We look forward to Uganda as the next NAM Chair," the Indian Embassy in Azerbaijan said in a tweet.

https://twitter.com/indembassybaku/status/1676942250725482497?s=20

Addressing the NAM Ministerial Meeting, the MEA Secretary said, "The theme for this meeting - 'NAM: United and Steadfast in Confronting Emerging Challenges' is timely, as we meet in the backdrop of extreme geo-political, economic and social uncertainties where ongoing global conflicts have further laid bare the frailties of the existing multilateral system".

NAM includes large parts of the developing world, the Global South - which has borne the collateral damages of these uncertainties and conflicts and suffered disruptions of supply chains which were not entirely of their own making.

"The 4Fs that matter the most to the developing world: Food, Finance, Fuel and Fertilizers - must be made available to them with certainty, transparency, and equity. As members of the NAM, it is important for us to stand by our friends in the developing world, who are in distress, grappling with existential issues," he said.

The MEA Secretary further said that India's ongoing Presidency of the G20 has made the concerns of the Global South placed at the forefront of the G20 Leaders Agenda.

"Here, I refer to the Voice of the Global South Summit convened by India early this year, where about 130 countries participated. I am happy to place on record that some of our fellow NAM members have contributed in shaping the G20 agenda, as it also features financing for climate resilience and environment sustainability, as well as digital trade connectivity and digital public infrastructure, the very themes of importance to our NAM partners," Sanjay Verma said at the NAM meeting.

He further stressed that the NAM should remain fit for purpose and "rework our act together", and for this there are four pressing questions that should be collectively introspected.

"One, for a movement that came together to offer an alternative worldview in face of the then two major power blocks, why are we today succumbing, and are unable to stand up for our own members? The case of ASEAN not being able to make its own collective proposals on an issue of core concern to them is something that we cannot ignore. Our SOM discussions have demonstrated that we ourselves have made it easy for an external force to divide us. Let us at least reserve Public Display of Affection for our own members," Sanjay Verma said.

The MEA Secretary further said, "Two, our Outcome Document runs into one thousand three hundred plus paras. Will anybody other than the negotiators ever be even tempted to read it? It is said that diplomats sometimes negotiate only to keep in shape. We have taken this adage to an entirely different level. Shouldn't our outcome documents be more succinct, more reader-friendly so that our youth remains interested and invested in our movement".

"Three, furthermore, at least half of our final outcome document is dated and anchored in formulations agreed decades back. Does that really make NAM - in tune with times and reflective of contemporary realities? Our rich and historical legacy should not blindside us to addressing pressing challenges of our times," the MEA Secretary said.

Sanjay Verma added, "Four, the established procedures of our NAM Group need to be respected and honoured. That has helped the Movement survive six decades of the Cold and post-Cold War era".

The MEA Secretary further expressed hope of the NAM House being set in order as India instils new life into the Bandung Principles.

Sanjay Verma also slammed Pakistan for the "blatant violation" of the Bandung Principles, as it brought the issue of the Indus Water Treaty to the platform.

"Excellencies, we were again witness to a blatant violation of the Bandung Principles yesterday, when our distinguished colleague from Pakistan brought a bilateral issue to the NAM agenda. It is regretful that the sanctity of our platform was again predictably demeaned. We reject their unfounded and baseless remarks. We do hope that they introspect on where they find themselves, and what has brought them there," he said.

He also stressed on issues like UNSC reforms, climate change and terrorism for defining the future of the Non-Aligned Movement.

"NAM has had a glorious past, but its future will be defined by how we tackle some of the defining challenges of our times, including - UNSC reforms, climate change, digital technologies, standard setting, global supply chain issues and terrorism, and most importantly whether we can return to the First Principles of NAM, which is actually being NON ALIGNED, and being able to stand by each other," he further stated.