United Nations, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Global South faces mounting threats to its food, fuel, fertiliser, and finance security, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the UN General Assembly on Saturday, warning that shortages and trade barriers were putting development gains under pressure.
“The predicament of the global South is particularly acute,” he said. “It faces a 4F crisis of the security of food, fuel, fertiliser, and finance.”
EAM Jaishankar cited a super El Niño, worsening fertiliser shortages and obstacles to grain movements as causes for alarm. Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals was also under strain, he said.
He argued that non-market practices and restricted access to markets were making it harder for developing countries to industrialise. Technology, once a source of hope, was creating new anxiety. The misuse of artificial intelligence was sharpening bias and weakening mutual respect, he said.
The pressures came amid a wider loss of trust between nations, EAM Jaishankar said. Countries were trying to reduce their exposure to risks and diversify their economic ties as competition disrupted supply chains and access to technology.
Against that backdrop, he presented India’s domestic progress as a contribution to global development. Better delivery of health care, nutrition, education, drinking water, electricity, roads and housing had improved the prospects of one-sixth of humanity, he said.
India’s digital public infrastructure was helping deliver social and economic benefits, he added. Improvements in infrastructure, business conditions and innovation had also contributed to the country’s growth.
EAM Jaishankar said India wanted to share approaches that could work elsewhere. He pointed to 600 major Indian development projects in 78 countries, covering infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, information technology and training.
“Even as India progresses, we are conscious of our global responsibilities,” he said. “We know that many of our experiences and achievements are replicable elsewhere.”
Climate projects were part of that work, he said, citing clean energy and water, sustainable agriculture and the sharing of technology and practical knowledge. African nations and small island developing states had been preferred partners.
He also named the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Global Biofuels Alliance as initiatives that were making progress.
India had provided medical supplies to conflict zones and places affected by epidemics and natural disasters, EAM Jaishankar said. He cited its early response to flash floods in Nepal and an earthquake in Venezuela.
He said Indian programmes had also helped address shortages of food, medicine, energy and fertiliser, while supporting livelihoods. Training and the sharing of experience had made a difference across the Global South, particularly in Africa.
EAM Jaishankar’s remarks placed the needs of developing countries at the centre of his address. He said the international climate was becoming less predictable even as those countries faced pressure to meet their development goals.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals cover areas including poverty, health, education and clean energy. They provide a common framework for countries to measure progress, though governments decide how to pursue them.
India has used forums including the UN to seek a greater voice for developing nations in decisions on finance, technology and development. EAM Jaishankar’s speech linked that demand to the practical pressures he said those nations now face.
Source: IANS
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