Delhi is decked up for the grand finale of the G20 Summit, which will be attended by some of the most powerful world leaders, on September 9 and 10. In the run-up, putting itself on a moral high ground, India has put its weight behind the underdeveloped and developing countries of the Global South.

At the Business20 (B20) Summit held recently, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar talked about the continuing hegemony of the Global North over the Global South and argued that it was time to accord due share to the disadvantaged countries that fall in the latter category and reduce the gross inequality between the two halves of the world. Jaishankar passionately put forward India’s commitment to stand by them. The B20 was  part of the various working groups in the run up to the G20 Summit.

“The current focus on the Global South emanates from the conviction that these are countries deserving of special care. But equally, these are today’s societies under exceptional stress, which, if left unaddressed, would become a serious drag on the world economy...do consider what the implications are for all of us—North or South—of slowdowns in nutrition, health, education, employment, or even security,” Jaishankar said.

Criticising the concentrations of various kinds created during the past three to four decades of globalisation, Jaishankar pointed out that for a variety of reasons, ranging from scale to subsidies, technology, human resources, and strategic choices, the Global South was largely reduced to being a consumer rather than a producer.