As External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the UN General Assembly in New York, India has continued with its extensive diplomatic outreach, touching base with partners of the global north, engaging with those who constitute the global south across continents, and sustaining its outreach to West Asia and Africa. He said that India will be a partner, contributor and collaborator to address development challenges.He said that India has endeavoured to walk the talk when it comes to South-South cooperation.EAM S Jaishankar on India-UN for Global SouthAddressing the India-UN for Global South: Delivering for Development, the foreign minister called the inclusion of the African Union in the G20 as one of the important outcomes of the G20 Summit.Indias experiences of the G20 presidency will be placed before everyone in a spirit of sharing.“While we are, of course, the G20 president till the end of this year, both before the G20 presidency and certainly after it, we will remain very much a partner, a contributor, a collaborator in our way, perhaps an inspiration to others on how to address developmental challenges. Our experiences and our achievements be placed before you in a spirit really of sharing,” said Jaishankar.South-South cooperation has come together“We know that there may be aspects of it which you may find useful from, as Ambassador Kamboj mentioned, that we are today active in almost 80 countries around the world. And what I can say is that when it has come to South-South cooperation, we have endeavoured to walk the talk. My remarks on this subject would, of course, not be complete without my underlining what I believe was one of the really important outcomes of the G20, which was the membership of the African Union. And certainly, it is our hope that that message would resonate not just in the G20, but beyond them as well,” he added.At the India-UN Global Summit, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar says, …We know that there may be aspects of it which you may find useful from, as Ambassador Kamboj mentioned, that we are today active in almost 80 countries around the world. And what I can say is that… pic.twitter.com/J7PE0P5FcC— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2023 Further, he stressed that the geopolitical calculations and their contests today are affecting the fundamental requirements of many nations, including their affordable access to food, fertilizers and energy.“With each passing day it has become clearer to us that today geopolitical calculations and geopolitical contests are impacting fundamental requirements of many countries, including their affordable access to food, to fertilizers and energy,” the EAM said.Jaishankar on Indias G20 SummitMoreover, the union minister said, “It was therefore, for us a particularly onerous responsibility to make sure that in collaboration with all our G20 members, we were able to refocus the G20 on the urgent depressing needs of the Global South and this was reflected in my mind in eight key outcomes of the New Delhi G20 Summit – the action plan for sustainable Development Goals, the reform of international financial institutions, a Green development Pact, the high principles for Life the Lifestyle for Environment Initiative, an understanding on debt management, a consensus on woman-led development, an acceptance of digital public infrastructure and an agreement to undertake global skills mapping.”#WATCH | New York: EAM Dr S Jaishankar says On the G20 Summit, a lot of folks were still surprised that we actually got everybody together. I dont think they completely expected that. So therell be one set of people who are still wondering how that happened. The other part,… pic.twitter.com/CEVKg7qMNm— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2023 The G20 Summit held in India laid the foundation for the international community to look at the development prospects, according to the external affairs minister.“We do believe that the New Delhi summit of the G20 has in many ways laid the foundation for the international community really to look at its development prospects, hopefully with greater optimism, certainly in our expectation, with more resources, and that the decade ahead would allow us really to overcome the challenges that we have all experienced over the last few years,” he said.EAM calls G20 Summit challengingFurther, S Jaishankar called Indias G20 Presidency challenging due to a “very sharp East-West polarization and a “very deep North-South divide.” He said that India was very determined to ensure that Indias G20 Presidency could get back to its core agenda.“Your presence means a lot to us. It also expresses the sentiments that you feel for India and underlines the import of South-South cooperation. We meet just a few weeks after the New Delhi G20 Summit, a summit on the theme of One Earth, One Family, One Future,” Jaishankar said.“Now, it was a challenging summit. It was a challenging presidency, and it was challenging because we were confronting a very sharp East-West polarization as well as a very deep North-South divide. But we were very determined as the Presidency of the G20 to make sure that this organization on which the world had put so much hope was able to get back to its core agenda,” he added.
