“Global South is not just diplomatic term…”: PM Modi at BRICS event

 In his address, the prime minister said that '' India considers the whole world as one family ''

Asian Age : Aug 25, 2023

Johannesburg:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the Global South is not just a diplomatic term but represents the shared history of these countries against colonialism and apartheid based on which modern relations are being reshaped.

Addressing the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue in the South African capital, PM Modi said BRICS countries- and all friendly nations present at the summit can contribute to the strengthening of a multipolar world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses at Open Plenary
Session of BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa,
Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023. (PTI)

“I am grateful to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for giving me the opportunity to share thoughts with the leaders of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In the last two days, we have focussed on the priorities and concerns of the countries of Global South,” PM Modi said.

“We believe that giving importance to them is the need of the current generation. We have also decided on the expansion of BRICS. We welcome all new partner countries. It is another step towards making the global institutions and forums competitive,” he added.

PM Modi recalled that it was on South African land that Mahatma Gandhi developed, tested the concepts of non-violence and peaceful resistance used in in India’s freedom struggle. He said that Gandhi’s thoughts provided inspiration to the South African leader Nelson Mandela.

In his address, the prime minister said that India considers the whole world as one family and has focussed on bringing the concerns of the Global South to the mainstream level.

“…This is also the core principle of our G20 presidency. To bring the concerns of the Global South into the mainstream, we have invited three African nations and several developing nations as guest countries. India has also put forward the proposal of giving permanent G20 membership to the African Union. I believe that BRICS and all friendly nations present today, can contribute to strengthening the multipolar world,” PM Modi said further.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi congratulated leaders and people of Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE over their full membership of BRICS and said India has always supported the expansion of the organisation.

In a statement in the presence of other leaders from BRICS countries, PM Modi said India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation.

"India has always supported the expansion of BRICS. India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation,” he said.

PM Modi said India has “historic ties” with all the new members of BRICS.

He said India will also contribute to other countries wanting to join as partner countries of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

PM roots for BRICS expansion

THE ASIAN AGE. | SRIDHAR KUMARASWAMI  Aug 24, 2023

New Delhi: India "fully supports the expansion of the Brics membership and welcomes moving forward with consensus on this", Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the open plenary session of the 15th Brics summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Wednesday evening.

Speaking at the plenary session of the Brics summit, just hours before India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission succeeded, the Prime Minister mooted "cooperation in the field of space" and suggested the creation of a Brics space exploration consortium wherein the grouping can work for the global good in areas like space research and weather monitoring.

The Prime Minister added that the grouping is already working on the Brics satellite constellation. He said that Brics will be "Breaking barriers, Revitalising economies, Inspiring innovation, Creating opportunities and Shaping the future".

"With initiatives like the Brics satellite constitution, the vaccine R&D centre and mutual recognition of pharma products, we are bringing positive changes in the lives of common citizens of the Brics countries," Modi said in his speech.

"My second suggestion is cooperation in education, skill development and technology. To make Brics a future-ready organisation, we have to make our societies future-ready. Technology will play an important role in this. In India, we have created DIKSHA, which is the Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing platform, to provide education to the children of remote and rural areas... Bhashini, an AI-based language platform, is being used in India to remove language barriers," he said, adding that "diversity is a great strength of India".

Talking about the importance of Africa in the world, Modi said that India, as the G20 grouping chair, had "proposed to give permanent membership of the G20 to the African Union" and added, "I am sure all the Brics partners are also together in the G20. And all will support our proposal."

The Prime Minister further said: "Giving special place to all these efforts in Brics will increase the self-confidence of the countries of the Global South (developing nations)… The countries of the Global South have been given special importance in the Brics, under the chairmanship of South Africa. We heartily welcome it. This is not only the expectation of the present time but also the need."

Modi added: "Our effort is to move forward together with all the countries on the motto of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. As many as 125 countries participated in the Voice of Global South summit held in January this year, sharing their concerns and priorities… Our New Development Bank is playing an important role in the development of the countries of the Global South."

The Prime Minister talked about joint efforts for the protection of big cats of different species that are found in all five Brics countries under the International Big Cat Alliance. He also highlighted the ecosystems of traditional medicine in Brics countries.

Earlier, on the issue of Brics expansion at the Brics leaders’ retreat, sources said, "India took the lead in forging consensus on membership criteria and selection of new members", adding that India’s efforts were guided by the objective to incorporate India’s strategic partners as new members.

The Brics currently has five member nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. According to reports, more than 20 nations have formally applied to join the grouping, while over 40 nations are keen to join the Brics. Countries that are keen to join reportedly include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Argentina and Bangladesh.