Answer: The Global South is a term often used to identify regions within Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania whose economies are developing and not yet fully developed vis-à-vis the Global North (North America and Western Europe). Although the majority of the Global South countries are located in the tropics or the Southern Hemisphere, the term itself is strictly economic. The ‘Global South’ is significant because of its large population, rich cultures, and abundant natural resources. However, the region faces new and upcoming challenges, which are the following:

• Global warming and climate crisis: The most affected would be the regions in the Global South as climate change fosters inequality, increases insecurity, destabilizes existing relationships, fuels forced migration, and intensifies competition for key and scarce resources.
• Interferences in the region: China is increasingly making inroads in the Global South through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for developing infrastructure, which exacerbates challenges of debt trap and loss of economic sovereignty.
• Food and energy insecurity: The recent Ukraine-Russia war has led to high prices for energy and food, posing immediate threats to human security, particularly among low-income and vulnerable populations in the Global South. It has also aggravated the debt vulnerabilities in the region.
• COVID-19 pandemic: It has significantly impacted countries in the Global South due to their inadequate access to basic resources such as clean water, healthcare, medicines, etc. Additionally, they often have limited access to resources such as financial capital, technology, and infrastructure.

The role that India can play in empowering the voice of the Global South includes:

• Democratization in the functioning of the multilateral institutions: India can bring together like-minded countries and raise a common voice for fair representation in multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Security Council, etc.
• Unifying the Global South: India has successfully positioned itself as a 21st century powerhouse and can play a vital role in unifying the Global South. For instance, the recent “Voice of the Global South Summit” hosted by India provides a platform for a common future and shaping a new world order.
• Responsible and trusted partner: India has made efforts to set its engagement in the region based on sustainable development programs, unlike China. For instance, India’s Vaccine Maitri program provided medications and vaccinations to over 100 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Digital transformation of the region: India’s public digital assets like the UPI, RuPay, and India Stack can be powerful instruments for the digital transformation of other developing and emerging countries in the Global South.

India is committed to utilizing the G20 presidency to give resonance to the voice of the Global South. Recent initiatives to establish the Global South Science and Technology Initiative, Global South Center of Excellence for research on development strategies, etc. India is taking steps in the right direction.