 "India supports restraint, dialogue in Hamas-Israel conflict: PM Modi")
While India has condemned the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called for restraint in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Virtually addressing a large gathering of foreign leaders at the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS) organised by India on Friday, Modi said India has supported dialogue and diplomacy, and condemned civilian deaths due to the conflict.
At least 11,500 Palestinians have been killed, including around 7,900 women and children, and over 29,800 others have been injured, according to figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, run by Hamas. Meanwhile, Israel has reported 1,200 civilian deaths, as well as the death of 371 soldiers since October 7.
The Prime Minister’s comments gained significance as most countries in the Global South voiced support for the Palestinian cause, denouncing Israel for the attacks on Gaza.
Modi said India shares the same interests as the myriad nations of the Global South. “We may be more than 100 different countries, but our interests are the same, our priorities are the same,” the Prime Minister said.
The Global South refers to nations having a relatively low level of economic and industrial development, and are typically located to the south of more industrialised nations.
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However, the traditional list of nations that make up the Global South is vague, considering that these nations are now spread across a large spectrum of economic development.
Modi said all participants at the G20 Summit in Delhi had accepted that major reforms are needed at multilateral development banks (MDBs) while developing countries must get easier access to sustainable finance.
He said the global drive to reach the United Nation’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) had been sluggish in recent years, and the G20 had created an action plan to speed it up. This is expected to strengthen efforts on poverty alleviation in many countries, he said.
Summing up India’s foreign policy focus, Modi said the G20 motto of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ should be sought through the 5Cs — consultation, cooperation, communication, creativity and capacity building.
Strengthening ties
India hosted the inaugural VOGSS on January 12-13, also in a virtual format.
The initiative brought together 125 countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform. These have been compiled and integrated by India into its agenda for the G20 Presidency.
One of the key recommendations that had emerged from the African nations was a demand for representation in the G20. This was achieved after the African Union became the 21st member of the body after the New Delhi summit. On Friday, almost all the African leaders speaking at the summit thanked India for its initiative.
As part of his address, Modi also launched the Global South Centre of Excellence under the government’s Development and Knowledge Sharing Initiative (DAKSHIN). The Centre had been proposed by Modi during the last summit.
He said India is working fast to ensure his earlier promise of launching weather and climate monitoring satellites for Global South nations is fulfilled.
Modi laid stress on the last G20 Summit focusing for the first time on Small Island Developing States. Modi said he considers these nations as ‘Large Ocean Countries’.
Leadership presence
The leaders of Nauru, Fiji and Mauritius were present at the session.
The number of nations whose leaders had participated in the inaugural session was not immediately clear.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippines President Bongbong Marcos were present, as were leaders from Papua New Guinea, and Kyrgyzstan. The leaders of Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar were also present.
Among India’s neighbours, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bhutan’s monarch Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck were present.