Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the inaugural session of the Second Voice of Global South Summit, said India strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the ongoing conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants.
Modi said new challenges are emerging from the situation in western Asia.
“…We all are seeing that new challenges are emerging from the events in the West Asia region. India has condemned the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7. We have exercised restraint as well. We have given emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy. We also strongly condemn the deaths of civilians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas,” Modi said at the summit.
Modi also said after speaking to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, India has sent humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine. “This is the time when the countries of the Global South should unite for the greater global good,” the prime minister said.
On the occasion, Modi called for cooperation under the framework of five Cs – “consultation, communication, cooperation, creativity, capacity building”.
Modi also said India believes that new technology should not widen the gap between the Global North and the Global South. “During the times of Artificial Intelligence, it is important that technology should be used responsibly. To further promote this, next month, India will organise the ArtificiaI Global Partnership Summit…,” he said.
Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi earlier said the summit would be held in virtual mode and the inaugural session would be led by Modi.
Bagchi said the opening segments of each of these sessions will be live-streamed.
The MEA earlier said that throughout its G20 Presidency, India has made an effort to guarantee that the issues facing the Global South are given the attention they deserve and that their objectives are taken into account when developing answers to the world’s most urgent problems.
The 2nd VOGSS would focus on sharing with countries of the Global South the key outcomes achieved in various G20 meetings over the course of India’s Presidency. The challenges posed by global developments are also likely to be discussed.
Further, the summit will serve as a platform to discuss ways to sustain the momentum generated towards the common aspiration of a more inclusive, representative and progressive world order.
The second VOGSS will be structured into 10 sessions. The inaugural and concluding sessions would be at the head of state/government level, and hosted by Modi.
The theme of the inaugural leaders’ session is “Together, for Everyone’s Growth, with Everyone’s Trust” and that of the concluding leaders’ session is “Global South: Together for One Future”, the MEA said.
The summit, in addition, will also have eight ministerial sessions with the following themes:* Foreign Ministers’ Session on “India & the Global South: Emerging Together for a Better Future”
(With inputs from agencies)
