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India and the Global South: A Partnership for Equity and Development


In the evolving multipolar world order, the idea of the Global South—comprising Asia, Africa, Latin America, and parts of Oceania—has gained renewed strategic and moral significance. As a country with shared colonial legacies, developmental aspirations, and cultural affinities with the Global South, India’s leadership role has never been more crucial. The partnership between India and the Global South today is not just a diplomatic necessity but a historic opportunity to redefine global equity, sustainability, and inclusive development.

The Idea of the Global South

The term "Global South" transcends mere geography. It signifies nations historically marginalized in global governance, those that share struggles of colonization, economic dependency, and underdevelopment. The Global South demands reform in international institutions—from the UN Security Council to the Bretton Woods system—so they better reflect 21st-century realities. In this context, India emerges as both a leader and a bridge, advocating for equitable development, south-south cooperation, and the democratization of global decision-making.

India’s Historic Connect with the Global South

India’s role as a moral and political voice of the Global South can be traced back to the Non-Aligned Movement, Bandung Conference, and its long-standing support for anti-apartheid, decolonization, and disarmament. Leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Nelson Mandela envisioned a world where newly independent nations could collaborate on development while preserving sovereignty.

In recent decades, India’s developmental diplomacy has expanded through lines of credit, capacity-building (ITEC programme), disaster relief, and humanitarian aid—especially across Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.

Equity: Addressing Structural Inequalities

Equity in global development is not merely about financial assistance but about correcting systemic power imbalances:

  • Climate Justice: India advocates for the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) principle, ensuring that historical emitters bear a fair share of climate mitigation.

  • Vaccine Equity: India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic exemplified solidarity by providing vaccines to over 90 countries, especially in Africa and South Asia.

  • Digital Equity: Through the India Stack model and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) cooperation, India promotes inclusive tech-led growth in nations with weak institutional capacity.

India’s vision for equity is also inclusive and pluralistic, rooted in Gandhian ideals of self-reliance, dignity, and trusteeship.

Development: Partnership, Not Patronage

India’s development cooperation with the Global South is marked by mutual respect, non-conditionality, and shared innovation:

India’s economic ascent allows it to offer "development without domination"—a model distinct from Western aid or Chinese loans.

Challenges in the Partnership

Despite these successes, India faces limitations:

  • Resource constraints in competing with big-power development financing.

  • Geopolitical frictions, especially with China in South Asia and Africa.

  • Perception issues about India’s domestic socio-economic challenges.

  • Need for deeper institutionalisation of India’s development cooperation mechanisms, including a dedicated Development Agency.

The Road Ahead: India as a Vishwa-Mitra (Global Friend)

As India positions itself as a “Vishwa Mitra” (friend of the world), it must:

  • Institutionalize a Global South Forum for shared learning.

  • Push for reform in the UNSC, WTO, IMF, to ensure developing nations have a real voice.

  • Expand education, digital, health, and green partnerships with least developed countries (LDCs).

  • Promote a human-centric globalization, as reflected in PM Modi’s “One Earth, One Family, One Future” G20 slogan.

India must also remain rooted in constitutional values—liberty, equality, fraternity—when representing the aspirations of the Global South.

Conclusion

The partnership between India and the Global South is not just a strategic alignment; it is a civilizational calling. India’s unique position—as a democracy, emerging economy, and a nation of deep cultural pluralism—makes it an authentic voice for equitable development. As the world transitions into a post-Western order, the India–Global South partnership can become the bedrock for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable global future.

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