An Empowered Global South Is Inevitable: PM Anwar

From V. Sankara

NEW DELHI, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia believes that an empowered Global South is inevitable and its rise will foster unity among diverse nations while embracing their diversity and differences, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 

Anwar said the resurgence of the Global South narratives and the growing desire for greater participation in the international system have pushed regional powers to the forefront and these emerging powers now have opportunities to exert influence and shape the discourse on what a Global South agenda should encompass.

“The Global South represents the reclaiming of a voice that can no longer be ignored in the emerging international order. An empowered Global South, as I see it, is inevitable.

“There are now real opportunities to push the envelope on addressing global challenges on terms that we can set in consultation with one another.

“And this of course, on pressing issues that we are all still finding our footing on – climate change, supply chain resilience, food security and artificial intelligence governance,” he said when delivering a lecture entitled “Towards a Rising Global South: Leveraging Malaysia-India Ties” at Sapru House, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) here Tuesday. 

Anwar, who is on an official visit to India from Aug 19 to 21, said that despite some negative perceptions, the Global South’s movement is not intended to exclude the Global North. 

Instead, he said it is based on recognising the Global South’s growing influence and a commitment to collaborate as equals within complex strategic contexts.

“In fact, the Global South mobilisation is predicated on the acceptance of our growing agency and the desire to work together as equals within our complex strategic contexts,” Anwar said.

He said as a significant driver of global prosperity, the Global South currently accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product and 85 per cent of the global population. 

By  2030, three of the four largest economies are projected to come from the Global South, with India among them.

The Global South is a term used to describe countries primarily located in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. 

These countries are generally regarded as less economically developed compared to those in the Global North, which include Europe, North America and parts of East Asia.

-- BERNAMA