India and the Global South - Leadership Role for UPSC

India and the Global South: Voice, Leadership Claims, and What Delivery Requires

“Global South” is a political shorthand for developing countries seeking greater voice in rule-making, finance, technology, and representation. It is not strictly geographic—Australia is “North,” and Gulf economies straddle both worlds. India aspires to be a bridge: trusted by the South yet networked with the G7. This article traces the idea, the agenda (debt, climate justice, representation), India’s initiatives, and the competition from others—especially China.

Origins and Evolution

Bandung (1955), NAM, and G77 framed early “Third World” solidarity. “Global South” emerged as a less Cold War–loaded term for countries demanding development space and equity. Today it spans low-income, emerging middle-income, and even energy-rich states with varied interests. The core commonality: desire for fairer finance, tech access, and voice in global governance.

The Agenda: Debt, Climate Justice, Representation, Technology

• Debt and finance: Faster, fairer restructuring that includes all creditors; more concessional finance and grants; MDB reform for bigger lending without crushing debt.
• Climate justice: Fulfil and exceed the $100 bn pledge; set a higher, grant-heavy post-2025 goal; fund adaptation and Loss & Damage; enable affordable clean tech and resilience.
• Representation: UNSC reform to include major developing countries; quota and voice reforms in IMF/World Bank; seats at standard-setting bodies; G20 expansion (AU entry) as precedent.
• Trade and industrial policy: Preserve policy space for industrialisation, digital rules that respect sovereignty, fair agriculture and fisheries terms, and access to supply chains for green/semiconductor transitions.
• Poverty and food security: Buffer the poor from price shocks in food, fuel, and fertiliser; build social protection and resilient supply chains.

India’s Pitch as Voice and Bridge

India hosted the Voice of Global South Summit (Jan 2023) to feed concerns into its G20 presidency. At G20, it championed AU membership, climate finance signalling, and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as affordable inclusion tools. Vaccine Maitri during COVID built goodwill in Africa, Asia, Latin America. India offers India Stack building blocks (ID, payments, data exchanges) as digital public goods, positioning as a partner rather than a creditor.

Competing Claims: China and Others

• China: Projects itself as Global South leader with Belt and Road financing and manufacturing scale. It stresses South solidarity but faces trust deficits on debt and transparency.
• Middle powers: Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, and Gulf states also court leadership; agendas diverge on trade, climate ambition, and governance reform.
• Fragmentation: Oil exporters, small islands, LDCs, and large emerging economies have different priorities; consensus is often thin.

Key Platforms and Coalitions

BRICS: Expanded beyond the original five to include Iran, UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia (more may follow). The New Development Bank offers alternatives to Bretton Woods terms but still depends on member credit quality. India wants BRICS to stay pragmatic and not drift into anti-West posturing.

IBSA: India–Brazil–South Africa highlights democratic developing economies; potential to revive on digital governance, food security, and health.

G77+China: Traditional UN negotiating bloc on development, climate finance, and trade; diverse membership makes consensus slow.

G20 with AU: Gives the South a bigger formal footprint; still not universal but includes major economies shaping finance and climate agendas.

South–South cooperation: India’s ITEC training, lines of credit, grants, and ISRO launch services are its main instruments, alongside ISA (solar) and the Global Biofuels Alliance.

Climate Justice and Finance

Developing countries emphasise historical responsibility and equity. Demands include scaled grants for adaptation, clear Loss & Damage funding, and affordable mitigation finance. Technology transfer and open access to critical minerals and manufacturing are part of the equity argument. India backs 1.5–2°C goals with equity, pushes LiFE (lifestyles for environment), and seeks large finance with policy space for its own energy transition.

Debt and Development Finance

Debt distress spiked post-pandemic; the Common Framework’s slow progress frustrates many. India supports quicker, comparable treatment and transparent lending. Its own lines of credit/grants must disburse faster and finish projects to remain attractive versus faster BRI execution. MDB capital and risk-tools are vital to deliver trillions needed for SDGs/climate—Global South advocacy focuses on this.

Digital Public Goods Offer

India promotes DPI as low-cost inclusion rails; success depends on cyber security, privacy safeguards, and adaptation to local laws. Training and open standards are critical. If pilots in Africa/Asia deliver lower transaction costs and better access to services, India’s credibility as a “tech democracy” for the South will grow.

Trade, Tech, and Industrial Policy

Many Southern countries want flexibility on tariffs/subsidies for industrialisation and food security. India often aligns with them on S&DT in WTO, food stockholding, and fisheries subsidies, while pursuing its own export and PLI goals. Digital trade and data flow rules are emerging fault lines: protecting sovereignty vs enabling cross-border digital services.

Representation Battles

• UNSC reform: India and Africa push for permanent seats; P5 resistance endures. India cites population, economy, peacekeeping, and bridge role.
• IFIs: Slow quota/voice reform; Global South seeks more influence and a bigger, cheaper pool of finance for climate/development.
• Standards bodies: ISO/ITU/AI/6G forums matter; absence cedes space to others (including China) to set norms.

What Makes Leadership Credible

• Delivering tangible benefits: vaccines, concessional finance, technology, training, market access.
• Reliability: follow-through on timelines and maintenance, not just announcements.
• Coalition-sensitivity: aligning with Africa/ASEAN/LAC priorities, not only Indian narratives.
• Balancing great-power ties: Engage US/EU/Japan to unlock finance/tech while maintaining autonomy and trust with Southern partners.

Risks and Pitfalls

• Over-promising relative to fiscal and execution capacity; stalled projects erode trust.
• Perception of using “Global South” mainly for leverage with major powers rather than genuine solidarity.
• Divergent interests within the South producing lowest-common-denominator outcomes.
• Debt sustainability concerns if assistance is poorly structured.

Opportunities for India

• Scale DPI exports with capacity building; showcase measurable gains in pilot countries.
• Champion adaptation/L&D grants and MDB reform; convene coalitions on concessional finance and resilient infrastructure.
• Partner on critical minerals and pharma with African/ASEAN states to build diversified, ethical supply chains.
• Use AU’s G20 membership to co-lead agendas on food security, health, and climate with Africa and Latin America.
• Leverage ISA, Biofuels Alliance, and green hydrogen cooperation as Southern-led solutions.

Numbers and Facts to Update

• Debt distress list and Common Framework/other restructuring progress.
• Climate finance delivered vs pledged; grant share; L&D fund capitalisation.
• Scale and completion rates of India’s lines of credit/grants; key partner geographies.
• DPI adoption metrics in partner countries (accounts opened, transactions, cost savings).
• BRICS/NDB lending volumes and currency use; IMF quota debates status.

Takeaway: The Global South is a broad, sometimes fragmented coalition. India can amplify its voice if it couples rhetoric with delivery—funds that flow, tech that works, and coalitions that win concrete concessions on finance and representation. Credibility will rest on speed, transparency, and respect for partners’ priorities, while maintaining enough balance with major powers to actually unlock the money and technology the South needs.

Voice of Global South Summit: What It Did

India convened leaders/ministers from 125+ countries in early 2023, collecting priorities: debt relief speed, affordable food/fuel, climate finance, tech access, and fair digital rules. India fed these into its G20 agenda (AU entry, climate finance signalling, DPI repository). The summit bolstered India’s “listener, not lecturer” image, but follow-up—project funding, training, technology pilots—is needed to sustain credibility.

Health Diplomacy and Supply Chains

Vaccine Maitri supplied millions of doses to Africa/Asia/Caribbean when rich countries hoarded shots. This built goodwill but also expectation that India can be a pharma/manufacturing hub for the South. Securing API supply, quality control, and regulatory convergence will determine whether India can anchor regional health security.

Energy Transition and Minerals

Global South countries hold critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths) needed for EVs/renewables. India’s partnerships with Australia, Africa, and Latin America aim to diversify away from single-source dominance. South–South projects in solar, biofuels, and green hydrogen can provide growth paths if financed affordably and paired with local manufacturing and skills.

Food, Fertiliser, and Resilience

Price spikes post-Ukraine highlighted vulnerability. India’s wheat export controls and fertiliser diplomacy with Africa/South Asia underscore competing priorities: domestic price stability vs solidarity. Sharing resilient crop varieties, storage, and logistics know-how can be a practical South–South deliverable.

Digital Sovereignty vs Openness

Many Southern states want data localisation and sovereign control; others seek open flows for services trade. India tries to balance by promoting open-source DPI with local data control options. Clear privacy and cybersecurity safeguards are crucial to avoid mistrust and to counter narratives of surveillance or vendor lock-in.

Financing Architecture: Practical Steps

• Push hybrid capital/guarantees at MDBs to lower borrowing costs for Southern projects.
• Advocate grant windows for adaptation/L&D and for digital public goods deployment.
• Build project preparation facilities so partners can absorb finance; many LDCs lack bankable proposals.
• Encourage local currency financing and payment systems to cut forex risk where feasible.

Deliverables India Can Lead

• Expand ISA and Biofuels Alliance membership and projects in Africa/ASEAN; measure MW installed and farmers reached.
• Offer satellite data (disaster, agriculture) and training to partner agencies at low cost via ISRO.
• Scale DPI pilots with cyber audits and user-protection frameworks; publish impact metrics.
• Provide structured capacity building (ITEC) aligned to partner priorities (health supply chains, customs digitisation, climate adaptation planning).

Bottom Line for India’s Claim

Leadership in the Global South will be judged on tangible, timely outcomes, not slogans. India’s advantages—credible democracy, tech stack, pharma and space capabilities, and broad diplomatic ties—must be matched by faster execution, concessional finance, and a willingness to let partners shape agendas. Balancing cooperation with the North while delivering for the South is the crux of India’s “bridge” ambition.