The Philippines has joined 124 other countries from the southern part of the globe in a two-day summit hosted by India, which aimed to give voice for the developing and least developed countries during the upcoming G20 Summit.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo participated in the summit's "Foreign Ministers' Session on G20," where 14 other countries gave their suggestions for India's presidency during this year's gathering of 20 world leaders from economic superpowers.
The event, entitled Voice of Global South Summit, was held from Jan. 12 to 13, 2023 to focus the "international attention on priorities, perspectives and concerns of the developing world," Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement. This was the first time India held such a gathering, which was conducted online, as it wanted to hear and represent the concerns of the developing and least developed countries during the G20.
"This is particularly relevant as the world passes through a difficult period marked by challenges to health, food security, affordable access to energy, climate finance and technologies, and economic growth," it added.
Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi presided over the Inaugural Leaders' session, which was followed by eight ministerial-level thematic segments dedicated to addressing the most pressing concerns of the developing world.
There, Modi cited the key issues at stake for the developing world.
He highlighted the opportunity for uplifting societies and economies of the Global South through a shared vision and agenda for change. He then offered India's experiences through simple, scalable and sustainable solutions by noting its achievements in vaccine development, biometric based identification, digital public goods, financial inclusion, satellite technology, digital governance, last mile connectivity, etc.
Modi also spoke about the need for the developing world to have access to technology, knowledge and critical resources.
During the conclusion of the summit, the participating countries expressed hope the gathering would serve as a catalyst for building a prosperous and inclusive future for the world that takes into account the needs of the Global South.