'Our time is coming', says PM Narendra Modi at Voice of Global South Summit 2023

PM Narendra Modi said that the Global South has the largest stakes in the future as the three-fourths of humanity lives in our countries.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (January 12, 2023) addressed the opening session of the "Voice of Global South Summit 2023" and flagged concerns over rising prices of food, fuel and fertilisers, economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as natural disasters driven by climate change. In his virtual address, Modi said that the "world is in a state of crisis" and that it is difficult to predict how long this state of instability will last. He also stressed the need for the Global South to escape the cycle of dependency on systems and circumstances which are not of its making. Modi stated that in the 21st Century, global growth will come from countries of the South.

"We are meeting as a new year dawns and brings new hopes and new energy," he told leaders who joined from different parts of the world. 

"We have turned the page on another difficult year, that saw: War, conflict, terrorism and geo-political tensions: Rising food, fertilizer and fuel prices; Climate-Change driven natural disasters, and the Lasting economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is clear the world is in a state of crisis. It is difficult to predict how long this state of instability will last," Modi said.

He said that the Global South has the largest stakes in the future. 

"Three-fourths of humanity lives in our countries. We should also have an equivalent voice. Hence, as the eight-decade old model of global governance slowly changes, we should try to shape the emerging order," Modi said.

"Most of the global challenges have not been created by the Global South. But they affect us more. We have seen this in the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, terrorism and even the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The search for solutions also does not factor in our role or our voice," the prime minister added.

Addressing the inaugural session of "Voice of Global South Summit." https://t.co/i9UdGR7sYH — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 12, 2023

"Despite the challenges the developing world faces, I remain optimistic that our time is coming," he said and added that the need of the hour is to identify simple, scalable and sustainable solutions that can transform our societies and economies. 

"With such an approach, we shall overcome the difficult challenges - whether it is poverty, universal healthcare or building human capacities," PM Modi said.