Why in news?

• The second Voice of Global South summit took place in virtual mode. This was the second time that India hosted the summit since January 2023.
  • The first summit was themed as "Energy Security and development: Roadmap to Prosperity".
  • It brought together 125 countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform in the run up to G20 Leaders Summit that was held in September 2023 in New Delhi.

What’s in today’s article?

• Global South
• News Summary

What constitutes the Global South?

• Not a geographical line
  • Despite how it sounds, it is not really a geographical term.
  • Many countries included in the Global South are in the northern hemisphere, such as India, China and all of those in the northern half of Africa.
  • Australia and New Zealand, both in the southern hemisphere, are not in the Global South.
• Brandt Line as the border
  • Many people refer to the Brandt Line as the border.
    • The line was proposed by former German Chancellor Willy Brandt in the 1980s as a visual depiction of the north-south divide based upon per-capita GDP.
  • It starts in the north of Mexico, goes across the top of Africa and the Middle East, makes a loop around India and China, and then goes down to include most of East Asia. It doesn't include Japan, Australia, or New Zealand.
  • 
• Global South as a concept
  • The Global South is a geographical, geopolitical, historical and developmental concept, all at the same time — with exceptions.

India Emerged As The Voice Of Global South

• One of the various visions of G20 presidency
  • When India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022, it set out various visions for the nation's year-long presidency and the Global South was one of them.
  • India organized eight ministerial-level thematic segments to address the most pressing concerns of the developing world.
• Raised the issues concerning Global South
  • On the international forums and at UN meetings and conferences.
• During Covid-19 pandemic
  • Made-in-India vaccines were sent to about 100 countries. And about 150 nations imported medicines during this period from the Pharmacy of the World.
• Hosted the Voice of Global South Summit
  • India hosted the Voice of Global South Summit virtually in January 2023 with representatives from 125 countries.
  • India even ensured that the region remained centre stage at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year.
• African Union as a full member of the G20 under India’s presidency.
• The 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa
  • During this summit, PM Modi said that the Global South is not just a diplomatic term but represents the shared history of these countries against colonialism and apartheid based on which modern relations are being reshaped.
• Two-day event on international taxation
  • In an attempt to voice the views of the Global South on important international issues, India held a two-day event on International Taxation at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT).
  • This event was an initiative of the Indian Presidency to bolster capacity building for Indian tax officials in the area of International Taxation, with a global south perspective.
• India-UN Capacity Building Initiative
  • In September 2023, the “India-UN Capacity Building Initiative” was announced at the event India-UN for the Global South-Delivering for Development.
  • The initiative aims to share the country's best practices with partner countries in the Global South.

News Summary: Second Voice of Global South Summit

• India hosted the second Voice of Global South Summit (VOGSS) in virtual mode.
• The theme of the inaugural leaders’ session was ‘Together, for Everyone’s Growth, with Everyone’s Trust’ and that of the concluding leaders’ session was ‘Global South: Together for One Future’.
• Summit would focus on sharing with countries of the Global South the key outcomes achieved in various G20 meetings over the course of India's Presidency.

Key highlights of the summit

• Inauguration of DAKSHIN
  • PM Modi inaugurated a global centre for excellence for the Global South countries called DAKSHIN.
  • PM had proposed setting up the centre during the first Voice of Global South Summit in January.
• Proposal to launch a satellite
  • During the G20 Summit, India proposed to launch a satellite for monitoring weather and climate monitoring for Global South.
  • During this summit, PM assured that India is working on it at a fast pace.
• PM coined 5 ‘Cs’ for the Global South
  • 5 ‘Cs’: consultation, cooperation, communication, creativity & capacity building.
• On Israel-Palestine conflict
  • PM noted that India has condemned the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7.
    • India also sent humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine.
  • At the same time, India also strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.