During the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, India has once again strongly advocated for the interests of the Global South. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri presented India’s position at the 50th Annual Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the ‘Group of 77’ (G77) in New York. Sharing details on its official ‘X’ account, the Ministry of External Affairs stated, “Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri delivered India’s national statement at the 50th Annual Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the ‘Group of 77’ during UNGA81 in New York. The theme of the meeting was ‘The Global South and the Future of Multilateralism’.”
India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations also shared information about the meeting. In its post, the Mission noted that the Foreign Secretary emphasised the enduring importance of the G77 in advancing people-centric and development-oriented multilateralism. He remarked that the relevance of a platform like the G77 has grown even further in today’s world, as it unites the voices of developing nations. Misri also underscored the urgent need for reform within the UN Security Council (UNSC), stating that true multilateralism is impossible without strengthening the voice and representation of developing countries in the UNSC.
In his statement, the Foreign Secretary issued a significant call to action, urging the Global South to transition from the role of ‘rule-takers’ to ‘rule-makers.’ He emphasised that this would require collective effort from all developing nations. At another event, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed; the discussion focused on emerging opportunities in AI and sustainable development.
During the interaction, the Foreign Secretary highlighted India’s contributions to Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and outlined how the country is working towards developing inclusive, accessible, and human-centric AI technology to foster sustainable development. He also emphasised the need to make UN mechanisms—including country teams—more effective and efficient, so that development activities could be rapidly implemented at the grassroots level.
