At UNGA week, India signals realignment with the Global South

India stepped up its engagement with the Global South quite visibly during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s hectic consultations at the United Nation’s 80th high-level week, with strong criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza, U.S.-led trade turmoil, and the lack of UN reform in focus in statements.

More than half of his approximately 30 one-on-one bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers were with countries of the developing nations, while nearly all the multilateral meetings India hosted or Mr. Jaishankar hosted focused on the Global South’s issues, and non-western groupings.

The multilateral meetings included the BRICS, IBSA (India-Brazil- South Africa), India-CELAC (South American countries), India-SICA (Central American Integration System), FIPIC (with Pacific Island countries),