G7 and G20, with Japan and India at the helm, must ensure Global South has a voice at the table
- The twin presidencies of Japan and India are a chance to foster North-South cooperation in vital areas such as climate change, energy, food and infrastructure
- A joint Kishida-Modi diplomatic effort could see both leaders brokering peace in Moscow and Kyiv
Under India’s presidency, three prioritised G20 agendas are terrorism, pandemics and climate change. Similarly, Japan’s G7 presidency emphasises economic recovery, climate change mitigation, public health and nuclear non-proliferation. Their presidencies provide an opportunity to foster North-South cooperation led by Asia.
In contrast, for least-developed countries, a 7 per cent growth target was unreachable for most, even before the pandemic. The economic and social advantages of artificial intelligence, technological infrastructure, a clean energy transition and food security are still largely restricted to the Global North.
For most resource-constrained nations, implementing cutting-edge technology, ensuring food security and achieving a just energy transition are a prohibitive expense, never mind long-term operation and maintenance. The developing Global South has also been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and war in Ukraine.
Since G7 leaders have expressed support for India’s G20 chairmanship and pledged to work together for a better future, Japan and India should be able to push for greater collaboration in an environment of increasing financial vulnerabilities and geopolitical tensions.
Despite having sometimes divergent strategic goals, Japan and India have managed to worked closely to improve ties, especially in defence and security, economic cooperation and technology.
A joint Kishida-Modi diplomatic effort could see both leaders brokering peace in Moscow and Kyiv when the US and Europe have never been so diplomatically distant from Russia – and the UN has neither the consensus nor mandate to stop the war.
Meaningful coordination between the G20 and G7 presidencies can open windows for developing nations to participate in discussions on international policy and influence the global agenda.
Japan will need to emphasise the significance of the interdependence of all countries in the global economy, and increase efforts to resolve outstanding issues of North-South cooperation through dialogue, rather than diatribe.
The North-South collaboration under the leadership of Japan and India should vie to achieve a unified stance on critical issues such as poverty alleviation, food security, healthcare support, digital transformation, energy transition and climate change. The goal should be to create a strong global financial safety net to help identify, prevent and mitigate financial crises.
Japan and India should also catalyse discussions at the G7 and G20 to mobilise new funding mechanisms in the wake of the pandemic and Ukraine war. The much-needed physical and digital infrastructure in the Global South can only be financed by strengthening international financial cooperation on direct investment and official development aid.
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G7 and G20 leaders make pledges that have a huge impact on global governance and people’s lives. As the world struggles to reboot post-pandemic, and to spur socioeconomic advances while averting ecological catastrophes, adherence to those promises has never been more important.
The question is whether the Asian giants of Japan and India can rise to the occasion, to synergise their diplomatic acumen and statesmanship to make the world better and safer.
Tetsushi Sonobe is dean and chief executive of the Asian Development Bank Institute, Japan
Professor Syed Munir Khasru is chairman of the international think tank The Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG)