S Jaishankar calls on NAM to be bolder in seeking its due

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New Delhi, January 19

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar called on non-aligned countries to be “bolder in seeking due and pressing demands’’.

“We may have overthrown the yoke of colonialism, but we struggle with new forms of inequity and domination. In the era of globalisation, we see economic concentrations that treat the rest of the world as simply markets or resources,” Jaishankar said at the NAM summit which opened in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday.

“The more we share, collaborate and reinforce each other, the more we will change the world. The voice of the NAM is here to be heard,’’ he said.

Jaishankar identified debt, inflation and growth challenges as the triad that weighs heavily on the developing world in addition to other concerns such as the Gaza conflict, climate change and the after-effects of the pandemic.

Delivering the country statement, the minister pointed out that the smallest need is often manufactured furthest away. “We are also subject to narratives of political correctness and universalism that do not give their due to our culture and traditions,” he pointed out.

Jaishankar called on NAM to respond to these challenges by promoting a multipolar world with a reformed UN at its core. This should be accompanied by economic decentralisation with greater regional production.

Listing some of the practical steps in this regard, Jaishankar said regional economic hubs, resilient supply chains, predictable mobility and trusted data flows were essential.