UNGA 78 and the Global South's Quest for a Fairer World

World leaders are gathering from 18 to 26 September to address a multitude of global challenges; persistent poverty and inequality, accelerating climate change, threats to peace, health crises recovery and preparedness, and geopolitical turmoil. It is a busy week for all of us too, as we tune in to watch the unfolding development, statements, debates, and perspectives shared on these monumental issues that are impacting our day-to-day lives, directly or indirectly.

Welcome to the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) week!

One cannot help but notice the absence of most top leaders of the permanent five at the UN Security Council, which raises questions about the General Assembly's contemporary relevance. With Joe Biden being the only exception, it's a stark reminder of shifting global dynamics. In addition, the rate and intensity of crises, rivalries, and grievances worldwide are testing the deliberative body’s legitimacy, relevancy, and credibility.

An interesting diplomatic “fault line” that became even more obvious is the North-South divide between the rich against lower-middle-income nations. For the lack of a better, more nuanced word, the term “Global South” is no stranger to our ears when describing what used to be the “third-world nations” or the “underdeveloped and developing countries.”

Rifts emerge from the indifference of the richer counterparts to the imminent, tangible issues faced by the South—inequality, hunger, access to healthcare, rising sea levels, sustainable development, financing and aid. The perceived lack of global solidarity gives rise to the recent mini-lateral grouping BRICS that aims to rival the entrenchment of the wealthier, more powerful North.

Despite me setting quite the pessimistic tone here, there is no denying the role of the General Assembly and the important outcomes that might come out of this year’s session: renewed commitments on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), greater cooperation in addressing climate change, increased support on the Ukraine War and other armed conflicts, among others.

All in all, equity is the theme of the year, especially with development financing and three high-level meetings on health on the table. The Global South is looking to correct the systemic and structural imbalances that allow players in the Global North to disproportionately influence the international system, while also working together to solve the very real, impending global issues such as the impacts of climate change.

Just last week during the G20 Summit in New Delhi, the Global South agenda was put squarely at the center of the global governance agenda, with the admittance of the African Union into the grouping and new development partnerships that foster inclusive growth being on the table. India can look back in satisfaction with it holding a dynamic platform and reviving faith in the ability of multilateral processes.

At the General Assembly, the Indonesian Foreign Minister delivered a joint statement on behalf of ASEAN, calling for a strong world commitment to put back on track the SDGs implementation, followed by Indonesia’s statement to create a conducive global environment that allows equal opportunities for developing countries. Statements in a similar tone are expected in the following summits.

Bringing equality and equity to the conversation is one step forward to practical solutions to our long list of problems. While the tangible goals of development are voiced almost unanimously by the Global South, implementation—let alone commitment, even understanding—of more “non-direct” issues like the war in Ukraine which seems to be the “West’s problem” will be more arduous to pursue.

This does not mean that developing nations do not care—in fact, they do, once the issue is broken down into real things that people are facing: food price hikes due to disrupted supply, energy scarcity, or in other words, backward development.

In addition, even among the Global South nations, progress in the implementation of SDGs that they always laud will occur at different rates of progress and commitment, since most of these nations still have daunting tasks of catching up economically and ensuring stability in the first place. Translating ideas into practical solutions requires sustained efforts, commitment, and most importantly, cooperation.

In an invigorated multilateral system, addressing the complex web of global challenges lies on a profound shift in perspective—a recognition that with greater power, comes an even greater responsibility.

This “mental trick” of power-sharing transcends the divides between countries, North or South, East or West. It makes room for mutual respect for differences and fosters cooperation in common goals.

As we await the outcomes of this year's General Assembly, let us remember that the ultimate aspiration of this global forum is to turn such shared understanding into action. The real test lies not just in the speeches and resolutions, but in the tangible steps taken toward a fairer, more inclusive, equitable world.?