NEW DELHI, October 23 (Aalimi Nation) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that a new world order is emerging because the existing one is unable to meet today's challenges, and called for stronger multilateral institutions and a bigger voice for the Global South.
Delivering the keynote address at a summit in New Delhi titled "A World Between Orders", Mr Modi said the present arrangement "is unable to address the challenges in front of the world". He argued that technology has created new powers and new voices, and he called for "a new world order for the collective well-being of humankind".
The Prime Minister said India would play a key role in that order and was building its own capabilities to help strengthen the world. He said reform of multilateral organisations was essential so that developing nations receive their due place in decision-making.
Mr Modi said international cooperation must work during crises and not only in good times. He cited India's shipments of vaccines and medicines to other countries during the Covid-19 pandemic as an example of what such cooperation could look like. He also spoke of the need for a system in which the strong cannot exploit the weak, and referred to concerns that trade, technology and sea routes are increasingly being used as instruments of pressure.
On the economy, the Prime Minister said India aims to become one of the world's three largest economies and is already the fastest-growing major economy among large nations. He described his "Power to Empower" approach and said the goal of a developed India, or Viksit Bharat, would benefit the world as well.
He said India now engages the world as a "brain office" rather than only a back office, noting that the country hosts more than half of the world's Global Capability Centres. According to the Prime Minister, these centres have moved into advanced work in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, engineering and analytics.
Remarks on disorder at home
Mr Modi also said some people want disorder in India and that some people abroad try to damage the country's reputation. The remarks were widely read as directed at the Congress party. The party has not been quoted responding to the comments in the material reviewed, and the Prime Minister's statement did not provide specific evidence in the portions of the speech available.
Jaishankar on global unrest
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also spoke at the event. He said that in many instances of unrest around the world, outside actors have encouraged and supported the disturbance because they see it as a way to advance their own agenda. Asked about global volatility, he said turbulence has grown because politics has become more borderless, technology has spread and the economy has globalised.
