Kathmandu, Sept 23: Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has called on Global South countries to move from following rules set by others to helping make the rules that shape their future.
Speaking at a ministerial meeting of like-minded Global South countries and partners in New York during the high-level week of the 81st UN General Assembly, Khanal said developing countries needed a stronger collective voice in global decisions. The meeting was hosted by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
“Empowerment means the Global South must move from being rule takers to rule makers,” Khanal said. “We should not be limited to implementing agendas drawn up by others.” Developing countries, he added, should help set the rules, run institutions and make policies that affect them.
Khanal said Nepal’s membership of the Group of 77 and China and the Non-Aligned Movement reflected its commitment to solidarity among developing countries. “Global prosperity cannot be sustainable when half of humanity remains marginalised in decision-making,” he said.
According to his secretariat, Khanal called for urgent reform of global institutions, including the UN Security Council and international financial bodies. Their structures, he said, should reflect the world today rather than the balance of power in 1945.
He also urged fairer access to finance for developing countries facing heavy debt burdens while trying to fund sustainable development. On trade, he called for an open, fair, rules-based system centred on the World Trade Organisation. Predictable market access, meaningful special treatment, aid for trade and stronger regional supply chains were particularly important for developing countries and those preparing to graduate from least-developed status, he said.
Khanal reaffirmed Nepal’s support for the United Nations as a foundation of international law and sovereign equality. He described the UN80 reform initiative as an opportunity to reduce fragmentation within the organisation, but said institutional changes must strengthen its development and climate work.
Vulnerable countries suffer most when international cooperation breaks down, Khanal said. He called for dialogue, technology sharing and cooperation among developing countries in place of pressure driven by power politics.
“Empowering the Global South means revitalising multilateralism itself,” he said.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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