“Global South” is a general term for nations in Oceania and most of Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean, which are generally less economically developed than the Global North. Most of them are also ex-colonies. Typical issues the nations encounter include reduced incomes, increased poverty, inferior infrastructure, and ongoing development needs.
The Global South then emerged as a value-free postcolonial successor to the obsolescent “Third World” nomenclature following decolonization, expressing solidarity among postcolonial nations calling for a more equitable international world. It represents a common call for greater voice and influence in global affairs.
The Global South is not uniform – its nations vary in size, politics and resources – but they tend to act together on aspects such as climate change, trade and development finance to enhance their common interests.
The Global South’s Resurgence and Agenda
Following decades of peripheralization, most countries of the Global South have enjoyed swift economic and population growth. Presently, the Global South is home to most of the world’s inhabitants and a rising proportion of global GDP and trade. The emerging powers like China, India, Brazil, and others have redrawn economic weight, showing power and ingenuity, defying traditional Western hegemony. Thus, for example, BRICS nations now control approximately 40% of global commerce and contain a large percentage of world manufacturing, and have created new institutions (like the BRICS New Development Bank) to meet Southern needs.
As a result, Global South voices are more assertive. Governments increasingly demand reforms to make world governance more inclusive. Common objectives include UN and Bretton Woods Reform, Equitable Development Financing, Fair Trade and Debt Relief, Climate Justice, and South–South Cooperation
South-South Cooperation and New Alliances
Global South nations are increasingly building their own platforms and alliances to push their agenda. The BRICS group (originally Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) has expanded to include emerging economies from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, making it a “majority-world” bloc. BRICS serves as a key channel for developing countries to coordinate on economics and politics. For example, the BRICS Summit 2024 (Kazan, Russia) was explicitly themed “BRICS and the Global South: Building a Better World Together”, underlining the group’s outreach beyond its core members. As BRICS expands, it increasingly “represents the great majority of the world’s population who live in the developing world”.
Similarly, G20 membership has been broadened and agendas set to reflect Southern concerns – for instance, India’s 2023 presidency secured a permanent G20 seat for the African Union. Other initiatives like the Global South–South Development Fund, regional trade pacts (AfCFTA, ASEAN), and the UN’s Office for South–South Cooperation all aim to build capacity and solidarity among developing nations. These new alliances allow the Global South to reduce dependency on traditional Western-led bodies and “widen the choices” for global cooperation.
Together, these platforms shape a more multipolar world order. Leaders at the 2025 BRICS Summit in Brazil explicitly linked BRICS’ diversity and multipolarity to global governance change. India’s Prime Minister Modi has underscored that “diversity and multipolarity are valued strengths of the BRICS” and stressed that “BRICS could play an important role in shaping a multipolar world”. British analyst Martin Jacques similarly observed that BRICS’ expansion gives developing countries a louder voice and ultimately could make the Global South the “majoritarian element in global governance”.
Leadership and Initiatives from India and Others
India has become a voice leader of the Global South, defining its place in international platforms. Indian leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi routinely, in orations and diplomacy, attempt to define the necessity for an inclusive global order that privileges the South.
For example, India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar told a BRICS outreach meeting in October 2024 that the world is faced with a paradox: “Some of the developing countries are richer and the old order is changing, but there are lots of inequalities remaining.”. He argued that institutions like BRICS must be made stronger “to make a difference for the Global South,” and that institutions like the UN, IMF and World Bank must undergo immediate reform in order to be adjusted to realities of today.
He also provided concrete steps: diversifying production chains, regional connectivity in place, and innovations shared (i.e., India’s digital public infrastructure and solar alliance) so that globalization benefits are made more equally available.
At the global level, India used its recent G20 presidency to elevate Southern concerns. It brought African leaders into the G20 and launched initiatives on climate finance, health, and digital cooperation. He highlighted the urgent need for climate finance and technology transfer to developing countries and declared that sustainable development in the South requires “access to climate finance and technology”.
Towards a More Inclusive Order
The Global South’s growing influence suggests a new world order is emerging — one that is more multipolar and contestable. Southern countries now command over half of global GDP growth and a majority of the world’s consumers and young workers. Through diplomatic forums, development banks, and issue coalitions, they are steadily pushing institutions to adapt. They advocate reforms that would make the system “more equitable and fit to address common challenges”, not by undermining universal values but by making institutions universal in character.
The passage to this reform is continued South–South cooperation and multilateralism that is inclusive. Experts note that empowering local capacity (e.g., directing more humanitarian aid through local actors, rather than big NGOs) and creating support systems for each other will trigger development and resilience. If Western powers hold out against Southern pressures, analysts caution, the result would be more divisions and less global rule.
Conversely, genuine partnerships — like expanding BRICS and G20 membership or creating new global development pacts — can ride the South’s momentum to work together on problems like climate change, pandemics and digitalization.
“Global South” now drives debates on reform and provides ideas (from solar alliances to vaccine sharing) that are influencing policy. As one analysis concludes, despite internal diversity, “the Global South’s influence in shaping a new world order is undeniable.” Its demographic and economic weight, coupled with diplomatic advocacy, have positioned it as “a key player in global governance,” capable of promoting a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable international system.
Article by Shaloo Singh