Jaishankar Reaffirms India's Commitment to Global South Ties
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets a Liberian parliamentary delegation in India, sharing development experiences and reaffirming India's commitment to stronger Global South partnerships through IBSA-supported peer learning and capacity building.
Minister of External Affairs Shri S. Jaishankar holds discussions with a Liberian parliamentary delegation to India in the framework of an IBSA-supported peer learning program. Discussions will be held around themes related to development experiences, governance efforts, women's empowerment and development knowledge exchange between the two countries.
The delegation from Liberia is made up of 15 persons from the Liberian Senate, House of Representatives and Secretariat, along with representatives from UN Women. This visit has been planned as part of an effort that seeks to build capacity among legislators for gender-sensitive laws, oversight and good governance.
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While engaging in talk with the group of delegates, Jaishankar talks about India's experience in various development schemes. This includes some important schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, MUDRA Yojana, PM SVANidhi, Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana, and Mission Amrit Sarovar. In this conversation, the delegates get a chance to learn more about India's financial inclusion programs and other women-oriented development programs.
Jaishankar values the delegation’s interest in India’s development programs and emphasizes the need for exchange of experiences among the nations belonging to the Global South. These types of exchanges allow the countries involved to analyze how policies can be developed through an exchange of practical experiences.
The program is funded by the IBSA Fund that receives joint funding from the governments of India, Brazil and South Africa and is run by the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). This program is an embodiment of the greater goal of fostering South-South cooperation by way of knowledge sharing and capacity building programs.
Moreover, this delegation’s tour also puts more focus on women’s empowerment politically and economically. This program is titled as “Women Legislators in Liberia: Enhancing Voices, Leadership and Gender Responsive Governance towards Sustainable Development”. This program is carried out in Liberia by UN Women Liberia in collaboration with the Women’s Legislative Caucus of Liberia.
The Union Minister of Women & Child Development of India, Annapurna Devi, also interacts with the Liberian delegation and explains to them the efforts made by India for women's development. This further adds another aspect to the India-Liberia engagement on inclusive development and institutional capacity building.
Interaction between Jaishankar and Liberian legislators underscores increasing involvement by India in the continent and its focus on partnerships in development that involve learning and shared interests. As opposed to confining partnerships in areas such as diplomacy and economics, India now encourages interactions in governance, social development, connectivity, health, education, and women empowerment among others.
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This engagement will also help strengthen the broader partnership of the Global South, which is still a significant aspect of India’s engagement in international affairs. India through the platform of IBSA and other South-South cooperation initiatives hopes to encourage collaborative work that allows developing nations to exchange ideas and set development priorities.
This meeting with the delegation from the Liberian parliament thus becomes a means of enhancing India-Liberia relations through greater cooperation amongst developing countries. Through exchange of policies and promoting capacity-building efforts, India and Liberia both play their parts in fostering cooperation within the Global South.
