In a new and unique initiative, the Government of India hosted the “Voice of Global South Summit” (virtual) on 12-13 January 2023 under the theme “Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose.”
The summit envisaged bringing together countries of the Global South to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform.
125 countries, including Liberia, participated in this Summit. A dispatch from the Embassy of India near Monrovia said the inaugural session was addressed by the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi.
The theme of the Inaugural Leaders’ Session was “Voice of Global South – for Human-Centric Development” and that of the Concluding Leaders’ session was “Unity of Voice-Unity of Purpose.”
The summit envisaged ten sessions. Four sessions were held on 12 January 2023 while six sessions took place on 13 January 2023.
In addition, there were 8 ministerial sessions held on different fields which are Foreign Affairs, Environment, Health, Energy, Security, Education, Finance, and Commerce and Trade.
The Ministerial Session on Health took place on 13 January 2023. It was an opportunity to discuss and find solutions to health-related concerns in the Global South.
Liberia was one of the participant countries in the above Session. The other participating countries were Bhutan, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Eswatini, Grenada, Guatemala, Malawi, Niger, Paraguay, Samoa and St. Kitts and Nevis.
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Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Health Minister of India, addressed the Session while Dr. Wilhemina Jallah, Minister of Health represented Liberia.
Dr. Mandaviya highlighted India’s various initiatives to ensure quality healthcare for all.
He stated that there was a need for a 360-degree transformation of healthcare delivery pathway and infrastructure, especially in view of the unprecedented damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic across the world.
He emphasized on long term measures to build a stronger, more resilient health system that could prevent, prepare for and respond to future health-related challenges while maintaining essential health services.
On the occasion, the Minister also mentioned India’s G20 Presidency and highlighted the priorities for the Presidency in line with the Global South.
He reiterated Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s vision of shaping the priorities of G20 by not only consulting the G20 partners but also the members of the Global South.
Dr. Wilhemina Jallah, in her address, also stressed the need for strengthening the health systems to be able to respond to public emergencies and improve public health outcomes for everyone.
She stated that cooperation and partnerships among countries could contribute significantly to improve the health outcomes of a population and prepare nations to respond to public health emergencies.
She also stressed on regional cooperation as one ill-prepared country could threaten the heightened vulnerabilities of an entire region.
She emphasized that the cooperation, collaboration and cooperation were the key elements to overcome the existing challenges in the healthcare systems and build a resilient healthcare system across the world.
