The global development agenda is under growing strain. Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals remains off track, debt vulnerabilities are rising across developing economies, and preparedness for future global shocks remains inadequate. At the same time, the politics of development cooperation have become increasingly adverse, multilateral reform has largely stalled, and geopolitics is making collective action more difficult.
As a result, priorities such as food security, health resilience, energy access, and climate adaptation risk being increasingly marginalized. Consequently, the developing world, or the Global South, has to decide how to adapt to this changing world and develop bargaining power to secure investment and technology needed to meet their development objectives.
On May 14, ORF America convened the first meeting of the Global South Expert Working Group to discuss practical recommendations on country leverage and the Global South’s bargaining power. Participants examined how countries are using natural resources, market access, and geographic location as leverage, particularly in negotiations with the United States, China, the European Union, and other major powers.
The Global South Expert Working Group is an ORF America-led project on the Future of Global Development Cooperation that aims to advance a Global South-led framework for the coming decades. The group brings together leading experts and practitioners from Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands to explore how developing countries can navigate a rapidly changing development landscape.
Speakers:
Opening Remarks: Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, ORF America
Moderator: Anit Mukherjee, Senior Fellow & Head, Energy, ORF America
