The Global South's participation is crucial to building a fair, united and peaceful world featuring common development and prosperity -- an idea shared among officials and scholars from around the world attending the Global South Think Tanks Forum and discussing the future of global growth.
The Global South Think Tanks Forum, held in Beijing on Wednesday with both online and offline formats, highlighted the voices and perspectives of the Global South and aimed to foster dialogue for a more secure and prosperous future.
The event, organized by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and the China Media Group, attracted participation from political figures, government representatives, analysts, scholars, and journalists from 76 countries and regions worldwide.
Ronnie Lins, director of China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, said that developing countries across the world nowadays are working together to share solutions and foster more inclusive and sustainable growth.
"Developing countries are no longer reliant on traditional powers in the Northern Hemisphere. Rather, they are forming alliances with one another to share solutions that align with their respective circumstances, thereby fostering more inclusive and sustainable growth," said Lins.
Taling Rodrigue, founder of China-Cameroon Cultural Centre, pointed out that development is more about ensuring all the people have the opportunity to thrive.
"Development is the pathway to prosperity. But development in our context is not merely economic growth; it is about ensuring that every person, every community has the opportunity to thrive," said Rodrigue.
Sayon Doumbouya is the director of External Relations for scientific, technical and academic cooperation at Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry. She stressed on the importance of peace and security in achieving development.
"The theme of peace, security, and development is really important, as we need peace. Peace is synonymous with prosperity. And to have prosperity, we need work. Work is synonymous with development. Development is essential," she said.
"In this situation, people around the world who are committed to peace and global unity have a duty to come together, and stand on the side of the right and isolate those in the wrong," said Sudheendra Kulkarni, founder and chairman of the Forum for a New South Asia.
Sundar Nath Bhattarai, officiating chairman of the China Study Centre (CSC) in Nepal, noted that no nation should be left alone in jointly building a prosperous world.
"Today, we are assembled here, to make a united call, for a fair and just international order, and to read it, the power that the Global South has taken to jointly build the prosperous world without letting anybody out of it," he said.
"The world's policy makers need to come together to work together on these common objectives and goals which we have, which are not just shared by some nations, but all nations, all peoples of the world, all civilizations of the world and all the cultures of the world," said Jauhar Saleem, president of the Institute of Regional Studies in Pakistan.
Jose Luis Beas Aranda, director of the Centre for Higher National Studies in Peru, emphasized the need to prioritize food security.
"It is necessary to satisfy people's needs, and in principle this is done through economic security, because if poverty is reduced, there will be no reason to commit crimes for this reason. When we have food security and people consider their food needs are satisfied, that too would not justify any negative action against the state," he said.
"We are happy you are providing a platform for the Global South think tanks to amplify our voices in promoting this win-win cooperation and advocating fairness and justice and to bring fairness and justice to the world," said Herman Tiu Laurel, president of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute.
"In the formation of the multipolar order, the Global South countries play a vital role," said Victoria Panova, vice rector of National Research University under Higher School of Economics in Russia.
Aly Diouf, member of China-Africa Think Tanks Forum, stressed the solidarity of Global South members.
"It is together that we can develop. And the ideal for the countries of the South is to show solidarity. When a country has problems, it's imperative to come to its aid. And it's together, that's how we can develop," he said.
"If we can share experiences and foster cooperation, emphasizing equality and mutual learning, I believe that a human society filled with peace, development, security and prosperity, is bound to be realized," said General Kanit Chanpreechay, committee member of Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand.
Global South Think Tanks Forum aims peace, development, unity
