{"id":8741,"date":"2025-12-06T11:15:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationaldiplomat.com\/?p=8741"},"modified":"2025-12-06T11:15:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:15:27","slug":"geneva-welcomes-a-new-voice-for-the-global-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/?p=8741","title":{"rendered":"Geneva Welcomes a New Voice for the Global South"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Geneva Welcomes a New Voice for the Global South<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The international ecosystem of Geneva\u2014home to the United Nations and over 40 international organizations\u2014has gained a significant new actor in 2025. The <strong>Global South Research Centre (GSRC)<\/strong> has released its first major report, offering a wide-ranging assessment of the achievements and challenges shaping the developing world today. For Geneva\u2019s diplomatic community, this new center adds an important dimension to the ongoing global debate about development, cooperation, and the future of multilateralism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>A Vision Announced at the Highest Level<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The idea of establishing a Global South research hub was first announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping on <strong>28 June 2024<\/strong>, during the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. He reiterated this commitment at the <strong>19th G20 Summit<\/strong> later that year, emphasizing the need for a center \u201cfit for purpose\u201d to support Global South cooperation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On <strong>28 March 2025<\/strong>, this vision became reality. The GSRC\u2014built by the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), with its secretariat at the Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD)\u2014was officially inaugurated, with Geneva as one of its key international homes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For a city whose DNA is deeply intertwined with diplomacy, development, and dialogue, the arrival of GSRC is both timely and natural.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>A Platform for Global Dialogue<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Designed as a truly international platform, the GSRC brings together experts from both the Global South and the Global North, as well as institutions from across the UN system. Its mission resonates strongly with Geneva\u2019s long-standing commitment to inclusive multilateralism:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">promoting sustainable development,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">strengthening South\u2013South cooperation,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">deepening knowledge sharing, and<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">contributing to a \u201ccommunity with a shared future for humanity.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The GSRC aims to consolidate research and experience from around the world and to provide intellectual support on the most pressing development questions of our time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Global South Progress: A Transformation Underway<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The center\u2019s new report, <em>Global South Development Achievements and Challenges<\/em>, offers an optimistic yet nuanced assessment of the Global South\u2019s evolution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Since the early 2000s, the Global South has undergone dramatic economic and social transformation:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>GDP has multiplied by 5.4<\/strong>, with average growth of 5.1%\u2014well above the global average.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Trade, investment, and industrial capabilities have expanded at remarkable speed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Over <strong>one billion people<\/strong> have been lifted out of extreme poverty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Life expectancy has risen<\/strong> from 62 to around 70.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Higher education enrolment tripled<\/strong>, rising from 13% to 38%.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today, Global South countries account for:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">85% of the world\u2019s population,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">around 40% of global GDP,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">nearly half of global manufacturing output, and<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">the majority of global foreign direct investment inflows.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This is not a side story in global affairs\u2014it is the story.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>A Region of Successes, but Also of Stark Challenges<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yet the report is equally clear: significant challenges remain.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">From a slowing global economy and rising climate risks, to weakened multilateral trading rules and pockets of political instability, the Global South faces a complex horizon. Development financing gaps, high borrowing costs, and continued inequalities in education and healthcare add to the pressures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">These realities mirror many of the themes that dominate the diplomatic circles of Geneva, from UNCTAD to UNDP, WHO, ILO, WIPO, and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Towards a New Form of Cooperation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Looking forward, the GSRC calls for a renewed spirit of partnership\u2014between the South and the North, and among the countries of the Global South themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Its recommendations include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">deepening economic and trade cooperation,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">fostering technology transfer,<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">strengthening autonomous development capacity, and<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">expanding South\u2013South and triangular cooperation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For Geneva\u2019s diplomatic community, these priorities provide a fresh avenue for engagement, analysis, and policy dialogue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>A Welcome Addition to Geneva\u2019s Multilateral Landscape<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">With its inaugural report, the Global South Research Centre has firmly positioned itself as a valuable and thoughtful contributor to international debate. In a moment when the world faces profound uncertainty, the GSRC offers both a reminder of how far the Global South has come\u2014and a roadmap for the work still ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Its presence in Geneva reinforces the city\u2019s role as a global hub for dialogue, development expertise, and multilateral cooperation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">MF<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Geneva Welcomes a New Voice for the Global South The international ecosystem of Geneva\u2014home to the United Nations and over 40 international organizations\u2014has gained a significant new actor in 2025. The Global South Research Centre (GSRC) has released its first major report, offering a wide-ranging assessment of the achievements and challenges shaping the developing world<br \/><a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/12h71.com\/?p=8741\">+ Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[537,2078,548,554,38],"tags":[879,2805,2876,5236,1143,5256,3312,353,4250,4756],"class_list":["post-8741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economy","category-geneva-international","category-international-diplomat","category-mfosse","category-politique","tag-cooperation","tag-dna","tag-education-2","tag-gdp","tag-geneva","tag-gsrc","tag-ilo","tag-marit-fosse","tag-risk","tag-wipo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8741\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/12h71.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}