India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has called out the double standards that continue to exist in the world with those in positions of power resisting change and weaponizing their capabilities.
Jaishankar, speaking at a Ministerial Session titled 'South Rising: Partnerships, Institutions and Ideas', hosted by the Observer Research Foundation, said that there is a growing sentiment in the world for change, but also political resistance.
He pointed to the UN Security Council, where those who are occupying positions of influence are resisting the pressure to change.
He also said that those who are economically dominant today are leveraging their production capabilities, and those who have institutional influence or historical influence have actually weaponized a lot of those capabilities as well.
Jaishankar said that COVID-19 itself was an example of double standards. He added that the global South will need to put more and more pressure on the international system to bring about change.
He also spoke about the importance of cultural rebalancing, which means recognizing the diversity of the world, respecting the diversity of the world, and giving other cultures and other traditions their due respect.
Jaishankar referred to the G20 Summit in Delhi earlier this month and cited the example of millets. He noted that the global South historically ate less wheat and more millets, but in the name of the market, a lot of things are done.
He said that respecting others' heritage, tradition, music, literature, and ways of life is all part of the change that the global South would like to see.
