Kazakhstan President Stresses on Global Food & Water Security at Voice of Global South Summit

On January 12 & 13, India hosted a two-day Voice of the Global South Summit. The Summit was held virtually, with a total of ten sessions. It was attended by leaders and ministers from 125 countries in the Global South.

President Tokayev urged all countries to concentrate their efforts on meeting the SDGs. "Therefore, we consider it important to establish the United Nations (UN) Regional Center on SDGs for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Kazakhstan.

"A centre like this will ensure the most effective coordination of UN project activities in the region," Tokayev said. During his speech to the virtual summit, Kazakhstan's President stated that the country will continue to use its agricultural potential to combat global food shortages.

He also supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to depoliticize the global supply of food, fertilizers, and medical products, saying that international trade in food and fertilizers should not be subject to sanctions or other restrictions.

In the current geopolitical situation, he believes that a dependable and diverse global transit and transportation infrastructure is critical. Tokayev also stated that Kazakhstan would continue to diversify transportation routes, such as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor. According to the UN report, over 5 billion people may face a drinking water shortage as a result of climate change.

President stated that water scarcity and growing insecurity have a negative impact on states' food, energy, and environmental security. "On these grounds, I propose instituting a system of exclusive rights and preferences for the transfer of water technologies, which will contribute to the rational and equitable use of water resources," Tokayev said.

Meanwhile, during the virtual conference, Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India wants globalisation that does not result in unequal vaccine distribution or over-concentrated global supply chains. "We want globalization to bring prosperity and well-being to humanity as a whole.

In a nutshell, we want a "human-centric globalization," he says. PM Modi announced the establishment of the "Global South Centre of Excellence" to conduct research on developing solutions or best practices to assist members of the developing world.