Jaishankar calls for South-South cooperation amid global uncertainty in New York on sidelines of UNGA

New York [US], September 25 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, speaking at the annual Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Online panel discussion in New York on the theme ‘The Heart of Development: Aid, Trade & Technology’, called for South-South cooperation amid global uncertainty.

He shared insightful perspectives on navigating global uncertainty, highlighting four key trends: interconnected growth drivers of self-reliance, technology adoption, multipolarity, and South-South cooperation, which are mutually reinforcing and shaping a new global landscape; evolving global workforce by adapting to contemporary needs, reflecting shifts in skills, mobility, and digital capabilities.

He also highlighted resilient trade pathways to overcome tariff and non-tariff barriers, leveraging physical and digital efficiencies to forge new priorities and flows, and adaptive trade arrangements.

Emphasising the trends that will define the future, he said: “Self-reliance, technology, multi-polarity and South-South cooperation all reinforce each other.”

Building on this theme, Jaishankar highlighted the changing nature of employment worldwide, noting: “Emergence of a global workforce that will adjust to contemporary requirements.”

He further turned to the subject of trade, pointing to how economies will adapt in the face of challenges. “Trade finding a way to overcome tariff and non-tariff barriers, creating new priorities and flows and leveraging physical and digital efficiencies,” he stated.

He also underlined the evolution of global frameworks in response to new realities. “New trade arrangements and understandings driven by new concerns and compulsions,” he said.

The minister later shared these observations in a post on X, linking them to the wider conversations taking place during the UNGA week in New York.

In the same context of global workforce and trade challenges, the Executive Director of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) America, Dhruva Jaishankar, on Tuesday (local time) said that both Indian and US-based companies had expressed concern over the sufficient availability of skilled talent for their jobs in the wake of recent hikes in H-1B visa fees by the Trump administration.

Speaking to ANI, Jaishankar highlighted the challenges posed by evolving US immigration policies while emphasising India’s respect for sovereign decisions.

“India was conscious of the fact that for any country, the immigration regime tended to be a sovereign matter, including India’s. In that sense, it was really up to every government to design its visa policies,” Jaishankar said.

He noted that “industry had raised some concerns about whether it was able to get sufficient talent for jobs, including India-based MNCs, but also US-based companies as well.”

Expanding on the possible long-term implications, Jaishankar cautioned against potential restrictions, referencing a dip in US favourability in India following Operation Sindoor, and urged consideration of these dynamics beyond immediate political priorities.

“Before Operation Sindoor, the negative opinion of the US in India was actually quite low. Now it was unclear whether, in the long term, more and more conditions and restrictions would be placed. That was obviously not something weighing on the Trump administration’s mind, but it was something to consider,” the ORF America Executive Director said. (ANI)

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