"In the next five years, world GDP will grow by 55 trillion U.S. dollars, 70 percent of which will come from the Global South," said UN Trade and Development Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan at the G20 Summit, noting that this equals the size of the global economy two decades ago when the G20 was founded.

 

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- In 2024, the global landscape has undergone profound transformations, marked by a series of challenges and conflicts. Amid these shifts, the Global South has risen with remarkable momentum, exerting a growing influence on human progress.

 

With expanding economic power and growing political clout, the Global South has transitioned from being a long-discussed concept to a strong driving force actively shaping international politics. So what are the key factors behind its rapid surge?

 

EXPANDING GLOBAL IMPACT

 

The term "Global South" was first coined in 1969 by American political activist Carl Oglesby in his article about the Vietnam War. Today, it has become a prominent buzzword, representing a diverse group of developing nations advancing toward modernization and advocating for a more equitable global financial and political framework.

 

Over the past year, several key moments have underscored this trend.

 

In July, Belarus was officially welcomed as the 10th member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), enhancing SCO's capacity for regional cooperation and influence on the global stage.

 

In September, the UN adopted the Pact for the Future at the Summit of the Future in New York. The pact responded to two key concerns of the Global South countries: the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the demand for better representation in global governance institutions.

 

In the same month, the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, a high-level security and defense forum in Asia-Pacific, also laid importance on the Global South by offering smaller developing countries a platform to address their security and development concerns.

 

In October, the first in-person BRICS summit since the bloc's historic expansion was held in Kazan, Russia, following last year's pivotal meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the Kazan summit, a consensus was reached to invite a new group of countries to become BRICS partner nations, which further promoted the group's development.

 

In November, the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the 19th G20 Summit were held consecutively in Peru and Brazil. South Africa is poised to assume the G20 presidency in 2025, marking an unprecedented four consecutive terms of G20 presidency by Global South countries. Meanwhile, China is set to host the APEC summit in 2026.

 

All of these show that the once marginalized Global South has emerged as one of the key drivers of the international agenda.

 

GROWING ECONOMIC STRENGTH

 

The rise of the Global South can be attributed to several factors, with its growing economic influence standing at the forefront. Despite a sluggish global economic recovery, the Global South nations have secured a steady economic growth and shown remarkable resilience.

 

A report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace revealed that since 2000, the G7's share of global GDP, as measured by purchasing power parity, has declined from 43 to 30 percent, while that of the five original BRICS countries has increased from just over 21 percent to nearly 35.

 

According to the African Economic Outlook from the African Development Bank Group, the continent will retain its 2023 ranking as the second fastest-growing region in 2024 and 2025. The rebound in Africa's average growth includes a rise to 3.7 percent in 2024 and 4.3 percent in 2025, exceeding the projected global average of 3.2 percent.

 

"In the next five years, world GDP will grow by 55 trillion U.S. dollars, 70 percent of which will come from the Global South," said UN Trade and Development Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan at the G20 Summit, noting that this equals the size of the global economy two decades ago when the G20 was founded.

 

This economic shift has gone hand in hand with an increasing demand from the Global South to reform global economic governance to better reflect their developmental aspirations.

 

In a declaration issued at this year's summit, BRICS leaders agreed to jointly develop the New Development Bank (NDB) into a new type of multilateral development bank in the 21st century. They also pledged to support the further expansion of NDB membership and expedited consideration of applications of BRICS countries in line with the NDB General Strategy and related policies.

 

Moreover, in addition to welcoming "the use of local currencies in financial transactions between BRICS countries and their trading partners," BRICS leaders encouraged the advancement of a BRICS Cross-Border Payments Initiative, designed to strengthen banking networks within BRICS to facilitate trade settlements among member countries.

 

SHARED POLITICAL GOALS

 

Western media and think tanks have long argued that the diverse challenges and distinct circumstances faced by countries in the Global South make it difficult for them to unite and form a cohesive front.

 

However, the emergence of Global South nations as significant political players in the past year underscores how common political goals have empowered them to collaborate and assert greater influence.

 

Many Global South countries were once colonies of Western nations. The shared experience of exploitation, cultural imposition, and economic extraction has fueled their determination to resist foreign interference.

 

In 2024, several African nations like Niger, Chad, and Senegal, have called for the withdrawal of Western troops from their territories, highlighting their efforts to assert sovereignty and pursue self-determined development paths.

 

In addition, instead of following the lead of Western countries in addressing global challenges through sanctions and military interventions, the Global South has proposed its own solutions, advocating for peace, dialogue, and multilateralism.

 

For instance, the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Third South Summit resulted in joint positions on critical issues, including the question of Palestine and the Ukraine crisis, underscoring the Global South's rejection of bloc politics and its commitment to fairness and justice.

 

Another notable example of this collective political action is the "Friends of Peace" platform, which was launched by China, Brazil, and other like-minded Global South countries on the Ukraine crisis. Established at the United Nations, it seeks to accumulate conditions and create an atmosphere for a ceasefire, an end to hostilities and the resumption of peace talks.

 

As Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated in his letter of congratulations to the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum, the Global South is ready to lead on the world stage to build a more inclusive and prosperous planet.

 

"We are central players in the new global geopolitics, and we are ready to play a role commensurate with our political, economic and demographic weight," he said.