Munich Security Conference opens with focus on Global South voices

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The 59th Munich Security Conference (MSC) opened here on Friday with a focus on giving voice to countries of the Global South, especially their resentment toward the existing West-led global order.

Christoph Heusgen, chairman of the MSC, said at the opening ceremony that this year's conference would "put a spotlight on the Global South" and "listen to their concerns" as a record number of representatives from that part of the world are attending.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana noted the "absence of solidarity" in the current global order at a side event of the conference, saying that African people have been left alone to fend for themselves in recent global crises, such as their limited access to vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, addressing the MSC opening ceremony, also called for "new forms of international solidarity and participation" in the "multipolar world of the 21st century."

Acknowledging that reshaping the global order is a "huge emergency," French President Emmanuel Macron said that efforts should be made to make it "more inclusive."

"I'm very impressed by how much we are losing the trust of the Global South," Macron said, adding that the developed countries failed the Global South during the COVID-19 pandemic by committing more than what they delivered.

The Global South's disillusionment with the existing world order and their calls for reshaping it also came under the spotlight in a report published by the MSC on Monday.

The report, titled "Re:vision," said that many countries of the Global South have so far been confined to the role of "rule-takers" under the existing global order and their "legitimate resentment" should be paid due respect.

The report called for re-envisioning a world order that "better delivers on its promises" and "truly benefits everyone equally."

About 150 senior officials, including over 40 heads of state and government, and leaders of international organizations are attending the three-day MSC to discuss pressing global security challenges and concerns, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The MSC was inaugurated in 1963 and has since grown into an international platform for discussions on global security issues.