12 JAN ,Delhi: Excellencies,Leaders of the global South, Namaskar! It is my pleasure to welcome you in this Summit. I thank you for joining us from different parts of the world. We are meeting as a new year dawns, and brings new hopes and new energy. On behalf of 1.3 billion Indians, I extend my greetings for a happy and fulfilling 2023 to all of you and your countries.
We have turned the page on another difficult year, that saw: War, conflict, terrorism and geo-political tensions: Rising food, fertilizer and fuel prices; Climate-Change driven natural disasters, and Lasting economic impact of the COVID pandemic. It is clear the world is in a state of crisis. It is difficult to predict how long this state of instability will last.