by Asad Mirza
The US exit from major global institutions weakens multilateralism but opens strategic space for India and the Global South to reform and revitalise global governance.
The US President Donald Trump has ordered the US withdrawal from 66 international organisations, including 31 UN entities and 35 non-UN bodies, targeting climate, human rights, and gender equality institutions. The administration characterises these organisations as serving globalist agendas contrary to American interests. However, this decision leaves the field open for countries like India to revitalise and reform the UN and push the Global South into a leadership role within the international body.
US President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from 66 international organisations, calling them “anti-American” and contrary to US interests. Trump directed all executive departments and agencies to take immediate steps to withdraw from 66 UN-led organisations “as soon as possible,” ceasing both participation and funding to the extent permitted by law.
The withdrawal affects organisations spanning climate action, human rights, gender equality, and international development. Among the most significant withdrawals is the US exit from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the underlying treaty for the Paris Climate Agreement. The list also includes the International Solar Alliance, a collaborative initiative between India and France on climate change with over 100 signatory countries.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterised the targeted institutions as “redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity.” Rubio stated that what began as a framework for international cooperation has “morphed into a sprawling architecture of global governance, often dominated by progressive ideology.”
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz emphasised that the US will no longer fund organisations that “do not serve, or in many cases work counter to, American interests.”
Rubio further stressed that “the days of billions of dollars in taxpayer money flowing to foreign interests at the expense of our people are over,” signalling the administration’s broader shift away from multilateral engagement. The State Department confirmed that additional reviews of international organisational participation remain ongoing.
The UN said on Thursday (January 8) that its work will continue despite the US announcement on Wednesday (January 7).
“Our work will continue,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at UN headquarters in New York. “The Secretary-General respects the sovereignty of each of the members of this organisation, and he also strongly believes that the challenges that we face today can only be solved through international cooperation. That’s been his view since day one, and it continues to be his view.”
Opportunity for India
At a practical level, this offers a golden opportunity for India and other like-minded countries to draw up a programme for reorganising and revitalising the UN, in line with their aspirations. These countries have long been vocal critics of the P-5 structure. In this mammoth campaign, India’s role in establishing the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to promote self-determination for developing nations can become its badge of honour.
Additionally, India’s diplomatic and multilateral record over the past 10 years strengthens its case to lead this effort. During this period, India has acted as a mediator between the North and South on climate change, trade, and security issues. It could credibly project itself as a ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ (friend of the world), advocating inclusivity in global governance.
During its G20 Presidency (2023), India ensured the African Union’s inclusion as a permanent member, a landmark move for Southern representation. India’s active participation in BRICS, the Quad, and the Voice of Global South Summit reflects its commitment to global governance reform and strategic balance. India has persistently demanded reforms in global institutions like the UNSC, World Bank, and IMF to better reflect the voices of developing countries.
India is leading sustainable development efforts among developing nations. Mission LiFE, the International Solar Alliance, and the National Green Hydrogen Mission reflect this leadership. As the world’s third-largest producer of wind and solar energy, India is supporting climate justice for vulnerable nations.
India is also a global leader in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Platforms like Aadhaar and UPI have inspired over 12 countries to adopt similar systems, enhancing digital equity and inclusion in the Global South.
India has emerged as a first responder in global crises through humanitarian missions such as Operation Dost (Turkey), Operation Karuna (Myanmar), and Operation Kaveri (Sudan), reinforcing its role as a key development partner. It has extended Lines of Credit worth USD 12 billion to 42 African countries as part of its development finance initiatives.
Global South in the Current World Order
The UN Security Council still reflects post–World War II power structures. India, the world’s most populous country and a major economy, lacks a permanent seat despite decades of advocacy. The undermining of the UN system by major powers, including the US, has left smaller countries without a neutral forum to address regional conflicts or economic grievances.
Global South countries are increasingly pressured to choose sides in US–China or US–Russia rivalries, undermining strategic autonomy and diverting attention from development goals. There is also growing wariness of the West’s selective human rights advocacy—acting decisively on Ukraine while ignoring Gaza—and frequent external interference in internal matters.
Promoting South–South Cooperation
South–South Cooperation (SSC) helps address gaps in finance, technology, and capacity-building that North–South aid often fails to fill. Initiatives like the India–UN Development Partnership Fund have provided demand-driven, context-specific assistance to Pacific Island nations and Africa.
Unlike one-size-fits-all models, SSC aligns closely with the 2030 Agenda by delivering sustainable and locally relevant solutions to achieve the SDGs.
SSC can also function through triangular cooperation, where Northern partners support Southern-led initiatives, creating synergy rather than competition, as seen in FAO-led agricultural projects supported by China and implemented in Latin America.
SSC has played a critical role during global emergencies. India’s vaccine diplomacy during Covid-19 exemplified solidarity-driven responses that complemented, or filled gaps left by, North–South efforts. By enabling flexible, peer-driven solutions, SSC helps countries confront overlapping crises such as climate change, pandemics, and debt distress.
The Challenges
Growing South–South trade and investment, such as China–Africa and India–ASEAN ties, are shifting global economic gravity and challenging the traditional dominance of the North.
Many Global South countries have raised concerns over the West’s use of aid as a tool of influence, often with governance or policy conditionalities. SSC offers a sovereignty-respecting, non-conditional alternative.
Nearly 60 per cent of high-tech exports from developing countries are traded within the Global South, indicating deepening intra-South economic interdependence beyond traditional North–South flows.
The rise of Southern powers like India through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance challenges the assumption that development leadership must come from the Global North.
A stronger, united Global South with credible leadership and equitable participation in global governance can fill the vacuum created by the US withdrawal from UN organisations. Guided by the Indian ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“One Earth, One Family, One Future”), India can amplify Southern priorities with inclusivity and balance, helping transform the Global South from a passive voice into an active force shaping a new world order.
(The writer is a New Delhi-based senior commentator on national, international, defence and strategic affairs, environmental issues, an interfaith practitioner, and a media consultant. Ideas are personal.)
