INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
on
“Emergence of Global South: Role of Indo-African Partnership”
Organised by
Centre for African Studies, School of International Studies (SIS), JNU
in collaboration with
African Studies Association (ASA) India
Jean Monnet Module- Democracy, Multiculturalism & Change in EU
Miranda House, University of Delhi
Knowledge Partners
The Embassy of Burkina Faso in New Delhi
Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso
Date: 26–27 November, 2026
Venue: New Delhi
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CONCEPT NOTE
The contemporary global order today stands at a critical juncture. There is erosion of multilateralism, along with the unravelling of international rules and regulations of engagement. The foundations of the post-World War II international architecture have been challenged with more and more weaponisation of trade, military power, and finance in pursuit of narrow national interests of nations. In this context, it is pertinent for countries of the Global South to come together to protect their collective interests and restore normative frameworks in international relations.
The call for Global South solidarity is not something unheard of. It started from the Non-Aligned Movement, the Bandung Conference, and decades of South-South cooperation. Yet it is quite important to see its urgency now. There is more and more rivalry amongst the great-powers, also selective multilateralism, and the nature of the global institutions that is putting up a demand for a renewed and reinvigorated response from the nations of the South.
India Africa cooperation has evolved from time to time and responded to the call during different time periods. Both India and Africa share anti-colonial struggles, solidarity against the racial discrimination and have a shared vision of an equitable world order. This partnership has evolved with response to the demands of each era whether it is liberation movements of the mid-20th century to contemporary challenges of climate justice, debt equity and reforms of global governance institutions. Both India and Africa have championed South-South cooperation, advocated for rule-based international order, and sought a legitimate and equitable voice in global geopolitical and economic architecture.
As one can witness, India has been deepening its engagement with the African Union by inclusion in G20. The engagement through India Africa Forum Summits that started in 2008 has been very crucial for this partnership. The subsequent IAFS in 2011 and 2015 further helped in building trade frameworks, development partnerships and people-to-people ties. Through these Forums India made sure that it included all the African countries and made effort to connect with even some new partners. Since, the IAFS could not take place since 2015, this year’s IAFS IV provides an important opportunity to reconnect with African nations through AU. There is also a lot of expectation from India from this years’ IAFS IV as it is taking place after a long break during which India has been connecting bilaterally with most of the African nations. Therefore, this moment presents a unique opportunity to critically examine and reimagine the contours of this partnership within the larger project of Global South emergence.
This conference seeks to bring together academics, policymakers, diplomats, civil society organisations, and researchers to rigorously analyse the historical trajectories, contemporary dynamics, and future possibilities of Indo-African cooperation as a pillar of Global South solidarity.
Papers and panel proposals are invited across, but not limited to, the following thematic tracks:
- Historical Foundations of Global South Solidarity
- Geopolitics, Multilateralism, and Global Governance Reform
- India–Africa Economic and Development Partnership
- Security, Peace, and Conflict Resolution
- People-to-People Ties, Culture, and Civil Society
- African Agency and Non-State Actors
- Theoretical and Methodological Approaches
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