New Delhi: Following the death of several Indian sailors in attacks on commercial vessels, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday proposed setting up a “Seafarers Emergency Support Network” for aiding the men who are u…

New Delhi: Following the death of several Indian sailors in attacks on commercial vessels, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday proposed setting up a “Seafarers Emergency Support Network” for aiding the men who are unwittingly caught in the conflict on the high seas.”Seafarers make a massive contribution to global trade, yet they often find themselves lacking support during difficult times. I propose that we establish a Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network,” Modi said in his opening address at the BRICS summit.BRICS adopts New Delhi Declaration with consensus”The network would seek to connect the maritime authorities and diplomatic missions of relevant nations, facilitating assistance with distress alerts, medical aid, family notifications, and evacuations,” he said.The proposal is presented in the wake of death of nearly 15 Indian sailors in attacks on commercial vessels in West Asia including the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea since January 2026.Subsequent to the killings, the Ministry of External Affairs had summoned top diplomats from the USA, Iran Russia and Ukraine and conveyed strong concerns over the use of lethal force against civilian commercial shipping. The Prime Minister also rooted for equal participation of the Global South in shaping the rules that will govern the future of technologies.Domains such as AI, cyberspace, outer space, biotechnology, and critical technologies are not only shaping future opportunities but also defining future rules. We must strive to transform the Global South from a rule-taker into a rule-shaper,” he said.On the UN security council reform, the Prime Minister said that the reform could no longer be postponed and negotiations must be linked to a definite time frame and clear outcomes.”Similarly, voting power, leadership positions, and policy priorities within financial institutions must align with today’s economic realities. Countries that drive global economic growth should also play an appropriate role in shaping global economic governance.”Modi said the current structure of global governance looked like a pyramid in which power and decision making were concentrated in the upper part whereas in the lower part there are countries that these decisions influenced, but could not shape them.”Global South is in the front row of global crises today, but it is in the back-row of decision-making. We want to turn this “pyramid of privilege” into “platform of partnership”, where every country’s voice is same,” he said, noting that India would prepare ten proposals on the reforms in global governance that could be discussed in the next summit.

Source: Deccan Herald