Mr. Venkatesh Krishnamurthy, Advisor (Digital), DAKSHIN
Digi Yatra is an app that helps air passengers to obtain security clearance and navigate quickly in Indian airports, from entry to boarding the aircraft, using a contactless facial recognition technology. It was launched in 2022 in three airports in India, viz., New Delhi, Bangalore and Varanasi. It is owned and managed by Digi Yatra Foundation and is a part of India’s successful Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). At the moment it is available for domestic flights only and is operational at over 20 airports. Currently it has nine million active users and has facilitated more than 45 million journeys.
India said it is expanding its Digital Public Infrastructure ecosystem into areas such as agriculture and smart cities and stands ready to share successes with the international community, as UN leaders commended the country for its leadership in investing in this domain. Minister of State for the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, said that the Indian DPI success story is a showcase to the world.
Participating in the Third South-South Parliamentary Dialogue Forum in Rabat, Arab delegation heads stressed the vital importance of comprehensive cooperation among Southern nations to address current global challenges. During the “Presidents’ Summit” held Monday at Morocco’s House of Councillors, these regional leaders conveyed their awareness that coordination between Southern nations — particularly through their parliaments and legislative councils — is essential for overcoming multiple challenges and resolving various economic issues.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Gedion Timothewos underscored the need for countries of the Global South to deepen cooperation for shared security and prosperity highlighting the unprecedented political crisis confronting global governance. Highlighting the unprecedented political crisis confronting global governance, Gedion underscored the need for countries of the Global South to deepen cooperation for shared security and prosperity.
The Global South must forge a new path and take the lead to reshape international cooperation, as the stability and security of the world economy are now actively undermined by the current international system, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. Speaking at the Brics Partners Foreign Ministers Meeting 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil yesterday, he said the flurry of tariffs which have sent shockwaves through the global community are not a threat, but both a revelation and an opportunity.
The Global South Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) network has the potential to become a key platform for shaping global policy, said the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur and former Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Trend reports. Speaking at the inaugural conference of the Global South NGO Platform in Baku, themed "Solidarity in Action: Strengthening Global South NGOs for a New and Fair World," Sharif highlighted the importance of such networks.
Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi and his Indian and Uzbek counterparts have explored the potential for the expansion of health cooperation, holding separate meetings. Lauding India’s achievements in the health sector, Zafarqandi announced the country’s readiness to foster collaboration with India in the mentioned fields, particularly supplying pharmaceutical raw materials. Highlighting the two countries' capacities in traditional medicine thanks to their indigenous teachings, the official said, “Iran is willing to exchange knowledge, experiences with India, as well as conduct joint research in traditional medicine.”
Prime Minister of India during his Mann Ki Baat of 27 April focused on India's Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) response left deep impressions on Ethiopians and Indian's in Ethiopia. The event saw overwhelming response and wide participation from people from all walks of life. Special mention of the role of Indian Community in Ethiopia in addressing Congenial Heart Disease among Ethiopian children who could not access & afford advanced medical treatment has boosted the morale of Indians in Ethiopia and inspired them to take forward their mission.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity and Acting Minister of Health, Ramadan Abu Janah, has met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, on the sidelines of the 5th Cuban Health Conference, with several officials from both sides in attendance. During the meeting, the two sides affirmed the depth of the historical ties between their countries. The Cuban Foreign Minister welcomed the Libyan delegation and emphasized the importance of activating frameworks for joint cooperation, particularly in the health sector.
The government, through the Ministry of Health recently hosted its first-ever National Health Summit (NHS) from April 23-25, 2025, at the Farmington Hotel in Margibi County to tackle maternal and neonatal mortality in the country. The summit brought together key stakeholders in the health sector to address critical challenges and discuss pathways to improve Liberia's health system. The summit provided a platform to reflect on sectional progress, confront persistent challenges, and design a roadmap to improve the overall health system.
WHO Botswana Representative Dr. Fabian Ndenzako and his team recently paid a courtesy call on the Ministry of Health, where they met with Honorable Minister Dr. Stephen Modise and senior ministry officials to reaffirm their partnership and shared commitment to improving health outcomes in Botswana. During the meeting, Dr. Ndenzako expressed WHO’s continued commitment to working closely with Botswana to advance national health priorities. He emphasized the need to build resilient health systems, particularly in light of recent natural disasters such as floods, and congratulated the country on its remarkable progress in key areas, including the national HIV response.
Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz has praised Vietnam’s rice aid and expressed his gratitude for its technical support in helping the Caribbean nation move toward self-sufficiency in this food source. During an inspection tour of the westernmost province of Pinar del Río on April 25, the PM visited a joint rice cultivation project with Vietnam and was briefed on the progress of a large-scale pilot model underway in Los Palacios district. The project has already obtained remarkable results, with yields exceeding 6 tonnes per hectare in the first harvest.
Malaysia and Indonesia intend to explore the potential for developing large-scale plantations in Central Kalimantan and South Papua. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) said the matter was discussed during a recent meeting between its minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, and his Indonesian counterpart, Dr Andi Amran Sulaiman. According to KPKM, both leaders also agreed to explore cross-border agricultural cooperation opportunities in West Kalimantan and North Kalimantan.
Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk held talks with Madagascar’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock François Gervais on Sunday in Cairo to explore ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various agricultural sectors. Farouk highlighted Egypt’s agricultural renaissance over the past decade aimed at achieving food security, stressing that Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture is ready to share its full expertise and resources with Madagascar to achieve sustainable agricultural development.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has completed a project in Tajikistan, to help drive co-op development and strengthen rural institutions under the national Agrarian Reform Programme. The work – part of the FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme Facility project – focused on the working environment of co-ops and boosting the capacity of national authorities to support the development of co-operatives and rural institutions. On a local level, the project supported four agricultural co-ops, adds the FAO.
Zambia has announced plans to adopt Ethiopia’s Fayda digital ID system as a model for its upcoming national digital identity initiative, highlighting Ethiopia’s success in leveraging homegrown technology to drive inclusive development, as reported by TechAfrica News . The decision underscores a growing recognition of Ethiopia’s digital leadership in Africa. Speaking at the Africa Innovation Conference in Addis Ababa, Smart Zambia National Coordinator Percy Chinyama expressed admiration for Ethiopia’s approach.
Namibia is finalizing preparations for the launch of its national digital identity system, part of a broader effort to enhance access to services and strengthen digital governance. The project is being led by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security (MHAISS) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other development partners. Namibia will become the first country to implement the Model Governance Framework for Digital Legal Identity, introduced by UNDP in 2023.
The neutral and trusted platform for digital services and cross-sector innovation is jointly developed by MIMOS Berhad, the national applied R&D centre and MY E.G. Services Berhad, a leading digital services provider, leveraging Zetrix's proven blockchain technology that already facilitates cross-border transactions and digital identity applications across Asia. It will underpin a broad range of use cases, from supply chain traceability and digital identity to decentralised finance and tokenisation of digital assets.
DAKSHIN and Instituto Mora in Mexico had a successful meeting on 1 May 2025. Professor Gulshan Sachdeva; Chief Coordinator, DAKSHIN initiated the meeting by providing a background about the inception of the centre and its vision and mandate. Following this, Professor Citlali Ayala Martínez from Instituto Mora made a presentation on the broad focus areas of the institute. She emphasized international development cooperation and history as the major priority areas. She elaborated on the different courses that her institute offers on various subjects such as modern and contemporary history, political sociology, international cooperation for development, etc. Both the sides agreed to harness their respective complementarities through capacity building approaches such as joint research, developing teaching programmes, etc.
DAKSHIN – Global South Centre of Excellence initiated its inaugural lecture as a part of its ‘Special Lecture Series on the Global South’ on 25 April 2025 at RIS. Dr. Amrita Narlikar delivered the inaugural lecture. Professor Sachin Chaturvedi; DG RIS welcomed the participants at this new endeavour launched by RIS and led by DAKSHIN. He laid out the DAKSHIN’s vision of sharing India’s development experiences and perspectives with fellow developing and partner countries as an outcome of India’s commitment at the Voice of the Global South Summit during India’s G20 presidency.
