A welcome message was sent to the conference participants by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev:
“Representatives of more than 100 reputable non-governmental organizations and civil society groups have come together to create the first-ever Global South NGO Platform. We are pleased that during the ‘South-South’ international conference held in Baku last November on the sidelines of COP29, which focused on cooperation among NGOs from member states of the Non-Aligned Movement, the initiative launched by the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan to establish a Global South NGO Platform received overwhelming support. More than 1,000 representatives and NGO activists from around 140 countries gathered to sign a joint declaration.”
“Azerbaijan, known for its multi-vector foreign policy, served as chair of the Non-Aligned Movement—a bloc of 120 countries—from 2019 to 2023,” the head of state recalled.
“We also took significant steps to institutionalize the Non-Aligned Movement. As a strong voice of the Global South, Azerbaijan views the launch of this platform in Baku as a recognition of its work as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement and COP29. I believe that the Global South NGO Platform will make a significant contribution to amplifying the voices of our nations, communicating their positions to the international community, and protecting and promoting their rights.”
But behind this official rhetoric lies a broader geopolitical shift. Azerbaijan is making a strategic choice in favor of the Global South. In this context, it is logical to consider not only the Baku forum of the Global South NGOs but also the recent state visit of President Ilham Aliyev to China.
It hardly needs repeating that the Global South today holds vast human, intellectual, and material resources. The Global South includes the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America—nearly two-thirds of the UN member states, about 80 percent of the world’s population, around half of global GDP, and a significant share of international trade. And yet, these are countries whose political roles have long been underestimated. Historically, the political traditions dictated that the countries of the Global South serve merely as raw material and resource bases for the Global North. There was a division of “spheres of influence,” but granting these countries any independent political role was something many global policymakers never even dared to consider.
Moreover, civil society and NGOs have long been viewed as an exclusive prerogative of the Global North.
Now, Azerbaijan is breaking these stereotypes—on several fronts at once. In his message, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan will play the role of a bridge, a connecting link between the Global North and the Global South. We already have experience in this type of policy—just recall Azerbaijan’s initiatives in intercultural and inter-civilizational dialogue. This is not just an initiative. It is an invitation to come to an agreement, to take into account new realities, and to recognize the awakening of the Global South.
It is particularly significant that Azerbaijan is employing tools such as NGOs and civil society in this effort. And this is not the first time. Cooperation with NGOs has been an important part of the activities of the Baku Initiative Group. Engagement with NGOs also played a key role during COP29.
Now this work enters a new phase—the Global South NGO Platform. The chairmanship of this new structure has been entrusted to Azerbaijan, which is only fitting, given that our country initiated its creation. The new platform is just beginning its journey, and it remains to be seen what kinds of projects it will implement. But there is no doubt that it will become an important political instrument of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy in the highly promising direction of the Global South. Simply put, the time has come to see not only the old “global players” on the world map. The world is changing, and the Global South—of which Azerbaijan is a part—is making its presence known. The fact that many players in the “old centers of power” did not expect or predict this change matters little now.
