Fading Relevance

CONSIDER an organisation that came into existence in 1989. It has 15 members, all developing countries. But not once has there been a full participation of heads of state or government at the four G-15 summits held so far. Neither did the summit held at Buenos Aires from November 5 to 7, have full participation, with one-third heads of state or government staying away for various reasons. The fourth summit, which was to be held in New Delhi in December 1993, had to be postponed due to the lack of quorum. It was held subsequently in March 1994, when the quorum requirements were perforce reduced from 10 to eight.

For Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, just back from the NAM summit in Colombia and the UN’s 50th anniversary celebrations in New York, attending the G-15 summit might be useful to project him as a leader of international standing. Especially, coming as it does soon after the perceived diplomatic reverse in the US.

So what is the G-15? Formed in May 1989, at the time of the NAM summit in Belgrade, the G-15 is a summit level group for South-South consultation and cooperation. Though acting as a microcosm of what can be done in the larger G-77 or NAM context, it was to be different in that it also seeks to establish North-South dialogue, explains the External Affairs Ministry.

However, while there is a recognition today that the G-15 has not achieved much in terms of cooperation among the developing countries, South Block seeks to gloss over its failings. "Despite the vicissitudes it has passed through, its significance has not diminished." That its summits have not even attracted all heads of state or government, speaks of its significance.

The reasons for the formation of the G-15 were laudable—to act as a facilitator and promoter of new and enhanced levels of trade, investment and technology flows among the 15 countries of India, Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Chile. In fact, India was one of the main catalysts when the organisation was formed, which explains why it has been taking a leading role right from the beginning.

Early on in its life, 19 "cooperative projects" were taken up. The aim was to use the technical expertise of the 15 countries and help in transferring it to the others. The projects included establishment of gene banks of medicinal and aromatic plants (India), application of solar energy (India), small scale industries in Africa, including a vocational training centre in Senegal (India), South Investment, Trade and Technological Data Exchange Centre (Malaysia), food production (Indonesia), external debt (Indonesia) petroleum, gas and petro-chemicals (Egypt) and others. But officials concede that while the projects undertaken by India and Malaysia are going apace, many of the other countries have not been able to move forward on them.

More importantly, many of these countries are part of regional groupings, which have their own compulsions and equations with the developed world. Besides, while some of these regional alliances are successful, others are not. For instance, India belongs to the SAARC, which has remained ineffectual. But countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, who belong to ASEAN and even the South American countries, are part of relatively successful regional organisations, which have their own independent agendas. Despite India pushing hard, these nations have so far not shown any political will to act together as a group to benefit the developing countries.

However, former foreign secretary, M.K. Rasgotra, is optimistic. "Any kind of an organisation that developing countries can put together is a good thing. It’s a small but representative group of the larger body of the developing world, which together may be able to negotiate better terms with the developed world," he said. It doesn’t matter, he felt, if all the heads of state or government do not attend. "It’s a new body and its credibility will grow with time."

The highlight of the Buenos Aires summit was to be the launching and opera-tionalisation of the committee on investment, trade and technology, agreed to at the last summit. It is expected to be a standing body of the G-15 to provide an impetus to trade facilitation, promotion and liberalisation, investment promotion and technology transfer. Hopefully it will not turn out like the projects taken up earlier. There is also a move to establish an institutionalised cooperative arrangement between the chambers of commerce of G-15 countries.

It is very well to review crucial issues such as South-South cooperation projects, international economic cooperation, the role of multilateral organisations—all these were on the agenda of the Buenos Aires summit. But sterile speeches and resolutions of intent are not enough.