Ajit Doval at the 13th BRICS NSA Meeting in Johannesburg: Global Security Hit by Uncertainty, Rising Tensions

National security advisor Ajit Doval acknowledged the support provided by South Africa for India’s continuing G20 chairmanship while attending the 13th BRICS NSA conference in Johannesburg. He also pledged India’s ongoing support for South Africa’s year-long BRICS chairmanship.

Doval said that there is a lot of turbulence in the international security environment at the time the conference is being conducted. Uncertainty and escalating tensions characterize the current state of global security. He said that the Covid pandemic’s aftereffects are currently being felt by the world economy.

Cyber, maritime, and space are considered to be global commons. Stress is being caused by non-traditional problems with the security of food, water, and energy. Doval said that South Africa’s inclusion of these themes at the BRICS NSA conference shows that it has a thorough awareness of the bigger picture of security.

It is important to use regional structures to pursue shared objectives and tackle new problems. According to him, every effort must be done to provide equitable and just access to the world’s commons in accordance with international law.

One of the biggest dangers to the country’s peace and security continues to be terrorism. According to Doval, terrorist groups continue to operate freely in the vicinity of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He added that one area where BRICS may cooperate is by adding terrorists and their allies to the UN counterterrorism sanctions framework. He said that it is critical that the UNSC sanctions committee’s decision-making is devoid of partisanship and applies no double standards.

According to Doval, the responsible use and conservation of water is a shared obligation and a critical worldwide concern. In relation to shared cross-border water resources, he noted examples of water being used as a weapon and the necessity for total openness and unrestricted information exchange. The NSA said that it is necessary to combat the politicization of water.

2023 has been designated as the International Year of Millets by the United Nations. Through programs like Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), India has been at the forefront of supporting educational and behavioral methods. According to him, the BRICS nations should lead by example by emphasizing personal behavior and switching to a lifestyle for the environment.

India has aided several nations throughout the epidemic and is a significant player in the world food supply chain. In addition to ensuring an uninterrupted supply of food, it is important to guarantee fertiliser availability. Doval cautioned that the current fertiliser shortfall might lead to a food catastrophe tomorrow.

In order to combat widespread hazards and risks brought on by developing technology, the necessity of research and development takes precedence in the cyberspace. Doval expressed delight that the BRICS working group on ICTs had identified certain cutting-edge fields as potential research subjects, including artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, cloud security, blockchain, and the Internet of Things.

The potential offered by the digital age will also bring about problems, he said, and we must work together to strengthen cyber defenses, promote global collaboration, and create a robust national cyberinfrastructure. Cyberattacks are global in scope. According to Doval, there are growing worries about the connections between hackers and terrorists.

Disruptions in the supply chain have a disproportionately negative impact on disadvantaged communities’ access to food. The NSA said that this requires immediate attention and that doing so is both a shared commitment and a shared obligation.

It is essential to have access to a reliable and inexpensive supply of essential materials for the creation of renewable energy technologies, he said.

One of the goals of India’s G20 leadership, according to him, is to raise the issues that worry developing nations. India is recommending that the G20 establish a worldwide biofuel alliance.

Doval said that this year’s G20 agenda would actually take into account the concerns of the whole globe, particularly those in the Global South, and that 125 nations attended the Voice of the Global South forum that India sponsored.

India places a high value on the BRICS process and is ready and eager to improve collaboration in all team projects, said Doval.