Photo: Xinhua

By Leonardo Attuch, from Kunming, China — From September 5 to 9, 2025, nearly 500 representatives from 260 media outlets, think tanks, governments, and international organizations across 110 countries convened in Kunming, in China's Yunnan province, for the 2025 Global South Media and Think Tanks Forum.

The gathering produced what is being called the "Yunnan Consensus," a document affirming the unity of the Global South in the face of international crises and underscoring the defense of a more just and multipolar world order.

The forum, held under the theme "Uniting the South to Confront Global Transformations", focused on the role of media and research centers in amplifying the Global South's voice, building consensus, and fostering cooperation among nations.

Defense of peace and critique of hegemony

The Yunnan Consensus stresses that countries of the Global South, historically committed to peace and security, should expand their role in global governance. It rejects unilateralism and hegemony, urging solidarity against artificial divisions and calling for the strengthening of genuine multilateralism.

In a clear message directed at Western powers, the document asserts that the international order must be rebuilt on "fairer and more equitable foundations," based on cooperation rather than confrontation.

Inclusive modernization and sustainable development

Another central theme is inclusive modernization as a shared goal. The Consensus urges governments to prioritize poverty reduction, industrialization, agricultural modernization, and green, sustainable development.

Participants emphasized the importance of telling the stories of economic integration and shared prosperity as a way to challenge the dominant narrative imposed by the Global North.

Civilizations and artificial intelligence

The document also highlights the role of the Global South's cultural traditions in fostering dialogue among civilizations. It calls for initiatives such as a "World Heritage Tourism Program" and defends respect for cultural diversity as an antidote to homogenization driven by dominant models.

It further addresses both the risks and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence, arguing that the Global South should harness new technologies to reduce inequality while upholding journalistic ethics and the dissemination of accurate and fair information.

A collective force

In its conclusion, the Yunnan Consensus emphasizes that the Global South should consolidate its voice as a stable force for peace, a central player in open development, a constructive partner in global governance, and a promoter of cross-civilizational exchange.

(Reported by Brasil 247 on September 8, 2025)

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