Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, 17 June proposed the creation of an International Mobilisation Partnership for Accelerating Connectivity and Trade (IMPACT) at the G7 Summit in Evian, France, calling for a trilateral model combining G7 capital, India's talent, and the ownership of Global South nations to drive connectivity projects across Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands.

What Modi Proposed at the G7 Outreach Session

Addressing the G7 Summit's Outreach Session on 'Reviving a Balanced, Shared and Sustainable Economic Growth for All', Modi argued that the central question for global growth is no longer one of GDP or trade figures. 'The real question is — Growth for whom, with whom and in what direction?' he said, according to his post on X.

Modi framed India's development model as one of inclusion and democratic empowerment, anchored in the guiding principle of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas' — Together with all, Development for all, Trust of all, Efforts by all. He cited India's G20 Presidency and the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) as concrete expressions of this philosophy.

West Asia Crisis and the Global South's Burden

Modi raised the ongoing disruptions in fuel, fertiliser, and food supply chains caused by the crisis in West Asia, warning that their impact on the Global South will persist for a considerable period. He called on international financial institutions to develop support mechanisms that help developing countries absorb economic shocks and maintain resilience, arguing that the most vulnerable nations should not be left to bear these burdens alone.

Global Skills Partnership: Tapping Young Talent

Noting that many advanced economies are ageing societies while India and other Global South nations hold an abundance of young talent, entrepreneurship, and skills, Modi called for a Global Skills Partnership. Under this framework, countries would collaborate on skill mapping and promote trusted skilled mobility — channelling the demographic complementarity between ageing G7 economies and younger developing nations into mutual economic advantage.

Bilateral Meetings on the Sidelines

Ahead of the Outreach Session, Modi held bilateral interactions with several world leaders. These included Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Director Kristalina Georgieva. The sideline meetings signal India's active diplomatic positioning as it pitches itself as a bridge between the G7 and the Global South.

Significance and What Comes Next

The IMPACT proposal builds directly on the IMEC vision announced during India's G20 Presidency, extending the connectivity corridor model to regions that have historically been underserved by multilateral infrastructure finance. Whether the proposal translates into a formal multilateral framework will depend on G7 receptiveness and follow-through in subsequent diplomatic channels. The French G7 Presidency's decision to feature shared growth as a summit theme gave Modi a platform to advance India's case as a development partner of consequence.