In Bogotá this week, diplomats from over 25 nations are convening for what may prove to be a watershed moment in international relations. But this is not another plea for Western intervention or a symbolic gesture of solidarity. Instead, the "Emergency Conference to halt the genocide in Gaza" in the Colombian capital is an early sign of something far more consequential: the Global South's declaration that it will no longer wait for permission to enforce international law.

The two-day summit, concluding on July 16, brings together a motley coalition spanning continents—from Indonesia to Ireland, China to Chile, Qatar to Uruguay. What unites these nations is not ideology or geography, but a shared determination to challenge what they see as a US-led monopoly over international legal interpretation.

Delegates are scheduled to hear from international law experts and Palestinian advocacy groups before retreating to closed sessions where ministers will hash out specific enforcement mechanisms against Israel’s military campaign. The goal, according to Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, is for "assembled states" to "devise a series of specific measures to move from words to collective action."

"The choice before us is stark and unforgiving," Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote last week in the Guardian op-ed that helped catalyse this gathering. "We can either stand firm in defence of the legal principles that seek to prevent war and conflict, or watch helplessly as the international system collapses under the weight of unchecked power politics."

The conference marks the coming of age of The Hague Group, an eight-nation coalition formed in January that has moved beyond diplomatic statements to concrete action. South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice—joined by Bolivia, Colombia, and Namibia—embodies the kind of legal audacity that would have been unthinkable without superpower backing just a decade ago.

Since Israel's onslaught on Gaza began, triggered by the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, Malaysia and Namibia have blocked Israeli arms shipments at their ports while Colombia has severed diplomatic ties with Israel and suspended coal exports. These calculated challenges to the traditional Western role as global policeman come as multilateral institutions remain paralysed by vetoes and inaction.

"The Palestinian genocide threatens our entire multilateral system," Deputy Foreign Minister Jassir told Middle East Eye. This language signals a shift: non-aligned nations have all but abandoned hope of reforming the UN and grown tired of empty appeals to Western conscience. They are now asserting their own authority to interpret international law.

The group's composition notably excludes controversial regimes like Russia, Iran and Venezuela, criticised over their poor human rights record, systemic repression and, in Russia's case, the invasion of Ukraine—a deliberate choice that insulates it from charges of hypocrisy.

The confidence of independence

Yet what is most striking about the Bogotá meeting is its timing. The Trump administration's recent sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese—a fierce critic of Israel's war in Gaza who is attending the conference—might once have caused wavering among developing nations. Instead, it has only strengthened their resolve.

"All my solidarity with Francesca Albanese. The multilateral system of states cannot be destroyed," Petro declared in direct defiance of Washington's pressure. This represents a remarkable evolution in diplomatic discourse—Global South nations are no longer seeking Western approval but explicitly rejecting Western interference.

The September 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on Israeli policies in occupied Palestinian territory, supported by 124 nations, created binding legal obligations with a 12-month deadline. Rather than waiting for Western powers to act, these nations are moving to enforce those obligations themselves.

Beyond Gaza: a new diplomatic order

While the human tragedy in Gaza provides the immediate focus, the conference's deeper significance lies in what it represents for the future of international relations. For decades, developing nations have largely operated within diplomatic frameworks designed by and for Western powers, such as the UN or the G20. Today, the Bogotá gathering builds on growing confidence in charting independent courses on major international issues.

The participation of European countries like Ireland, Spain, and Portugal alongside traditional non-aligned nations indicates this is not simply a repeat of Cold War-era South-South cooperation or another extension of the BRICS-led multipolar world order. Instead, it represents a new form of coalition-building based on shared values and commitment to legal principles rather than ideological alignment.

The price of leadership

This diplomatic assertiveness comes with risks. South Africa discovered that challenging Israel means facing US retaliation, yet this has only emboldened other nations to follow suit. The willingness to accept such fallouts reveals a fundamental shift in how these nations calculate their interests, just as the US under the Trump administration retreats from its international humanitarian engagements.

"While we may face threats of retaliation when we stand up for international law—as South Africa discovered the United States retaliated for its case at the International Court of Justice—the consequences of abdicating our responsibilities will be dire," Petro warned. "If we fail to act now, we not only betray the Palestinian people; we become complicit in the atrocities committed by Netanyahu's government."

The multipolar moment

The conference's culmination in a mass mobilisation at Plaza Bolívar—named for Simón Bolívar, who once dreamed of Latin American independence from imperial domination—provides a fitting metaphor for what these nations are attempting: a new form of diplomatic liberation.

Albanese, defying US sanctions to attend, called The Hague Group's formation "the most significant political development of the last 20 months." Her presence in Bogotá, alongside other UN officials, is a sorry sign that even international civil servants, bound to be impartial and objective, are now seeking protection from great power interference.

The gathering represents more than a response to the Gaza crisis—it heralds the emergence of a true multipolar world where developing nations no longer accept being relegated to the margins of international decision-making. Whether addressing climate change, trade disputes, or humanitarian crises, the precedent set in Bogotá suggests these nations will increasingly reclaim their agency and act independently of Western leadership.

The Bogotá conference may well go down in history as the moment when the Global South stopped yielding to US pressure and stepped up its game, exercising the very authority it has always possessed under international law. Its implications will extend far beyond the immediate crisis in Gaza. They offer a glimpse of how geopolitics will take shape in the decades ahead.