UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the Group of 77 countries and China (G-77/China) to play a strong role in shaping the post-2015 agenda, while UN General Assembly (UNGA) President John Ashe called for greater financial and institutional support for South-South cooperation.
Ban and Ashe were speaking at the 37th annual meeting of G-77 foreign ministers in New York, US, on 26 September 2013.
26 September 2013: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the Group of 77 countries and China (G-77/China) to play a strong role in shaping the post-2015 agenda, while UN General Assembly (UNGA) President John Ashe called for greater financial and institutional support for South-South cooperation. Ban and Ashe were speaking at the 37th annual meeting of G-77 foreign ministers in New York, US, on 26 September 2013.
Ban praised the Group’s achievements in pushing poverty eradication up the global agenda, noting that G-77 governments can “make or break negotiations on contentious issues.” He said the Group’s support is especially critical in the final push to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and called for its full engagement in creating a universal development agenda organized around a new global partnership for development, based on equity, cooperation and accountability, with firm roots in human rights.
Ashe recalled the G-77’s initial purpose of effectively negotiating with countries of the North, and its evolution towards maximizing cooperation among its members. He emphasized that South-South cooperation remains “one of the best forms” of solidarity and interdependence among developing countries, and expressed his personal commitment to securing adequate and structured financial and institutional support for it. He called on the international community to take the necessary actions to fulfill previous commitments on finance, capacity building and technology transfer.
Ashe highlighted the role of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and a high-level event on ‘Contributions of South-South, Triangular Cooperation and ICT for Development,’ which will take place during the UNGA’s 68th session.
Fiji holds the leadership of the G-77/China in 2013. The group was established in 1964 by 77 Member States, and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2014. It now comprises over 130 countries, equivalent to about two-thirds of the UN membership. [UN Press Release] [Statement of UN Secretary-General] [Statement of UNGA President]