State ministers also discussed geopolitical tensions, impacts of the pandemic and environmental challenges
O Itamaraty released this Saturday (September 23, 2023) a statement from the G77 and China with the main agendas and discussions of the organization’s 47th meeting, held on Friday (September 22, 2023), at the headquarters of UN (United Nations), in New York. Here’s the complete (PDF – 456kB).
The text, which has 343 paragraphs, comes after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the respective countries and comes out in defense of the Global South, previously defended by heads of states of member countries, such as Brazil.
According to the statement, the meeting discussed topics such as repercussions of current geopolitical tensions, the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic and the challenges of developing countries in the economic, social and environmental areas.
The countries also state in the text that “eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, remains the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development”.
In the economic area, the ministers highlighted the importance of the following issues:
- reform of the international financial architecture, including the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the world Bank;
- increased debt swaps for the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), including debt swaps for climate and environment;
- reform of WTO (World Trade Organization), reinforcing special and differentiated treatment for developing countries as a multilateral principle;
- support for strengthening productive capacities to build diversified, resilient and sustainable economies that can create decent and productive employment;
- progress in establishing a set of measures of progress in sustainable development that complement or go beyond GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
On Saturday (September 16, 2023), the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) met with other G77 leaders in Havana, Cuba. The meeting was also a political opportunity for Lula to reinforce his speech about greater participation of countries from the Global South in international decision-making bodies.
Since returning to power, in his 3rd term, the president has defended the reform of multilateral organizations, especially the UN, so that developing countries have a greater voice in discussions.
WHAT IS THE G77
The G77 originates from the signing of a joint declaration between 77 countries from Asia, Africa and Central and South America in Geneva, during the 1st session of UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), in 1964.
In 2023, the G77 summit was held in 2023 in Havana, Cuba, and aimed to discuss the development challenges of countries in the Global South.
The Group of 77 is the main organization of developing countries at the UN, and promotes shared interests among these nations and exerts significant influence on the economy and relations of cooperation, development and multilateralism.
Currently, the group has 134 countries, but still maintains the name “G77” due to its historical importance. China is listed as a member, but the Chinese government claims that, although it supports the group, it is not formally part of the bloc, maintaining cooperative relations within the scope of “G77+ China”.
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