The Group of 77 (G-77)

Image: Palestine flag. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Palestine Looks Forward To An Exceptional Year As G77 Chair

By Ramesh Jaura

NEW YORK (IDN) – 2019 is slated to be an exceptional year for the State of Palestine, not least because it will preside over the Group of 77 (G77) – the largest bloc at the United Nations – comprising 134 developing countries representing some 80 percent of the world population.

Though 71 years since the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 in 1947 an independent and sovereign State of Palestine state has yet to be realised. But according to Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, as chair of the Group of 77 and China, "we will be negotiating on behalf of 135 countries," including his own delegation in the count.

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; The Group of 77; 31 December 2018

Photo: UN General Assembly Hall on 20 November 2018. UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Wanted a Geographically Diverse and Gender-balanced UN

Viewpoint by Karim Ismail on behalf of G-77

The following are extensive extracts from the statement on behalf of the "Group of 77", comprising 134 member countries including China, by Karim Ismail, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations, at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) of the UN General Assembly on 15 November 2018, urging the Secretariat to ensure that the world body's staff reflects equitable geographic representation, as more women and young people are hired to shape a dynamic Organization with a mobile and multitalented workforce. – The Editor

: UN Bureau; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; The Group of 77; 21 November 2018

Photo: Vienna Chapter of the Group of 77 celebrates 20th anniversary. Credit: UNIDO.

The Group of 77 at UN HQ in Vienna Celebrates 20th Anniversary

By Reinhard Jacobsen

VIENNA (IDN) – China's Foreign Minister WANG Yi has praised the Group of 77 (G-77) countries in Vienna, one of the four headquarters of the United Nations, along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, for its important role as a platform for developing countries to engage in multilateral affairs.

The Group of 77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries within United Nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity. The organization, established in 1964 by 77 developing countries, has expanded to 134 member states.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; The Group of 77; 21 September 2018

Photo: The 2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development concluded on 16 July, following a full day of Voluntary National Reviews, and the continuation of the High-Level General Debate in the afternoon. A Ministerial Declaration was adopted during the closing session on the theme 'Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.' Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth

UN Conference Warns Of Huge Backlogs Before Achieving Global Development Goals

By Ramesh Jaura

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – Three years since the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the UN, at first glimpse progress seems to have been made in "transforming our world" by implementing "a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity."

But senior UN officials admit that a closer look at what little has been achieved and the gargantuan tasks ahead to fulfil the "pledge that no one will be left behind" leave no room for complacency.

The Group of 77 (G-77), the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the UN – meanwhile encompassing 134 countries –also shares such reservations.

: Ramesh Jaura; UN INSIDER; 24 July 2018

Photo: The ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development follow-up (FfD Forum) in New York on Day 1 (23 April 2018). Credit: UN

Finance for Development Should Focus on Poverty Eradication

By Sahar Nasr, on Behalf of the Group of 77 and China

Following are extensive excerpts from the Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by Ms. Sahar Nasr, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation of Egypt, at the general debate of the Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up on the follow-up and review of the financing for development outcomes and the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in New York on 23 April 2018. – The Editor.

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – The Group of 77 and China has engaged constructively throughout the negotiations over the draft text of agreed conclusions and recommendations with a view to reaching a consensus-based outcome document encompassing all action areas of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Global Partnerships; 11 May 2018

Photo: Sameh Hassan Shokry Selim, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt (left) with UN Secretary-General António Guterres (right) at the UN. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

G-77 at UN to Focus on Global Solidarity and Multilateralism

By Ramesh Jaura

GENEVA | NEW YORK (IDN) – The Group of 77, comprising 134 developing and newly industrialized countries, has set itself six priorities for 2018 during the presidency of Sameh Hassan Shoukry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. These are closely related to the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, which poses "the quintessential challenge".

Shoukry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, has taken over the presidency of the Group – the single largest intergovernmental organization in the United Nations – from his counterpart from Ecuador.

The Group was established on June 15, 1964 by the 'Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries' issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.

: Ramesh Jaura; UN INSIDER; 28 January 2018

Photo: Ambassador Galo Yepez, Director of NGOs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of the Republic of Ecuador, addressing on behalf of the Group of 77 and China the High-Level Opening Ceremony of the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo 2017 on 27 November in Antalya, Turkey. Credit: UNOSSC

South-South Cooperation Complements North-South Coaction

By Ambassador Galo Yepez

Ambassador Galo Yepez is Director of NGOs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of the Republic of Ecuador. Following are extensive excerpts from his statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at the High-Level Opening Ceremony of the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo 2017 on 27 November in Antalya, Turkey. Read our report on the Expo. – The Editor.

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) - The Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo this year highlights the South-South Cooperation in the Era of Economic, Social and Environmental Transformation. In this regard I have to emphasize that South-South cooperation is a manifestation of solidarity among peoples and countries of the South that contributes to their national well-being, national and collective self-reliance and the attainment of the 2030 Agenda.

: UN Bureau; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; The Group of 77; 13 December 2017

134-Nation Group Garners Support for SDG 9 at UNIDO Meeting

By Ramesh Jaura

VIENNA (IDN) – "We are in a time when multilateralism is being challenged. Your participation in this General Conference reaffirms the relevance of UNIDO's work to your governments and the people on the ground," said Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia's Foreign Minister and President of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly until September 2018.

Lajčák was speaking at the opening session of the conference in Vienna, on November 27, nearly one month before the central European country ceases to be a member of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). In a letter signed by him as Foreign Minister, Slovakia had denounced the UNIDO convention in December 2016. Subsequently, it will cease to be a member of the Organization on December 31, 2017.